One of the pleasuers of maniacal running: guilt free eating.
My newest delicacy:
a slab of salted butter atop a square of raw chocolate chip cookie dough.
don't knock it 'till ya try it.
YUM!!!
Extra special thanks to Miss Rosie for introducing me to raw cookie dough as a snack during my tenure at Treasure Island. :)
late night 90 minute run tonight around the hood, 9ish miles
you learn a lot about what's going on in your neighborhood when you walk, cycle and run around it all the time. Last week was the finals of the FedEx Cup, some big deal golf tournament with Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson etc. Since I was running and biking the police let me right through the security barricades. Woot woot.
And tonight I've noticed more and more actitvity around this old graffiti'ed warehouse complex. So I stopped and chatted with the police officer for a bit and he told me it was the 14 day filming of Fast and Furious 5, with Ludacris, Vin Diesel, etc... then he showed me the cars, they had like 4 identical tricked out blue Porsches sitting right there in the lot... schweet!
pace felt strong and fast most of the way
got very lost on the way home so my 1/2 mile sprint turned into a 2 mile sprint.
hahahahaha!
felt really good and strong tonight, even with running immediately after 2 tacos and 3 beers. GOOD!
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
discipline
scheduled for 8 miles tonight. Again, fear & loathing... and a tad bit of excitement.
Many of you have mentioned, and I can completely empathize with, the boredom about "I ran this many miles today in this many minutes." So for those, please allow me to clarify:
My Numeric obsession comes from competition. I will be running this marathon with my brother. He is Adonnis, and I am the exec cum yoga teacher. My brother has been physically stronger than me my whole life. From age 10 on, we wrestled and fought for many hours each day. Traditionally we met every summer at the family beach house, and continued this battle. In fact, this past summer was the *first* summer that I returned home with nary a broken bone in my body. Yes, we fight that hard. And yes, it is all in good fun... with a little bit of alchohol added for danger, natch.
So numbers are the primary way that my brother and I encourage each other on this journey towards the marathon. I send him my last run, he sends me his last run, and we generally try to one-up each other... which makes for fairly good and aggressive training. All of it is in the interest of maximizing our joy, and minimizing our pain, on race day.
Its also in the interest of communication. Because in between all those numbers, we speak to eachother about our lives... and that is something that has been sorely lacking in our relationship for years and years and years. I can honestly say that since we've signed up for the marathon, I've communicated to my brother more frequently and more honestly than I have in 10 years... and if miles are the agent of this bonding, then I am in celebration of them.
Finally, I want to note that, until I ran 15+ miles the other day, I had an on and off doubt that I might not be physically capable of completing the race as a runner (I don't care to walk a marathon... already got that merit badge, on the Appalachian Trail in 2009, thanks). So the miles are like... what, waypoints along the road to winning... where in this case, winning = completion on my own terms.
So when you see numbers, equate them to realisations and epiphanies.... and as with any good athlete, the better you get, the harder you have to push it to get to those wonderful thresholds of joy and pain and insight. So what I used to receive in 5 miles, now I have to run 11 to get it.
All that said, from now on I will really try to communicate my mental and emotional journeys more than the miles. Cause we all know, come October 31, I'm running 26.2 miles, and accomplishing something that I've been aching to do for more than 10 years. And every number up to there, is well, just moving meditation.
xo,
G
Many of you have mentioned, and I can completely empathize with, the boredom about "I ran this many miles today in this many minutes." So for those, please allow me to clarify:
My Numeric obsession comes from competition. I will be running this marathon with my brother. He is Adonnis, and I am the exec cum yoga teacher. My brother has been physically stronger than me my whole life. From age 10 on, we wrestled and fought for many hours each day. Traditionally we met every summer at the family beach house, and continued this battle. In fact, this past summer was the *first* summer that I returned home with nary a broken bone in my body. Yes, we fight that hard. And yes, it is all in good fun... with a little bit of alchohol added for danger, natch.
So numbers are the primary way that my brother and I encourage each other on this journey towards the marathon. I send him my last run, he sends me his last run, and we generally try to one-up each other... which makes for fairly good and aggressive training. All of it is in the interest of maximizing our joy, and minimizing our pain, on race day.
