the bright side of things


Week 3 done!  I have been true to my word running no more than 3 days a week.  My distances keeping right around the 5 mile mark. My knees and calves are sore, but I figure that is par for the course (for now).  If I can lose 30-40 pounds I imagine my knees and calves will feel better.

I have been treating myself to fairly large breakfasts after my morning lap as a reward for hard work.  So far they are fairly simple .  Hearty with maybe a touch too much butter.  Whatever keeps me out there. If you're going to dangle a carrot, might as well make it a delicious one.

I went to the doctor yesterday (after a year) and he said that there was no need for me to continue taking blood pressure medicine as my blood pressure has gotten much better. I am going back on Tuesday to do some more tests.  A whole barrage of tests. I have some questions about medication for my knees, strengthening exercises, etc..

Alright, back to work time! 

More to come when there is more to say.




eggs & grits with kielbasa 

take 2... or is it 3


Once again.  Back in the saddle.  Lots of ouch's and oof's.

Today was day three of my descent back into the running world.  Monday (3 miles) , Wednesday (4.5 miles) and today, Friday, (4.5 miles).  It's gonna be a long transition back in, but it felt good to be out there.  I even managed to get out of the house before 7 am this morning.

There is some tightness in my right knee when I begin my run and it takes roughly two miles for me to warm up and run the tightness out.  Its far from smooth sailing at that point, but my knees stop aching and my lungs begin to wake up.

I iced today after my run and took some aspirin. My knees and my calves are very sore.  Its a good thing I have a long weekend ahead of me. I really enjoy resting between runs.  I mean... its just gravy.  PS4 is back on.  After a run there is nothing like 2 hours of, feet up, couch bound, gaming to let the 'ole muscles rest.

My weight is not helping at all.  I feel like stone out there.  A lumbering Golem intent on scaring all that scamper by....  But if history has anything to say, i'll drop some pounds and slowly but surely this will get easier.  Take my time.  Take my time.  Easy does it.  Steady as she goes.

I'm definitely going to be posting less this winter, but i'll keep everyone abreast of my own little victories (and defeats).

well, let's see how this plays out


I ran (& walked) 4 miles yesterday.  Very slow.  Very difficult.  Some knee pain that would go in and out, but nothing sharp or strained.  Just... soreness.  It's been a bit since I ran on pavement.  I am hoping to go for a run tomorrow morning if my legs don't hurt too much.  If I feel really sore in the morning I may just hold off until Sunday.

As of right now I have no plans for races.  My goal is to get up to 3 runs a week.  Possibly one of those being a longer run on Sundays.

Fingers crossed.

sigh


I am, as far as I can tell, out of the running for the Brooklyn Half.  It still hurts to walk down steps, so I am gonna keep to my bike until I can run up and down steps with no pain.

If and when I can start running again i'm gonna build a lot more carefully.

You probably won't hear from me for a bit, but I will start posting again when my legs are healthy!

day 1 of training for the brooklyn half


4 miles this morning and an easy bike ride to work.  Today is day 1 of training for the Brooklyn Half Marathon.   I am very excited about this race.  Other than the hill in Prospect Park the course itself is fairly flat so I SHOULD be able to just chug along.  Also, it is in May so hopefully I won't be frozen like I was for Staten Island.

My pace today was 10:30 which gives me some hope that my legs are getting stronger.  I am shooting for a 9:30 pace and, as I have 3 months to get there, I think its doable.  I am going to ride my bike as often as I can and I am working on a 4-5 RPW (runs per week) schedule.  I am fairly committed to eating well for the next 3 months as I have put on some pounds and would like to lose them by race day.

I'm definitely being more cognizant of my stretching and my lungs are starting to get back to where they were before my knee shit the bed.  Just gonna keep at it and see what happens.  I miss running with my running club, but right now my schedule and their schedule does not seem to mesh.

Alright, back to work.

KNEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE-ow



So I went for two runs in PA this past weekend.  A 4 miler and a 3 miler.  I rode my bike to work both yesterday and today and definitely felt some discomfort during my commute.  It feels like a knot, just above my knee, in my quad.  It doesn't hurt when I run, though I do feel some stiffness.

