I have this problem...okay, I'll be realistic. I have only one problem which I've chosen to write about today. Sweat! Not too big of a problem from the onset, right? After all, I'm running quite a bit, cycling some on the rollers and have even started lifting some weights. The point is; I'm supposed to sweat. True. My problem is, I'm thinking I may sweat too much!
I think I've had this problem my whole life, but it really became more apparent during my first spin classes many years ago. Now I know nearly everyone leaves a puddle during spin class; however, I left a puddle large enough that I had to shed the hand towel sized clean up device for a full size bath towel. And that was when I parked the bike in front of the fan! Even a friend I took to a class once, who incidentally thought I was exaggerating about the volume of sweat my body could produce, marveled at what he saw. He still talks about that today...and this happened more than 10 years ago.
Jump to the present. Last Sunday, I went out on my long run in the morning since we had plans in the afternoon. When I left the house, it was about 18 degrees (F). Knowing how my body operates, I dressed fairly thin given the conditions. The plan is to start cold and warm up to a nice temperature for the remainder of the run. Well, I was cold for about the first 1/4 mile. By the 1/2 mile point - two drops of sweat ran down my forehead. After completing my first mile, I was full on dripping sweat, wiping my forehead with my gloves, trying to keep my glasses clear enough to see where I was heading.
So, the run was to total 9 miles. I ran on a path near home that took me 4.5 miles south and turned around for the 4.5 back home to the north. Herein lies the issue. I don't mind sweating so much in the summer. I've come to terms that I was genetically predetermined to have this problem. It's the sweating in the winter I don't enjoy. As I reached my turnaround point, I quickly discovered that there was a stiff breeze coming out of the north, right into my face. You don't have to be a meteorologist (although, I am) to know that a northerly wind in the Front Range of Colorado in winter means cold (or at least cooler) temperatures. Anyway, as the breeze slammed me in my sweat-soaked shirt, pants, gloves, hat...everything, I thought I would freeze. In fact, as Teresa can vouch for me, I had small ice crystals that had formed on my shoulders during my return home. Of course, now my back was warming up quite nicely being protected from the wind by the front side.
I have yet to figure out a solution to this dilemma. I have a warmer jacket which does provide more wind protection. If I run in that garment I'd have to unzip it all the way to allow any airflow at all which significantly reduces the wind protection factor. Leaving it zipped up would likely lead to 10 lb loss of water weight during a long run and dehydration. I surmise, that maybe there is no solution, except to wait for warmer weather...of course famed weather forecaster Punxsutawny Phil has ruined that for me. Stupid rodent meteorologist.
Thanks for reading.
- Brian
Friday, February 5, 2010
Friday, January 29, 2010
Baby Feet
So I, as probably most of the runners around have, read the book Born to Run, by Christopher McDougall. This may not be a big deal for most, but I am not a reader...never have been and maybe never will be. But a friend of mine recommended this book to me so I put it on my Christmas list and was fortunate enough to open it Christmas day. Not being much of a reader, I'm not going to even attempt to provide you a review of the book, short of saying that I thought it was great. I have no clue if there are any other books out there that just make you want to go run (again, not a reader) but this one certainly did that for me. I liked it so much, I'm thinking of starting it again...and I just finished it last night. Did I mention I'm not a reader?
Okay, that being said, the book also had me thinking quite a bit about barefoot running. Prior to reading Born to Run, I simply thought barefoot runners were a few cans short, if you know what I mean. I've since changed my mind somewhat and wonder about the real benefits. Unfortunately, these thoughts are purely selfish in nature as I've read articles and research papers and believe the benefits for many are real. That's great, but will it help me. As I stated in my last post, I'm extremely happy with my Newton Gravitys and All-Weather Newtons. I've never felt better running...but could I feel even better without shoes?
Last Saturday, my marathon plan called for an easy 4 miles. It was pretty windy outside and I had to run in the morning so I chose the treadmill. In my infinite wisdom, I figured I could run 3 miles with shoes and the last mile barefoot. Great idea right? Partially! Once I took the shoes off, the running actually felt pretty good. In fact, I didn't even feel like I had to alter my form all that much (I've really been concentrating on not heel striking the last 5 months). I was actually starting to crank up the pace quite a bit since it felt...well, right. Unfortunately, I severely underestimated the toughness of the skin on the bottom of my feet, which apparently have the durability of a 2 month old baby. Oh, that's not to say I didn't run the entire mile barefoot...I'm not a quitter! In hindsight; however, I should have been a quitter that day. The instant I finished my mile it felt like I was walking on a slightly cooled pizza oven.
