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It's 16 degrees Fahrenheit. The ground is covered in snow and ice. I'm out here running in it. So why am I thinking that it feels like I'm sitting in front of a cozy fireplace?
Because I just turned around, converting the icy blast of a headwind into a calm breeze at my back!
Today's lunch route had us running 2.5 miles south (into a 15-20 mph wind!) and then turning around to head back north. The first half was just survival - my co-workers and I didn't talk much. Instead they were using me as a blast deflector, running in my draft. I had thick fleece gloves and my hands still got cold. I wore an ear-warmer (those headband things) around my ears and another one around my neck! No, I didn't try to run in my shorts today. One of my co-workers wears glasses and his sweat formed a frozen icicle about an inch long off the bottom of each lens!
When we turned around it was a whole new day. Suddenly we're toasty warm and chatting up a storm, at least until we hit the treacherous drifted-over section of sidewalk. It's only going to get colder in the coming days, but we'll keep running outdoors every MWF. I'll probably do my speedwork on the treadmill for the near future.
But you know what? Today's run was still a lot of fun. I love running in such a variety of conditions - it teaches the legs and the brain a lot of lessons.
Amanda isn't a big fan of running in cold weather, but she was tired of riding the stationary bike, too. We finally decided to "sneak" her into the fitness center at work - technically they don't want employees to bring family members there since it's a small facility, but who's going to be there early Sunday morning? Nobody, as it turned out - we arrived at 8am to a dark, empty fitness center and hopped on two of the treadmills. Amanda convinced me to bring my iPod, which was a good idea.
It's not often I get to run next to Amanda for any significant length of time, so this was pretty fun for me - we were running for an hour. Her plan was to alternate running and walking every five minutes, but she got bold and ran the entire last 15 minutes! I think she went 4.0 miles in 60 minutes via 25 minutes walking and 35 running, which is an impressive workout for her.
My plan initially was to run easy, about a 9:00 pace. However after 2.0 miles it was feeling too easy so I began incrementing the treadmill speed every mile. At 5.0 miles I was at an 8:30 pace and feeling strong so I got impatient and started ratcheting up the speed more frequently and in larger jumps. Soon I was running 7:30, then 7:00, and finally I ran a 6:00 pace for minutes 56:30 through 59:00, then ran the last minute at an 8:00 pace. I swear, the faster I ran the better I felt - almost as though I were designed to be a sprinter? I crossed the imaginary finish line of 7.1 miles in 60:19, an overall ~8:30 pace which for that distance is fast for me, but I don't feel overly worn out. Cool!
We rewarded ourselves with breakfast at Burger King, then did grocery shopping and finally headed back out to pick up our latest foster dog Joyce! She's been a real sweetie so far.
Saturday my parents drove here from Ann Arbor to take Amanda out for her birthday dinner. We did far more than that, however! A little after 9am we meet them at Grandma's pasture to go hiking. Dad brought along Uncle Bob while Amanda and I brought along the dogs. There wasn't any real purpose to the hike - we just started walking and whenever we thought of something interesting to check out, we headed in that direction.
First was passed through Tarzan's Jungle (named by all the grandkids when we were very young), a dark, tree-lined stretch of two-track with a mucky stream beside it. As we exited the "jungle" Beacon spotted three deer about 200 yards away and he took off like a Navy jet catapulted off an aircraft carrier! Haven didn't notice and by the time I got her attention pointed in the right direction, she was 100 yards behind.
Those three deer saw Beacon coming and bounded away easily, but out of sight to the right were five more deer that neither saw Beacon, nor did Beacon see them until he was right upon them! The deer bolted in the direction of their herd-mates and Beacon was right in the middle, getting within five feet of one deer with two more behind Beacon! Alas, poor Beaks, the deer were too fast. Haven got there just in time to make a show of giving chase. After making sure no more deer were hiding nearby, Haven and Beacon returned to us - very tired and very happy.