I started to do some foam rolling, but it hasn't eased up yet.  I plan on going for 4 miles tomorrow before work, with a nice foam rolling session after.  I want to keep at it, but I am also trying to stay very aware of my body and what it is going through.  Tell ya what though, I hate it.

The weather is definitely getting warmer this week and I would like to take full advantage of that.  Get some runs in, hopefully loosen up my legs.  I am very excited for the Brooklyn Half Marathon and feel confident that, if I stay healthy, I will run a good race as I have run every section of it (in some way or other) already.  The hills are in the beginning and the rest is VERY flat.

I hadn't ridden my bike in a few months and BOY can I feel it on the inclines.  One of my goals this summer is to utilize my bike a lot more.  When i'm not running I should be riding.  My buddy and I are already planning long bike jaunts.  Destination rides for pizza and batting cages.

Alright, gotta get back to work.

gain and loss, gain and loss, gain and loss


So I have put on about 10 pounds in the last month or so.  I haven't been running as much because my knee was healing VERY slowly and then I got sick and THEN there was a big snow.  I'm trying to keep a positive outlook and also realizing that the midst of winter is probably not the greatest time to expect much (though I definitely see a lot of runners out there snow or no).  Either way, i'm hoping to get a run in tomorrow.

I have a work-out plan for my Mondays in mind.  I will do some Bulgarian Squats, Push Ups, Planks, Lateral Lunges and some stairs.  I am going to try and take it very easy for the first few times and let my body adjust.  I want my knees strong for the spring.  I also want to lose about 30 more pounds by May so I need to get started.

I want 3 runs a week, plus my Monday routine, to get me through the Brooklyn Half and then this summer (if I can manage to remain healthy) I will start figuring out my Marathon training (if I get in that is).  I can feel my body getting tight and squeaky from lack of exercise and I hate it.  I remember how miserable I was at the beginning of the Staten Island Half and how I didn't think I could make it 3 miles and then low and behold I was running free of pain and feeling unstoppable by mile 6.  I want that feeling back again.

Tomorrow I will just go for an easy run.  I want to go out for about an hour.  I'll let myself walk if I feel tired.  I'll stretch before and after.  I'l hydrate.  I need to get out of these doldrums and back on the street!!!

Adieu homies.

rebellion and discord


So its been a year since I started running.  A lot has happened. I lost about 30 pounds.  I ran a Half Marathon.  I injured myself running a Half Marathon.  I healed (more or less) and started running again.  I entered another Half Marathon and entered the lottery for The New York City Marathon.  The New York Giants lost to the Greenbay Packers rather handily. Oh and we, as a country, replaced Democracy with some sort of dysfunctional Authoritarianism.   We replaced an intelligent, humane, charismatic leader with a groping, hateful, petulant, mandarin colored, man-child.

I'm going to a meeting tonight to discuss the future of our country.  5,000 people showed up last week.  Tonight will be my first meeting and I am thrilled to see who will show up and what will be discussed.  I am, for the first time in my life, afraid to be an American.  Hopefully tonight will give me some hope for our future.  I truly believe that democracy will never be the same, but perhaps with some real work it could be improved upon.

I have run a couple of 5 mile runs now and I think that my knee is slowly showing some improvement.  It is not as stiff walking down steps and my legs are starting to feel a little more lively.  That being said, I will take it SLOW throughout February and hopefully be in shape by March to start training in earnest for the Brooklyn Half.

My diet has shown some improvement.  I have been packing salads and soups for lunch.  I was packing salads and sandwiches, but I saw that my weight was starting to creep slowly upwards.  So soups and salads for lunch as I try to lose 20-25 more pounds.  My goal weight for summer is 190.  Thats roughly 24 pounds to drop.

One of my running group buddies is healing a broken foot so we are hoping to start doing some strength training together.  I think stairs and squats (using body weight) are in my future.  The weather is having an affect on me for sure though, I am feeling a lot more lazy this January.  I have found it harder and harder to leave the cosiness of my bed for the frigid winds of Prospect Park.