This was a confusing moment for me - I felt great from the barefoot run, but felt horrible from the barefoot run. I went upstairs to cool off a little (feet included) and proceeded to lance the several blisters that had grown quite large in such a short time. The wife did not find this amusing, but I was relieved to get rid of that pressure. Needless to say, I walked very gingerly for the next few days.
We were heading up to Loveland to visit my mom that afternoon and of course, I wore shoes. Learning from my morning mistake, I asked Teresa to see if any stores in Loveland or Fort Collins carried Vibram Five Fingers. I had already done a little research on these and thought I should at least check them out. We found a store that carried them and checked them out...in fact, I ended up purchasing a pair.
After getting over the fact that when I wear them, I look like a gorilla that just escaped from the zoo, I really began to enjoy wearing them. Number one...they breath quite well, which for me is a must. Also, the look was kind of growing on me. So, I decided to perform the same test on my Sunday long run and try the last 1 of 7 miles in the 5 fingers. Again, this was on the treadmill as I really didn't feel like bucking 35 mph winds outside.
The resutls: Great! I really did feel quite comfortable in the "shoes" and didn't have any pain other than the blisters and a little bit of a sore arch, which is to be expected. Where to now? Well, my mileage for the May 9th marathon is increasing pretty rapidly and I want to take the almost barefoot running transition very slowly. I will probably continue to throw them on in the last portions of some easy runs until I'm sure I won't cause an injury to throw off my training. I imagine this may be a continuing topic in the coming months.
Thanks for reading.
- BT
Okay, that being said, the book also had me thinking quite a bit about barefoot running. Prior to reading Born to Run, I simply thought barefoot runners were a few cans short, if you know what I mean. I've since changed my mind somewhat and wonder about the real benefits. Unfortunately, these thoughts are purely selfish in nature as I've read articles and research papers and believe the benefits for many are real. That's great, but will it help me. As I stated in my last post, I'm extremely happy with my Newton Gravitys and All-Weather Newtons. I've never felt better running...but could I feel even better without shoes?
Last Saturday, my marathon plan called for an easy 4 miles. It was pretty windy outside and I had to run in the morning so I chose the treadmill. In my infinite wisdom, I figured I could run 3 miles with shoes and the last mile barefoot. Great idea right? Partially! Once I took the shoes off, the running actually felt pretty good. In fact, I didn't even feel like I had to alter my form all that much (I've really been concentrating on not heel striking the last 5 months). I was actually starting to crank up the pace quite a bit since it felt...well, right. Unfortunately, I severely underestimated the toughness of the skin on the bottom of my feet, which apparently have the durability of a 2 month old baby. Oh, that's not to say I didn't run the entire mile barefoot...I'm not a quitter! In hindsight; however, I should have been a quitter that day. The instant I finished my mile it felt like I was walking on a slightly cooled pizza oven.
This was a confusing moment for me - I felt great from the barefoot run, but felt horrible from the barefoot run. I went upstairs to cool off a little (feet included) and proceeded to lance the several blisters that had grown quite large in such a short time. The wife did not find this amusing, but I was relieved to get rid of that pressure. Needless to say, I walked very gingerly for the next few days.
We were heading up to Loveland to visit my mom that afternoon and of course, I wore shoes. Learning from my morning mistake, I asked Teresa to see if any stores in Loveland or Fort Collins carried Vibram Five Fingers. I had already done a little research on these and thought I should at least check them out. We found a store that carried them and checked them out...in fact, I ended up purchasing a pair.
After getting over the fact that when I wear them, I look like a gorilla that just escaped from the zoo, I really began to enjoy wearing them. Number one...they breath quite well, which for me is a must. Also, the look was kind of growing on me. So, I decided to perform the same test on my Sunday long run and try the last 1 of 7 miles in the 5 fingers. Again, this was on the treadmill as I really didn't feel like bucking 35 mph winds outside.
The resutls: Great! I really did feel quite comfortable in the "shoes" and didn't have any pain other than the blisters and a little bit of a sore arch, which is to be expected. Where to now? Well, my mileage for the May 9th marathon is increasing pretty rapidly and I want to take the almost barefoot running transition very slowly. I will probably continue to throw them on in the last portions of some easy runs until I'm sure I won't cause an injury to throw off my training. I imagine this may be a continuing topic in the coming months.
Thanks for reading.
- BT
Thursday, December 31, 2009
To Blog or Not To Blog?
Okay, I'm going to guess that approximately 2 people will ever read this blog...and that likely includes me. My wife, who is probably the other one reading this, has been blogging about our son for a few years and it's pretty amazing. I typically see firsthand all the little 'tidbits' she writes about weekly, yet there is something appealing about seeing the week summarized on the internet.