Its also in the interest of communication. Because in between all those numbers, we speak to eachother about our lives... and that is something that has been sorely lacking in our relationship for years and years and years. I can honestly say that since we've signed up for the marathon, I've communicated to my brother more frequently and more honestly than I have in 10 years... and if miles are the agent of this bonding, then I am in celebration of them.
Finally, I want to note that, until I ran 15+ miles the other day, I had an on and off doubt that I might not be physically capable of completing the race as a runner (I don't care to walk a marathon... already got that merit badge, on the Appalachian Trail in 2009, thanks). So the miles are like... what, waypoints along the road to winning... where in this case, winning = completion on my own terms.
So when you see numbers, equate them to realisations and epiphanies.... and as with any good athlete, the better you get, the harder you have to push it to get to those wonderful thresholds of joy and pain and insight. So what I used to receive in 5 miles, now I have to run 11 to get it.
All that said, from now on I will really try to communicate my mental and emotional journeys more than the miles. Cause we all know, come October 31, I'm running 26.2 miles, and accomplishing something that I've been aching to do for more than 10 years. And every number up to there, is well, just moving meditation.
xo,
G
Monday, September 27, 2010
the zen of distance running
I get this deep deep deep inner calm after distance running, very zen like. like those near-infinite percussions of bam bam bam bam of my feet on the earth and pavement totally jiggle the body, and when I'm done, all is quiet and well and still. Its also a kind of total body exhaustion unlike most other exercise / play I've done. And the farther I run, the longer that peace lasts. I'm currently 12+ hours out from my 2h45m run, and still feeling that ease and grace.
In most long runs, my skeleton is the limiting factor. I can basically breath deeply and even sing songs while running that 10, 12, 15 miles... I'd safely bet that my heartrate isn't even pushing past 100... which bothered me for a while, because I really like to push myself... but every time I pushed myself to faster paces, my knees and hips begin to scream and threaten to break / destabilize. And as I learned last year, it is imperative to listen to your body while doing distance running (or any activity for that matter :)
So I keep going at my lazy pace, just knowing that first I'll get the musculo-skeletal endurance in place, and then I'll improve my speed.
In most long runs, my skeleton is the limiting factor. I can basically breath deeply and even sing songs while running that 10, 12, 15 miles... I'd safely bet that my heartrate isn't even pushing past 100... which bothered me for a while, because I really like to push myself... but every time I pushed myself to faster paces, my knees and hips begin to scream and threaten to break / destabilize. And as I learned last year, it is imperative to listen to your body while doing distance running (or any activity for that matter :)
note to readers: last year I entered a bet that I couldn't run 10 miles... so to win, I ran, cold from the couch, two back-to-back 13 mile days. In the middle of the second run, I felt something like a knife go into the small of my back, but I just chose to ignore the pain and continued to run another 6 miles. Upon my return home, when I finally stopped running, I actually collapsed into the ground, and the full extent of the pain enveloped me. I literally crawled on the grass to the front door, crawled up the stairs, and laid in bed for the next 12 hours. It took me 2 full days until I could walk again, and another 60 days before I could even think about running again. So that was my lesson of Yes, mind can win over matter, however, there are prices to pay for exceeding the body's current training limits
So I keep going at my lazy pace, just knowing that first I'll get the musculo-skeletal endurance in place, and then I'll improve my speed.
Sunday, September 26, 2010
going the distance
15.65 miles
night time run
ran first 3.5 at an 8:55 pace,
first hour was in the rain
next hour was in total darkness by river
final 45 minutes was along very hilly roads with cars and no sidewalks
had to take 3 shits in the woods, so happy it was dark
lost 6 pounds of water (165>159)
overall I feel pretty good at that distance
still had enough energy to sprint the last 0.5 mile
think monday / tuesday will now seem easy, can try to add a little speed
your racing companion,
G
night time run
ran first 3.5 at an 8:55 pace,
i like that pace. it feels fast and free
i like running in the rain :)
next hour was in total darkness by river
i like running next to the river :)
final 45 minutes was along very hilly roads with cars and no sidewalks
i do not like nasty cars with high beams and running blindly into the grass and ditches
had to take 3 shits in the woods, so happy it was dark
lost 6 pounds of water (165>159)
overall I feel pretty good at that distance
still had enough energy to sprint the last 0.5 mile
think monday / tuesday will now seem easy, can try to add a little speed
your racing companion,
G
Saturday, September 25, 2010
more inspiration
The year: 1960
The place: Rome
The event: XVII Summer Olympiad
Abebe Bikila enters the marathon as a last minute substitution
when team mate breaks ankle.