We hiked past our woodpiles from last week's lumberjacking then maneuvered among the long rows of pine trees, following the many highways paved by deer hooves. There were plenty of turkey tracks to be found as well, and finally we caught up to them after about 90 minutes. Haven and Beacon ran in pursuit as we watched the clumsy birds crash among the tree branches trying to fly away. The dogs were so tired by now that their chase only lasted about a minute!
Lastly we trekked through a marshy area of the property that we usually don't venture into because it's usually rather wet and ill-suited for vehicles. It's a nice setting back there with occasional clearings and stands of thornapple trees - quite different than other parts of the pasture. After chatting briefly with Bob and Therese (and Gabe) we headed over to Grandma's (dad's mom) house to go over some WWII information about Grandpa.
Dad and Mom are compiling some info about Grandpa's military service for a local historical group and they wanted to let Grandma check it over for accuracy, etc. They also wrote up stories for Grandma's four brothers, each of whom served in WWII with a different branch of the military: one each in the Army (Air Corps), the Marines, the Navy, and the Coast Guard. Grandpa himself was in the Navy as a mechanic, and Grandma worked at a factory building ailerons for aircraft. As Grandma put it: "After Pearl Harbor, everybody supported the war effort. You didn't worry much about how it affected your life. We just did what needed to be done."
We continued to discuss life during a war, then and now. Mom asked how 9/11 compared to Pearl Harbor. Grandma explained that they were similar, but noted that "nothing really changed" in our quality of life after 9/11. During WWII there were gas rations; for example if Grandma and her friends wanted to go hang out, they had to find someone with enough extra gas rations and pile into her car. There were collections of surplus metal, war bonds to purchase, and everyone's job converted to supporting the war. Grandma's factory where she worked stopped making springs and started making ailerons. Grandpa joined the Navy.
Speaking of which, Grandma noted that her parents were unable to attend ANY of their five children's weddings! She took the train to San Diego to marry Grandpa while he was stationed out there. Her four brothers also married far from home; the closest was a few hundred miles away and her parents didn't have the gas rations available to attend "so they just couldn't go - that's the way it was" says Grandma.
As we found out later, that's the way it was for my other grandma, Grammy. Spur of the moment we decided to pay a visit to my mom's mom following lunch at a deli in Ada. It didn't take long to start looking through old photos and we soon found a wedding photo of Grammy and Grampy. She also traveled west, to Los Angeles, to marry my grandfather while he was on duty out there. Ironically, both sets of my grandparents got married in California despite living in Michigan all their lives! That was life during WWII. They also directly supported the war - Grampy taught navigation using Link Trainers while Grammy installed hydraulic lines in bomber cockpits. Was anyone not involved with WWII during that era?
Grammy also showed us a photo of her grandparents and other relatives of similar age. I don't remember when it was taken but those people were probably all born between 1850 and 1875! One of them is related to Commodore Matthew Perry, but I forget exactly the relation; I do know that I'm not a direct descendant of him, but he's somewhere in my family tree.
I forgot to mention that on the way to Grammy's house we took a little tour of Grand Rapids, driving by: a house that Amanda and I almost bought; the first house I lived in, also the first house my parents bought together; the first house my dad lived in after college, right on the Grand River; and a few other curiosities.
Finally we made it back home where we played a few rounds of a board game called Compatibility, where each player has a deck of cards with photos on them. A word is read (e.g. "retirement") and then you have to select, in secret, 2-5 photos that you feel best represent that word. You play with a partner, so the object is to pick the same photos as they do. So for "retirement" do you pick the photo of the old man, or the dollar sign, or the sunset, or the card that simply contains the word "happy"? A very fun game. Amanda and I managed to win both rounds by just one space on the game board!
One of the interesting facts about land mammals is that their life expectancy is the same - if you measure it in terms of heartbeats. All land mammals will live for about 1 billion heartbeats. A shrew has a heart rate of 600 bpm (beats per minute) and a life expectancy of just three years. An elephant with their 30 bpm heart rate can expect to live over 60 years. The hearts of each animal will beat 1 billion times in their expected lifetime.