That being said, i've started taking my Sharpie to my calendar which generally means more activity in my direct future.  Going for a mid-week 4 miler tomorrow morning.  Also, I went back to my Brooks.  I had given Asics a try, but thats when all this knee trouble began.

taking it easy and taking it slow


I technically ran 4 miles yesterday.

That is, I ran for 3 miles, walked a bit, and then did another mile and change.

I am trying to soften my approach to running until my legs feel strong again.  I want to be able to run well into my later years and I think the only way this will be possible is to notice when thing are out of whack and let them heal themselves before pushing through.  Clearly this doesn't mean taking all challenge out of my running, but it means listening with a sharper ear when my body screams "OUCH".

There is a lot of writing, none of which I have read, praising the attributes of running/walking training.  I shudder at the thought, frankly, of stopping to walk during a run, but maybe thats just me being a stupid man.  Maybe there is something to it.  I know that if I get into the 2017 New York City Marathon, i'm going to want to run the whole thing.  Every step.  I see the possible benefits of walking and running, but I don't FEEL them.  I want to conquer the distance, not embrace it.

The running/walking thing is not something I am ready to embrace, but I will give myself permission to walk if my body feels like it really needs a break.  Understanding the difference between body pain and general fatigue is going to be tricky, but I think I can be honest enough with myself to tell the difference.

Also,

I want to lose 20 more pounds before May.  I want to take some stress off my knees and joints.  I hope that this will help my training and possibly further my distances.  There are some trail races upstate that look like a lot of fun and seem awfully challenging to boot.  I want to be able to do all these races to the best of my ability and I want to keep myself health in order to do so. So maybe weight training and diet are going to have to be part of my life.

Rainy day today.  Plan on going for a run tomorrow morning.  Would like to try and keep it a t 3 runs a week for a few more weeks.

cold ass monday


Yesterdays was cold.  Super cold.  It was not weather to run in so like a dingbat I went for a run.

That'll show 'em.

I woke up with some lower back soreness that was alarming.  I hadn't really done much stressful activity over the past few days, so I couldn't imagine that it was a pull, but there it was.  Sore and feeling like I had pulled something.  I figured that a nice run out in the COLD would loosen that pulled muscle right up.

I stretched, I swung out my legs, I did some squats.  Ya know warmed up and then took off on my route.  I thought to myself that 3-4 miles would be a good goal.  Something attainable without being too much.  I didn't want to go for 6 and end up hurting my knee.  It still isn't feeling 100% so I don't want to test it.

After about a mile I felt like complete dogshit.  I was cold.  I was still sore from last Thursdays run.  I was hungry.  I had tied my shoes too tightly and my feet hurt.  Literally anything I could think about was making me want to stop and walk home.

But I didn't!

I just kept telling myself that it would get better and, after some more complaining and muttering to myself, it did.  When I got to the big hill in Prospect Park I lowered my chin and ran on up it and then kept going until I got home.  Just over 4 miles that you very much. I was pleased as punch (if not quick as asparagus) and even managed to foam roll (ouch) when I got home.

Now this morning was an altogether new kind of dag-nastery.  The entire left side of my back is sore.  It's not like i'm planning on having another run for a few days or anything, but can I just get healthy already?!?  I mean, i'm just trying to get healthy for the love of vishnu.

Chili when I get home tonight and some more rest.  Hopefully my back will mend in time for the weekend.  Maybe i'll go for 5...

better than expected


This morning was actually pretty pleasant for January.  It was 52 degrees, which is a new high for NYC, and I managed to get out before 7 am.

I was feeling a little sluggish for sure and Captain was completely confused as to what was going on. As it had been so long since my last run, he was clearly miffed by my stretching and refused to support me in any way.  Other than get under me as I downward dog'd.

I got outside and started my run.  First block good.  Second block good.  Third block there began a slight favoring of my left leg.  I considered stopping then and there, but decided on trying to run with less impact and that actually worked rather well.  By the time I got to the park I had more or less worked the limp out and felt pretty good.