Bikila runs entire race BAREFOOT...
Goes on to win GOLD in world record 2h 15m...
First black African ever to win Olympic gold.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQmqEIYI-GU&feature=player_embedded
G
The place: Rome
The event: XVII Summer Olympiad
Abebe Bikila enters the marathon as a last minute substitution
when team mate breaks ankle.
Bikila runs entire race BAREFOOT...
Goes on to win GOLD in world record 2h 15m...
First black African ever to win Olympic gold.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQmqEIYI-GU&feature=player_embedded
G
Thursday, September 23, 2010
victory is within reach
6 days
36 miles of running
72 miles of biking
gonna take a little chill down now for a day or two.
tonight put in another 9.5 running after 15 biking this afternoon.
not thinking about pace helped a lot.
i think running after dinner is stupid. gonna change that habit.
took the first 3 miles to digest my food
then it was another 3 of struggle
at 6, i ran past an outdoor bar, and seeing all those people see me, i got this huge adrenalin rush, and doubled my speed.
i was able to maintain 50% of that speed gain for pretty much the final 3 miles.
felt pretty damn good.
the FedEx open is right across the street from me, literally.
http://runkeeper.com/user/AcroYogi/activity/17031369
see that blue lake next to the 9 mile mark?
that's east lake country club. my house is the green dot.
all the roads are closed off,
but the police still let me run and bike next to the course.
the Goodyear blimp is here! :)
so the general theme of these runs I'm seeing is, I hurt for the first half, then have some kind of epiphany (thought or physical), and mostly really enjoy the second half. I hope the actual race goes something like that, or even better! :)
Gonna enjoy my 2 days off.
Targeting 15 on Sunday.
36 miles of running
72 miles of biking
gonna take a little chill down now for a day or two.
tonight put in another 9.5 running after 15 biking this afternoon.
not thinking about pace helped a lot.
i think running after dinner is stupid. gonna change that habit.
took the first 3 miles to digest my food
then it was another 3 of struggle
at 6, i ran past an outdoor bar, and seeing all those people see me, i got this huge adrenalin rush, and doubled my speed.
i was able to maintain 50% of that speed gain for pretty much the final 3 miles.
felt pretty damn good.
the FedEx open is right across the street from me, literally.
http://runkeeper.com/user/AcroYogi/activity/17031369
see that blue lake next to the 9 mile mark?
that's east lake country club. my house is the green dot.
all the roads are closed off,
but the police still let me run and bike next to the course.
the Goodyear blimp is here! :)
so the general theme of these runs I'm seeing is, I hurt for the first half, then have some kind of epiphany (thought or physical), and mostly really enjoy the second half. I hope the actual race goes something like that, or even better! :)
Gonna enjoy my 2 days off.
Targeting 15 on Sunday.
the punisher
So today I did 16 on the bike,
10 on foot.
felt pretty exhausted after the very hilly bike ride (4-5:30p),
so had lots of gatorade, big steak dinner, 3 beers.
then time to run the big 10 at 10pm!
running went fairly well.
running in the darkness on unlit roads under a full moon = cool.
running on a path next to a huge river with running rapids under a full moon = cooler.
having a large deer run right up to within 6 feet of me, pause, watch me pass, then sprint off... AWESOME!!
yes, all that happened :)
not pushing pace too hard, because every time i start sprinting, my body complains, and i am being super cautious about injury at this point. i want to finish the marathon.
I am also really thinking of throwing all pace goals out the window.
The 10 I ran today, was at a 10:15 pace.
http://runkeeper.com/user/AcroYogi/activity/16972942
It was supposed to be at an 8:30 pace by my spreadsheet.