Humans, of course, are the exception - we can last for about 3 billion heartbeats. I'm not sure why - maybe medical technology, nutrition, who knows. Marine mammals don't follow the pattern either, but let's stick with ourselves and our 3 billion heartbeats. There are 525,600 minutes in a year, and the average human has a resting heart rate of 72 bpm, so divide that into 3 billion and you get a life expectancy of 79.3 years.
I was talking about this topic with a co-worker when he asked me "So how many days of your life did you burn up by running that ultramarathon?" Holy cow. My heart rate was probably around 150 bpm for the 12-hours it took me to run 50 miles, so in half a day I used up just over a day's worth of heartbeats! More than that, I ran for 180 hours total in 2006 - that's 7.5 days of extra heartbeats spent on running! Is it really worth it?
Before I started running three years ago, my resting heart rate happened to be the average 72 bpm. Let's assume that I lived my first 28 years at that heart rate, which means I used up 1.06 billion of my life's heartbeats in that span. Now let's assume that I keep running (or cycling or otherwise keeping in good shape) for the rest of my life. My current resting heart rate is about 56 bpm, so if I keep that up for my remaining 1.94 billion heart beats, I would live another 69 years... to the age of 94!
By getting into (and staying in) good shape, I increased my life expectancy by 15 years! Each year I spend as a runner costs me one week of heartbeats, but the improved fitness adds 13 weeks to my life expectancy for a net of +12 weeks. Another way to look at it: Every month of regular running adds one week to my life! Diving deeper yet... assuming I run 3.5 times per week, that means that each run adds 12 hours to my life. How's that for a good investment?
Yes, it's worth it. Assuming, of course, that my clock will tick 3 billion times...
Today was another treadmill day. As a general rule I dislike running without going anywhere, but sometimes it can be fun. I did a tempo-ish run today where I started at a 9:00 pace, then a 7:30 pace, then a 7:00 pace, then a 8:00 pace, capped off by sustaining a 6:30 pace during minutes 25 to 32 of a 35 minute run (the last three minutes at 9:00). I have to remind myself, though, that running on a treadmill is about 10% easier than in the real world of the great outdoors.
Speaking of "real world", some of my co-workers apparently aren't in it. Here are some examples of oddity:
One lady came into the fitness center and hopped on the treadmill next to me. She walked for all of THREE minutes before leaving again! Some workout.
A couple years ago I saw a guy run for 15 minutes on the treadmill in his work clothes! Shirt, slacks, loafers and all! If only he was wearing his labcoat, too...
Another guy, when using the treadmill, lets the belt get up to speed before hopping on at a full run! He would run five minutes, then hop off with the belt still whizzing! He would do this over and over. I was surprised he didn't fall on his ass, but I kinda kept hoping he would. :)
The strangest was a guy about my age. One early morning (6am and still dark) I was lifting weights while he rode the reclined exercise bike on level 1 (this particular bike I would ride at level 12 or so; it goes up to 20) for about 15 minutes, hardly breaking a sweat. Suddenly I hear the bike revving up to an insanely high RPM and I look over to see him pedaling as fast as humanly possible - still on level 1 - all while grunting as loudly as those dudes on the World's Strongest Man competition. I thought for sure he was going to spontaneously burst into flames! Then he abruptly stops and heads for the shower. As he walks past me he looks at the falling snow outside and comments: "It's gonna be a frightfully chilly day in the Hundred Acre Wood!" I'm sorry, but when there are two men alone in a fitness center and they speak just once, they should not be referring to Pooh Bear!
101 miles on the year following this morning's run with Haven! We went 3.1 miles in the dark, pops-style. I ran hard to one light pole, then easy to the next one, then hard to the third one, and so on for the whole run. Haven loved the fast part but got impatient with the slow stuff.
101 miles in 20 separate runs, just over 5 miles per run average. Even though it was a goal to run more frequently this year, I'm still happily surprised with how well I've been doing at it. My body is actually getting acclimated to this frequency as my legs can recover from easy runs in less than a day; hard runs still take a day or so.