So we come to me...I've thought on and off about starting a blog. Mostly wondering if it would just be a waste of my time to sit down and write something that will rarely be seen. Who knows, this may be my last post...or it could be the first of many. Either way, I'm going to give it a go and see what happens. I'm not completely sure what it is that I will write about. My wife pretty much has the family and son activities covered, so it doesn't make sense to regurgitate her efforts. I imagine I will discuss more details about me personally and what happens in my life (hence the name of the blog) from time to time. I can almost guarantee that this won't be a weekly post, regardless of what happens...but I've been wrong before, just ask my spouse.
For this first venture into blogging, I thought I would discuss the challenges I've proposed for myself for 2010. Some may call these New Year's Resolutions, but I won't. The only real resolutions I've had were to drink more quality wine and beer and I always failed...not in quality but in quantity. This is not to say I was turning to the path of drinking too much, just that I love wine and even more so love beer and wanted to try more varieties and expand my horizons. Either way, it doesn't matter...I've failed those resolutions and no longer assert to have such lofty goals.
Back to my 2010 challenges. Many years ago in 1998, Teresa (the wife), ran the Disney World Marathon for Team in Training and I was so impressed by her efforts and what she accomplished, that I decided to do the same. I ran the 1998 inaugural San Diego Rock 'n Roll Marathon. I was much younger and perhaps thought I was invincible, and suffered through the race. My training had very little structure and to make a long story short...I had serious IT band issues the day of the race. So bad, that I could only run about 10 of the 26 miles. Somehow, I still completed the marathon waking much like a pirate, as I could not bend my right knee. This experience left me with an urge to redeem myself...but the pain was too great and burned in my memory.
Several years went by and I ran very little. I would try, only to be discouraged by knee pain, shin splints, ankle soreness (that's another story). Not to mention the fact that I was significantly slower than I was in 1998 (I wasn't fast then by the way) and my pride suffered. In addition, time was always short, between work, wife and son time, it was hard to break away and I often would feel guilty.
Finally in the fall of 2007, I accepted the fact that I would probably not ever be able to run as fast as I could a decade earlier. Let's face it, I had gained a few pounds and I was much older. I had a secret weapon though...years of experience and a lack of pride, at least when it came to speed. That experience allowed me to take it slow both in pace and distance. I was able to slowly increase distance and amazingly, most of the pain went away after a couple of weeks...only to return if I took too much time off. Was that right?!? The pain comes back after taking too much time off? Didn't matter, that's what worked for me.
I ran fairly consistently through 2008, always working to slowly increase distance but I never really got any faster..and I was okay with that. Well, my mileage had increased to the point where my longer runs were around 13 miles...half marathon distance...and that was relatively pain free! I could suddenly see marathon redemption coming into view. After much personal debate, I decided to set my goals on completing another marathon. In January 2009, I signed up for the Colorado Marathon in Fort Collins. The amazingly beautiful course runs down the Poudre Canyon and into Olde Town. I felt so much more comfortable about this marathon since I grew up driving up that canyon and knew it very well.
So, I trained much smarter than I did more than a decade earlier. I still wasn't fast, but my goal was to finish, not win. I succeeded, and finished the marathon in just under 5 hours. Teresa, our son Seth and my mom were there to cheer me on at every opportunity they had. The highlight of the run; however, was crossing the finish line running, with Seth in my arms. It was a great way to redeem myself.
This time, I was able to keep running after my marathon and even ran 10 miles the following weekend. And while I could still run long distances, I wasn't fast. I began to research my running style and realized I was a heel-striker...not good. Not only does this slow a runner down, it creates much more stress on the body. In my research, I came across a pair of shoes that have changed how I run forever. The shoes are Newtons and they are by far the best shoes I've ever had. I finally ponied up the cash to get the shoes (they're not cheap) and started running in them in early August. Since that time, I've shaved over 5 minutes off of my 5 km time all while still feeling like I had more in my legs at the end. Granted, some of the increase in speed is due to form, but the Newton shoes help maximize the efficiency using that form.
So, now we have the plans for 2010. I've succeeded in increasing my speed with motivation, form and shoes to help. I do want to run the Colorado Marathon again (and have signed up already) and hope to shave a huge chunk of time off of last year's run. I've also decided that I would like to venture into the sport of triathlons. Why you ask? Well, it's something I've always wanted to do...even signed up with USA Triathlon many years ago, but never raced. Now, I just feel like it will be another great challenge for me to take on and pursue. As with last year's marathon, I don't have any hopes for finishing a sprint distance triathlon in a certain time; I just want to finish. If after that I'm enjoying the sport, I'll set time goals then.
Either way, I'm looking forward to a challenging 2010 for me and endurance training/racing. Now, I just need to get in the pool, as this will most certainly be my weak point for the upcoming triathlons.
Thanks for reading.