Hahahahahahaaaaa.
I do really really want to beat a 4h:30m. Oprah Winfrey did it in 4:30. I *have* to be faster than her!!!!
Am enjoying working through thoughts while I run. Good moving meditation. Good reflections on life, relationships, etc.
10 on foot.
felt pretty exhausted after the very hilly bike ride (4-5:30p),
so had lots of gatorade, big steak dinner, 3 beers.
then time to run the big 10 at 10pm!
running went fairly well.
running in the darkness on unlit roads under a full moon = cool.
running on a path next to a huge river with running rapids under a full moon = cooler.
having a large deer run right up to within 6 feet of me, pause, watch me pass, then sprint off... AWESOME!!
yes, all that happened :)
not pushing pace too hard, because every time i start sprinting, my body complains, and i am being super cautious about injury at this point. i want to finish the marathon.
I am also really thinking of throwing all pace goals out the window.
The 10 I ran today, was at a 10:15 pace.
http://runkeeper.com/user/AcroYogi/activity/16972942
It was supposed to be at an 8:30 pace by my spreadsheet.
Hahahahahahaaaaa.
I do really really want to beat a 4h:30m. Oprah Winfrey did it in 4:30. I *have* to be faster than her!!!!
Am enjoying working through thoughts while I run. Good moving meditation. Good reflections on life, relationships, etc.
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
biathlon
15 miles cycling. hills are easy.
8.5 miles running. hills are food.
first part of run *sucked*. felt slow. cramping. thought: another 7 miles of this? urgh.
somewhere around halfway into it I began to pick up the pace
"negative splits" are really really great.
about 2/3rd in I realised I was completely lost when the downtown Atlanta skyline appeared in front of me. I was positive that I was travelling eastbound, and usually my compass sense is good... but Atlanta is actually 10 miles west of me. But somehow, this change of route made me very very happy. I realised unconsciously that I was running towards J's house. J is my acroyoga partner. That made me really happy. I picked up the pace again. I turned to go home along a now familiar route. I sprinted hard uphill for the final mile. Stats say I ran a 6:30, though I find that highly unlikely. Either way, it was a fast mile. Got to my house and found that I had locked myself out! Luckily my landlords were having a little hookah smoke in the backyard, enjoying Jupiter and the moon, and we chatted a bit and they found a way to open my door.
will need to do 10ish tomorrow. Plus will have another 15 on the bike to see the kids.
8.5 miles running. hills are food.
first part of run *sucked*. felt slow. cramping. thought: another 7 miles of this? urgh.
somewhere around halfway into it I began to pick up the pace
"negative splits" are really really great.
about 2/3rd in I realised I was completely lost when the downtown Atlanta skyline appeared in front of me. I was positive that I was travelling eastbound, and usually my compass sense is good... but Atlanta is actually 10 miles west of me. But somehow, this change of route made me very very happy. I realised unconsciously that I was running towards J's house. J is my acroyoga partner. That made me really happy. I picked up the pace again. I turned to go home along a now familiar route. I sprinted hard uphill for the final mile. Stats say I ran a 6:30, though I find that highly unlikely. Either way, it was a fast mile. Got to my house and found that I had locked myself out! Luckily my landlords were having a little hookah smoke in the backyard, enjoying Jupiter and the moon, and we chatted a bit and they found a way to open my door.
will need to do 10ish tomorrow. Plus will have another 15 on the bike to see the kids.
Monday, September 20, 2010
cycling
Been working so hard on the iPhone app, my run schedule is suffering. Ha!
Truck died hard, and I continue to maximize time with kids, which is now a 30 minute bike ride, 90 minute train ride, and another 60 minute bike ride to their house (and the same again back to mine).
So skipped run today and rode necessary 15 miles yesterday, 10 miles today as replacements.
easier on the joints for sure. biking up hills fast is my new cardiovascular challenge. :P
back to real running tomorrow.
RunKeeper Pro rules:
http://runkeeper.com/user/AcroYogi/profile
Truck died hard, and I continue to maximize time with kids, which is now a 30 minute bike ride, 90 minute train ride, and another 60 minute bike ride to their house (and the same again back to mine).