What's helped me do this is having a plan: Mon, Wed, Fri I join my co-workers for an easy-paced 5 mile run, although I run Friday's as a negative split (easy first half, hard second half). Tue and Thu I do speed work, which can be track laps, pops, hill repeats, tempo runs, or other similar workouts. Saturday is a day off. Sunday is a long run; 8-12 miles so far but that will go up when the weather warms up.
The result is that if I miss a day, my plan is all messed up so even if I don't feel like running on a given day, it's mentally easier to just do it and keep the plan intact instead of having to figure out something.
It's very, very early in the year but I'm on pace for about 300 runs, which is amazing considering that last year was the most I ever ran and I went out just 143 times! Compared to 128 times in 2005 and 101 in 2004. Hopefully I can keep this up, but I'm sure that at some point it won't be as smooth sailing as it has been...
On Friday it was 25 degrees, windy, snowing steadily and there was 4" of snow on the ground. I felt like having a little fun so I ran wearing shorts! The temperature wasn't all that bad but some parts of the sidewalk had snowdrifts that swallowed my bare leg halfway up to my knee... that was cold! And fun. When I finished the five miles there was un-melted snow all over my ankles and my skin was quite red, but everything still felt fine and functioned OK. Next time, though, I'll wear long pants. :)
Deep snowdrifts weren't the biggest challenge, however. That 4" of snow was composed of 2" of thick, lumpy slush underneath 2" of smooth, contour-hiding fluffy snow. It was like running through mud! I timed a mile at which I felt like I was running a 8:00 pace, but it turned out to be a 9:40 mile! That's how sapping the slush and snow was. I was wearing my screw shoes and they provided me a significant advantage over my non-studded co-workers as my feet didn't slide as much when pushing off.
Today I ran an easy eight miles and felt stronger and stronger as the run progressed. It was cold (about 20 degrees) but the roads were mostly dry so it was a welcome relief from the trail-like conditions on Friday.
Another week of running is quickly going by. Monday we ran through fresh slush which was just like running on sand - not slippery but it saps your energy. Tuesday I ran up a hill over and over until I felt bad - it sucked because I was tired to begin with, it was very cold, my toes were numb, and it was getting dark and it was hard to see when going fast back down the hill. At least Haven came with me and she loved the fast running part! I also got to try my screw shoes, but they don't give much advantage on soft snow. Screw shoes?
Thanks to Matt Carpenter for the idea, I installed some sheet metal screws into one of my old pair of shoes, giving me a "studded" shoe for traction. Matt calls it the screw shoe. (Note: If you haven't heard of Matt Carpenter, go check out his site. Lots of good information and he has an enjoyable writing style. Oh, he's a world-class runner, too!)
Screw shoes do their best on ice, which is what we had here Wednesday. They really work! I ran across smooth swaths of ice and eventually didn't worry about falling on my butt. For me half the benefit is simply the concept of making and wearing screw shoes - it's fun to figure out exactly where to put each screw and see how they work.
Despite screw shoes, I elected not to run outside today because I wanted to do some speed work. It wasn't the ice that dissuaded me so much as the lumpy, frozen slush on the sidewalks - I don't want to worry about rough terrain. Instead I wore my normal shoes on the treadmill and enjoyed the speed. Boy, do I ever love running fast! I just wish I could do it for more than two minutes at a time. There's something almost calming about stretching out my legs for a long, fast stride and suddenly the ground feels so soft and my feet so light. And then my lungs implode, so I slow down and wonder when I can run fast again.
All you need to go running is a pair of shoes, right? (OK, you'll need shorts and maybe a top to run in public!) Your local running specialty shop has experts who can find you the perfect shoe. But when it comes to putting something between that new shoe and your old foot, the expert don't say much about socks. So I will!
I've tried out ten different running socks from seven different brands, which can get expensive. Virtually all quality running socks cost $12-15 per pair, but I've managed to buy most of mine on sale for $7-10 a pair - not cheap, but worth it if you can find a good pair. Hopefully this review can help you do just that.