I got through the first mile no problem.  The second mile started out good, but I felt fatigue coming on strong and by the end of mile three I was ready to stop.  I didn't want to push it this morning.  I walked a mile home and stretched for a bit.

All in all it was a good run.  6 hours later my knee feels fine.  I am going to take it easy for a couple of days and give it another go on Sunday.  I found a running specialist who I am going to make an appointment with to see what the next step is in my recovery.  I imagine there will probably be some sort of gym involved.... sigh.

mañana, i'm going for it


Last night I watched my President (Obama, not the great Cheeto) give his farewell speech.  I was humbled, proud, terrified and angry.  The juxtaposition between whats going out and whats coming in is staggering.  One leads by example and speaks with confidence, knowledge and fact. The other is a flim-flam-man of the lowest kind of character.  My fear was (and still is) that we may never see a Presidential President again.

That being said,

Its been just over a month now since my last run.  My knee felt, more ore less, strong walking down stairs today so I am going to take this guy out for a test run in the morning.  I am going to let my knee decide when the run is done and then I am going to have a nice long STRETCH.  If my knee feels better Friday morning I will go for another run Sunday.  I want to take it easy and build back up slowly.  I will have missed 2 races this January and I am not in the mood to miss more in the Spring due to improper training.

I am very nervous about my run tomorrow.  I fear that somehow, in the last month, my body will have lost all that it had been building up.  That the momentum I was locked into will somehow have left the building.  That my body, much like the Nations highest office, has somehow become corrupted and sick.

I guess tomorrow will tell.

OW.  now i'm mad


So it's been approximitly 1 month since my last run.

My knee hurts... still.  I can walk (and probably run) with no problem, but down steps is a no-no.  Also if my foot snags the curb or a step I get a sharp pain right above my knee.  Its time, I think, to call the doctor and see what is going on.

I miss my runs.

I'm afraid of words like; meniscus, ACL, arthritis, bubonic plague...  I just want to get back to running.  I would even (gasp) join a gym if it meant I could continue running.  Seriously, I'm scairt.

Just made the appointment.  Will let you know how it goes.

eep.

been away for a spell



Oof.

The last few days have been like a repeated sucker punch to the old breadbasket.

President Trump.  UGH, I might be sick.

I have woken up most mornings in just sheer disbelief.  I have also woken up with a half empty bottle of bourbon next to my bed (the aftermath of late night phone calls between old friends declaring our call to arms).  Like I said, it's been a tough few days.

That being said, I've managed to get my runs in.  They have been a smooth tonic for my battered soul.   I have been a bit of a slouch when it has come to doing my intervals, but I have kept at my regular five milers and my long run on Sundays.

My diet has been terrible and the bourbon fueled evenings have not been helpful, but I have finally pushed through.  Lunch today consists of 2 hard boiled eggs, some potatoes, green beans and arugula.  
I will be drinking water by the gallon until my humors are balanced.

I have a long run Sunday and I will be shooting for seven miles.  I skipped todays run because my knee hurt a little bit on my run yesterday.  Riding my bike until Sunday.

Not much to report otherwise.  Gonna keep fighting.  I mean PRESIDENT Trump???

Jeeeeez.

legs like springs, but no... seriously


I ran my first trail run with the old running club on Sunday.  Being viciously hung over did not help me in anyway whatsoever.  I do not advocate running hungover, no sir, not one bit.

The trails sucked.  I started off feeling pretty good, but my body was not up to the task and at about mile 3 I started to crash hard.  I slowed down considerably and when I thought I might get a second wind I was lead to the base of a very large, seemingly endless, set of stairs.  We rested for about 45 seconds as a group and then up we went.  How I did not succumb to projectile vomiting I will never know.

At the top of the stairs we walked a quick lap and then were off again on our merry way.  And by merry I obviously mean the rest of the crew.  I was crying like a baby who just lost his blankie.

At the end we stretched for a bit and then I ran home.  I was ashamed to say the least.  I find myself wanting to impress my running club.  I want them to see my progress and be blown away.  Unfortunately this is very hard when I show up hung over with the energy of lazy slug. I will get there though dammit!  One day I will run those trails like a Gazelle.  You'll see.