So skipped run today and rode necessary 15 miles yesterday, 10 miles today as replacements.
easier on the joints for sure. biking up hills fast is my new cardiovascular challenge. :P
back to real running tomorrow.
RunKeeper Pro rules:
http://runkeeper.com/user/AcroYogi/profile
Saturday, September 18, 2010
birthday run
11 miles
110 minutes
not as easy as I expected after 2 days rest
and not as hard as I expected after wednesdays struggle
all tracking technology failed, so it was just me and my music and intuitive nav.
knee and hip complained a bit.
but in the end, I felt I had at least another 5 mi in me. :)
Will push the pace on MoTuWe, and go for 200 minutes next Saturday.
So that's 30+ miles for the week... not bad for a novice, eh? :)
110 minutes
not as easy as I expected after 2 days rest
and not as hard as I expected after wednesdays struggle
all tracking technology failed, so it was just me and my music and intuitive nav.
knee and hip complained a bit.
but in the end, I felt I had at least another 5 mi in me. :)
Will push the pace on MoTuWe, and go for 200 minutes next Saturday.
So that's 30+ miles for the week... not bad for a novice, eh? :)
Friday, September 17, 2010
fun run
technically a rest day, but Alyson did her school Fun Run today, and I walked the 2 miles there, and felt it would be good just to check in with the knees.
On the way home, ran a 1/2 mile sprint, all uphill, in 3:30... and aside from being out of breath and 200 bpm heartrate, legs felt fine! cooled down with a 1/2 mile easy run.
So good news for tomorrow! :)
On the way home, ran a 1/2 mile sprint, all uphill, in 3:30... and aside from being out of breath and 200 bpm heartrate, legs felt fine! cooled down with a 1/2 mile easy run.
So good news for tomorrow! :)
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
ouch
wow. ouch.
coming off of yesterday's high,
this one really hurt.
I knew it as soon as I began.
My knees hurt and so did my hip joints and lower back
I think its because this is day 3 in a row.
I had planned 7 in 60, and realised immediately as I clocked in mile 1 at 11:00, that I was either going to run less (distance) or run longer (time).
I chose longer :)
Unlike last week, tho, my knees and hips continued to hurt for the entire hour. I couldn't even sprint down hills.
So, it was a struggle day. Still recovering 2 hours later.
Am thankful that next 2 days are rest days :)
6.5 miles
1 hour 11 minutes
10:50 pace :(
coming off of yesterday's high,
this one really hurt.
I knew it as soon as I began.
My knees hurt and so did my hip joints and lower back
I think its because this is day 3 in a row.
I had planned 7 in 60, and realised immediately as I clocked in mile 1 at 11:00, that I was either going to run less (distance) or run longer (time).
I chose longer :)
Unlike last week, tho, my knees and hips continued to hurt for the entire hour. I couldn't even sprint down hills.
So, it was a struggle day. Still recovering 2 hours later.
Am thankful that next 2 days are rest days :)
6.5 miles
1 hour 11 minutes
10:50 pace :(
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
hills for lunch
60 minute run
9:00 goal pace
iPhone app lied to me on pace, so I ended up running it at an 8:40
8:30 split on mile 6
7 miles total
eating hills for lunch now
clearly feeling more power in legs
pre-fuel of 3 beers may have hurt time a little
9:00 goal pace
iPhone app lied to me on pace, so I ended up running it at an 8:40
8:30 split on mile 6
7 miles total
eating hills for lunch now
clearly feeling more power in legs
pre-fuel of 3 beers may have hurt time a little
Monday, September 13, 2010
baik at it!
baik at it!
today was my most powerful run yet
I felt really great.
did 5.4mi in 46 min
mile 4 was a 8:20 split,
mile 5 was an 8:07
definitely feeling a lot stronger
hills don't even phase me anymore
also helps that it was like 75 degrees as opposed to the 90s I've been running in :)
G
today was my most powerful run yet
I felt really great.