- Brian
So we come to me...I've thought on and off about starting a blog. Mostly wondering if it would just be a waste of my time to sit down and write something that will rarely be seen. Who knows, this may be my last post...or it could be the first of many. Either way, I'm going to give it a go and see what happens. I'm not completely sure what it is that I will write about. My wife pretty much has the family and son activities covered, so it doesn't make sense to regurgitate her efforts. I imagine I will discuss more details about me personally and what happens in my life (hence the name of the blog) from time to time. I can almost guarantee that this won't be a weekly post, regardless of what happens...but I've been wrong before, just ask my spouse.
For this first venture into blogging, I thought I would discuss the challenges I've proposed for myself for 2010. Some may call these New Year's Resolutions, but I won't. The only real resolutions I've had were to drink more quality wine and beer and I always failed...not in quality but in quantity. This is not to say I was turning to the path of drinking too much, just that I love wine and even more so love beer and wanted to try more varieties and expand my horizons. Either way, it doesn't matter...I've failed those resolutions and no longer assert to have such lofty goals.
Back to my 2010 challenges. Many years ago in 1998, Teresa (the wife), ran the Disney World Marathon for Team in Training and I was so impressed by her efforts and what she accomplished, that I decided to do the same. I ran the 1998 inaugural San Diego Rock 'n Roll Marathon. I was much younger and perhaps thought I was invincible, and suffered through the race. My training had very little structure and to make a long story short...I had serious IT band issues the day of the race. So bad, that I could only run about 10 of the 26 miles. Somehow, I still completed the marathon waking much like a pirate, as I could not bend my right knee. This experience left me with an urge to redeem myself...but the pain was too great and burned in my memory.
Several years went by and I ran very little. I would try, only to be discouraged by knee pain, shin splints, ankle soreness (that's another story). Not to mention the fact that I was significantly slower than I was in 1998 (I wasn't fast then by the way) and my pride suffered. In addition, time was always short, between work, wife and son time, it was hard to break away and I often would feel guilty.
Finally in the fall of 2007, I accepted the fact that I would probably not ever be able to run as fast as I could a decade earlier. Let's face it, I had gained a few pounds and I was much older. I had a secret weapon though...years of experience and a lack of pride, at least when it came to speed. That experience allowed me to take it slow both in pace and distance. I was able to slowly increase distance and amazingly, most of the pain went away after a couple of weeks...only to return if I took too much time off. Was that right?!? The pain comes back after taking too much time off? Didn't matter, that's what worked for me.
I ran fairly consistently through 2008, always working to slowly increase distance but I never really got any faster..and I was okay with that. Well, my mileage had increased to the point where my longer runs were around 13 miles...half marathon distance...and that was relatively pain free! I could suddenly see marathon redemption coming into view. After much personal debate, I decided to set my goals on completing another marathon. In January 2009, I signed up for the Colorado Marathon in Fort Collins. The amazingly beautiful course runs down the Poudre Canyon and into Olde Town. I felt so much more comfortable about this marathon since I grew up driving up that canyon and knew it very well.
So, I trained much smarter than I did more than a decade earlier. I still wasn't fast, but my goal was to finish, not win. I succeeded, and finished the marathon in just under 5 hours. Teresa, our son Seth and my mom were there to cheer me on at every opportunity they had. The highlight of the run; however, was crossing the finish line running, with Seth in my arms. It was a great way to redeem myself.
This time, I was able to keep running after my marathon and even ran 10 miles the following weekend. And while I could still run long distances, I wasn't fast. I began to research my running style and realized I was a heel-striker...not good. Not only does this slow a runner down, it creates much more stress on the body. In my research, I came across a pair of shoes that have changed how I run forever. The shoes are Newtons and they are by far the best shoes I've ever had. I finally ponied up the cash to get the shoes (they're not cheap) and started running in them in early August. Since that time, I've shaved over 5 minutes off of my 5 km time all while still feeling like I had more in my legs at the end. Granted, some of the increase in speed is due to form, but the Newton shoes help maximize the efficiency using that form.
So, now we have the plans for 2010. I've succeeded in increasing my speed with motivation, form and shoes to help. I do want to run the Colorado Marathon again (and have signed up already) and hope to shave a huge chunk of time off of last year's run. I've also decided that I would like to venture into the sport of triathlons. Why you ask? Well, it's something I've always wanted to do...even signed up with USA Triathlon many years ago, but never raced. Now, I just feel like it will be another great challenge for me to take on and pursue. As with last year's marathon, I don't have any hopes for finishing a sprint distance triathlon in a certain time; I just want to finish. If after that I'm enjoying the sport, I'll set time goals then.
Either way, I'm looking forward to a challenging 2010 for me and endurance training/racing. Now, I just need to get in the pool, as this will most certainly be my weak point for the upcoming triathlons.
Thanks for reading.
- Brian
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