So anywhoo, for my sins I ran another 5 miles on Monday.  I was happy with my pace and I felt like I had more energy.  Right now my game plan is four runs a week, but I may push to five come December.  The legs feel strong and I want to see what they can do!

Happy Day After Halloween y'all.

hill, barf, repeat


Hill repeats on Wednesday.

NO THANK YOU.

Jesus that was not pleasant.  I can see how it helps build stamina and speed, but it also makes my feel like my lungs are exploding.  I think this is going to be one of those, "I need to make hill repeats my friend!", kind of challenge.   I did 30 seconds sprinting up and 30 seconds jogging back down.  I repeated that 10 times.  I think next week I am going to go to 45/30 second intervals.  Eventually, maybe, I can get to 1 minute/15 second intervals?

I had a buddy come in from out of town at about 2 am last night so I didn't really sleep well.  I skipped todays easy run, but am looking forward to a 6 or 8 miler on Sunday.  Then its back to business as usual.  The knee feels fine and everything seems to be functioning... more or less.

I did try running in the afternoon this week which is something I have yet to do.  I ONLY run in the morning.  It wasn't not pleasant.  I'm intrigued about the idea of, perhaps, running after work sometimes....  Hmmmm.  I guess when I get to training for an ACTUAL Marathon I may have to do 2 a days to get my mileage in, but i'll cross that bridge when I get to it.

I was in Portland Maine for the weekend and I gained about 6 pounds.

So there's that.

Maybe this guy if the weathers nice this weekend.

intervals and intensity


I did my intervals on Wednesday.  30 seconds at about 90% followed by 30 seconds at a slow jog.  Repeat 10 times.  It was not pleasant, though I think it will help with my overall speed and pain threshold.  But all in all I would rather be getting a root canal.  As I do this more I want to make the sprint time longer as I lessen the recovery time.

This morning I did 5 miles with the intention of taking it nice and slow.  Which is why its called an EASY run.  Instead I PR'd my 5 mile run at a 9:22 pace!  That was a pleasant surprise and I think that with some effort I could do my next Half in a sub 9 minute pace.  Which would be pretty sweet.

My goal is not to go out and kill myself every run, but, rather, make it slightly more difficult.  I don't want to get injured, but I want to get stronger and faster and for that ya kinda need to work a little.  The good news is I have a lot of time to figure this out.  Well, not so much time.  I have a Half in January so I kind to need to get cracking.

I'm starting to do a bit of an easy stretch routine before my runs and it really helps out with that first mile.  Generally I feel like my knees are wrapped with barbed wire for the first mile or so.  Getting some blood into my legs and keeping my feet "light" for the first mile or so is helpful.  I am also starting to make some discoveries when I consider my stride.  I keep my regular stride rather short and quick, a bit of a pitter-patter of a stride.  As I start to go down hill (depending on the grade) I let my stride get a little longer and though I felt that this would lead to discomfort when I first started experimenting the effect is quite the opposite.

Uphills I just charge and hope for the best.

I am off to Maine on Sunday so I might do a 5 or 6 miler before I take off.  I foresee my calorie count in Maine as being somewhat astronomical so I will be packing my running shoes!  LOBSTA for days.

more races to come


I ran 5 miles yesterday which felt pretty good.  I am going to run some intervals tomorrow and another easy 5 miler on Friday.  I am off to Portland Sunday and I will probably try to get in a run or two while I am there.

I signed up the the Cocoa 10 miler in Central Park on January 8th and will be signing up for the Fred Lebow 1/2 Marathon January 22nd.  Both are in Central Park 2 weeks apart.  I am looking forward to the 10 miler as it will give me an opportunity to get to know the course.  I imagine both races will be quite chilly.