did 5.4mi in 46 min
mile 4 was a 8:20 split,
mile 5 was an 8:07
definitely feeling a lot stronger
hills don't even phase me anymore
also helps that it was like 75 degrees as opposed to the 90s I've been running in :)
G
Saturday, September 11, 2010
back in the hood
late night run
prepped with 3 beers and a huge dinner of fish, peas & potatoes
will need coaching for this "pre-run carb loading"...
the first 1.5 miles sucked. had a grandpa pace of like 11:00 or something. knees hurt. stomach cramped.
then i hit the long up hill.
and kept moving faster and faster.
realised I had gotten the cherished "hill immunity" :)
when I got to the top of the hill, I continued to increase speed.
the final flat mile, I hit in 7:30, a personal record.
total run: 4.4
tomorrow is the big 10-15. stay tuned.
prepped with 3 beers and a huge dinner of fish, peas & potatoes
will need coaching for this "pre-run carb loading"...
the first 1.5 miles sucked. had a grandpa pace of like 11:00 or something. knees hurt. stomach cramped.
then i hit the long up hill.
and kept moving faster and faster.
realised I had gotten the cherished "hill immunity" :)
when I got to the top of the hill, I continued to increase speed.
the final flat mile, I hit in 7:30, a personal record.
total run: 4.4
tomorrow is the big 10-15. stay tuned.
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
a good day to die... almost :)
started off today with a 2.8 miler mini run @ 8:40 pace
hopped on the bike and kicked another 3 miles on some hilly terrain
leapt back onto the street and knocked out another 5 miles of running, at 8:00... by far my best pace ever
on the second part of the run, I was on a main road, and leapt off the sidewalk into the road to avoid a pedestrian.
The dude looks at me and screams... just then I hear this loud bang, and it takes me a second to realise that the van that just drove by at 45mph clipped my elbow! It freaked me out for a minute, but my adrenalin was so high that I felt nothing but a minor tingling. I thanked the ped for warning me, worked through my range of motion as I continued my run, praised god above for protecting me and being flexible, and made a promise to myself to be *much* more cautious about road running in the future... and to take more back roads :)
The journey continues...
hopped on the bike and kicked another 3 miles on some hilly terrain
leapt back onto the street and knocked out another 5 miles of running, at 8:00... by far my best pace ever
on the second part of the run, I was on a main road, and leapt off the sidewalk into the road to avoid a pedestrian.
The dude looks at me and screams... just then I hear this loud bang, and it takes me a second to realise that the van that just drove by at 45mph clipped my elbow! It freaked me out for a minute, but my adrenalin was so high that I felt nothing but a minor tingling. I thanked the ped for warning me, worked through my range of motion as I continued my run, praised god above for protecting me and being flexible, and made a promise to myself to be *much* more cautious about road running in the future... and to take more back roads :)
The journey continues...
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
black rock run reports
Squeezed in two runs in Black Rock.
4 miles @ 8:43 and
6 miles @ 10:10
running on flat ground *rules*
especially with sexy chicks handing you water :)
pushed it hard on last mile of 4 miler, again, found myself at very edge of losing bowel control. is there strategy for that on race day?
hopped the fence on the 6 miler and got to run in the wide open desert, city at my back and nothing but sky and sand and mountains in my field of vision, awesome primal / free experience... then perimeter patrol pulled up to me in a 4x4 and said "sir, could you please contain your run to within the boundaries of the city...?" hahahaha!
more on that experience, here:
back in ATL now, have new shoes, will be breaking them in tomorrow.
hope you had a great vacation.
processing my pics and stories from the desert.
probably one of my best burns ever.
G
4 miles @ 8:43 and
6 miles @ 10:10
running on flat ground *rules*
especially with sexy chicks handing you water :)
pushed it hard on last mile of 4 miler, again, found myself at very edge of losing bowel control. is there strategy for that on race day?
hopped the fence on the 6 miler and got to run in the wide open desert, city at my back and nothing but sky and sand and mountains in my field of vision, awesome primal / free experience... then perimeter patrol pulled up to me in a 4x4 and said "sir, could you please contain your run to within the boundaries of the city...?" hahahaha!
more on that experience, here:
back in ATL now, have new shoes, will be breaking them in tomorrow.
hope you had a great vacation.
processing my pics and stories from the desert.
probably one of my best burns ever.
G
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