I'm excited for tomorrow as I have never done any interval training.  It will be nice to mix things up and hopefully it will help me shave off some time from future races.  I think I will alternate Hill Repeats and Intervals every other Wednesday.  My Weekly Plan should look something like this;

Monday - Easy Run 3-5 miles
Tuesday - Easy Cross Train 30 minutes
Wednesday - Alternate Intervals/Hill Repeats - 10 X 30 seconds run/jog
Thursday - Rest
Friday - Easy Run 3-5 miles
Saturday - Easy Cross Train 30 minutes
Sunday - Long Run

Though it looks like a lot (to me anyway) my Cross Training is literally riding my bike to and from work.  I am not going to be pushing too hard.  I basically have 3 off days.  I am really excited to work on this routine for a bit and see what the results are.  So far I have been really happy NOT pushing myself too much. Now I want to push a little and see what comes of it.

As my intervals and repeats get "easier" I imagine I will push them to 45 seconds, 1 minute, etc...  I am going to spend more time seeing what I need in terms of sustenance on my long runs as well.  I didn't eat during my Staten Island run and that may have slowed me down towards the end.  Alright!  Intervals!  Oh Boy.

half marathon


When I woke up at 5:30 on Sunday the weather said it was 65 degrees.  I dressed, packed some dry clothes, ate a power bar and headed out into the wet morning.  It was not 65 degrees.  It felt closer to 45 degrees.  I walked to the Frankin ave 4 stop and met up with my running club and off we went to Staten Island.

When we arrived the course was cold and windy and wet.  I felt practically frozen when the race began.  After about a half a mile I was convinced that my legs would not make it.  My shins were like broken glass, my hips and knees were sore, I felt tight everywhere.  I was miserable.  At mile 2 I felt a little better, but was still pretty worried as my running partner and I were behind pace.  Mile 3 was a gentle down hill and as I lengthened my strides I started to feel good and my legs started to feel loose.

I realized, during miles 4 through 6, that I have much more endurance than I give myself credit for.  I really felt great and pushed myself.  I hollered a lot, cheering on my fellow runners, I even talked to my partner quite a bit.  That was until mile 6 1/2'ish anyway.  Then we started back.

Heading back was another story.  Suddenly the tail wind we had been loving was in our face.  We were running by the sea now and the rain was starting to pour sideways.  It was tough.  It was painful. I still felt strong, but started to feel very discouraged as I realized I had to go all the way back in these conditions.

I'll save you the mile by mile run back.  A few miles were strong, a few almost broke me. It was tough.  Mile 12 was EXTREMELY tough.  The last 1/2 mile I basically ran as fast as I could to get to the finish line.  I was frozen to the bone, everything hurt, but I finished.

Overall, I think I did really well.  My pace was 9:53 and I was (realistically) thinking it would be around 10:30.  The conditions were horrible, but I managed to overcome some VERY negative thinking.  All in all I surprised myself and am looking forward to doing better.

It's been a big challenge to get here and now that I have finished this beast I am looking forward to my next race!

only a couple days more.


I ran 10 miles on Sunday!  I ran 4 yesterday.  I ran 3 this morning. This coming Sunday I will attempt to run 13.1 miles in Staten Island!  Considering where I was even 6 months ago I regard this as a pretty major accomplishment.

Unless Hurricane Matthew blows in this weekend and my race is cancelled.  I mean.... what are the odds.  Training for 3 months and a storm may be the ultimate deciding factor.  Either way, I WILL run 13.1094 miles dammit.  But seriously, Hurricane Matthew?  You can't write this shit.

The 10 miles on Sunday was tough, but there were moments of, dare I say, grace?  Moments when I felt perfectly in tune with my surroundings and my body and my breath.  I had long stretches of just being in the moment, feeling the internal gears click and my bodies rhythms at one with the pavement.

And there were moments when I felt like a pig trying to climb a greased ladder.

Ah the joys of running.

Well, here's hoping that Sunday happens without a hitch.  Here's hoping that I get to celebrate with a huge bowl of noodles in Chinatown.  Here's hoping that, barring a storm, Sunday Football goes back to normal (I mean come on G-men!!!!).

My knees and legs feel strong (if not a wee bit tight).  My fear factor is more or less in check.  I will continue to carb up.  Come on Matthew, blow your ass out to sea.