First a summary of the socks, listed with an overall "letter grade" in order of rank:
1. Brooks Adrenaline GTS Ped: A
2. Defeet Aireator: A
3. Smartwool Running Light Mini-Crew: A-
4. Smartwool Adrenaline Light Mini-Crew: B+
5. Bridgedale Active: B
6. Unknown Basic Liner: B
7. Smartwool Running Light Micro: B-
8. Wright Double Layer Coolmesh: C+
9. Injinji Tetratsok Mini: C-
10. Smartwool Hiking Medium Mini-Crew: D
A detailed review of each sock follows below...
Brooks - Adrenaline GTS Ped (left side, gray toe w/ blue stripe)
The Adrenalines feel different to the touch - the fabric is somehow stiff, yet soft. Some parts are thicker or more flexible than others. Niftiest of all, one pair consists of a right and a left sock! They're constructed specific to each foot; e.g. your big toe gets more room than your pinky toe. My feet stay cool in warm weather and quite warm in cold weather. The only improvement I could suggest would be a thinner mesh on the top of the foot for the hottest of weather. I have yet to see anyone else make a sock like this. An ideal all-around running sock!
DeFeet - Aireator (upper right, white "Striders" and blue/gray "Infiterra")
By far the coolest sock on the planet, both in terms of keeping your feet cool as well as offering the sweetest graphic designs! Aireaters are a thin sock with a ventilating mesh on the top of the foot. The fabric is smooth and thin, making these useful as either a liner sock or a second layer - perfect for long trail runs. You can also wear them solo. Your feet will feel great in hot weather, but you'll want a second layer in colder temps. The versatility and quality make them great gifts for a running friend, especially since there are so many nifty designs to add some flavor to your feet! The blue pair I won as SWAG at an adventure race - notice how the race organizers, Infiterra Sports, were able to customize the sock with their logo and web address. The white pair promotes Striders, the running store where I bought them.
Smartwool - Running Light Mini-Crew (right side, black/red)
Your feet have never felt anything more luxurious than wearing a brand new pair of Smartwool socks! Unfortunately that feeling only lasts a few weeks before the interior of the sock looses that silky texture and feels like any other sock. Smartwools tend to keep your feet warm, although the Running varieties have mesh uppers to vent some of the heat. Excellent in cooler weather (especially in wet conditions) but not so great in hot temps. Smartwools are rather trendy and almost live up to the hype.
Smartwool - Adrenaline Light Mini-Crew (bottom center, black)
Designed for multi-sport athletes, Adrenalines are good all-around socks. They don't ventilate as well as their Running cousins, making them poor for the summer but great for the winter. Very good when wet, however. Mine had a problem where the back section over the achilles wore out completely after a year; none of my other socks have worn out nearly as much.
Bridgedale - Active (bottom left, light gray)
Intended for all-around use, it's a good but not great sock. The Active is somewhat warm and overall very similar to the Smartwool Adrenaline; however, the fit isn't as snug and the cuff doesn't hold as well. I use it as a base layer under Defeet Aireators for long, cold, snowy trail runs. It would probably work well solo in cooler weather on short runs, too.
Unknown - Basic Liner (top, plain white)
I don't remember the brand, but it's a decent sock and the cheapest of them all - I bought them in a pack of three pairs. It's very thin and on hot days you can wear it solo for shorter runs. However, I like it best as a liner under the Defeet Aireators for longer trail runs. Useful, but not very versatile.
Smartwool - Running Light Micro (bottom left, dark gray)
This is the same as Smartwool's Running Light Mini-Crew, but with a shorter cuff. Unfortunately that cuff is too short and doesn't grip the ankle very well, which allows the sock to move around on your foot or even bunch up near the heel. Plus, trail/road debris can more easily get inside your sock rather than just inside your shoe!
Wright Sock - Double Layer Coolmesh (upper left, navy blue/gray)
My first running sock. It has two layers designed to prevent blisters, but the two layers occasionally bunch up, which can actually cause hot spots! Ouch. The fabric doesn't wick or dry as well as others, making them a poor choice for wet conditions. Oddly enough they don't insulate well either, so they only work best in mild, dry weather.
Injinji - Tetratsok Mini (top, black w/ red tab)
Some people swear by these unique socks, which are constructed with individual toes! Many of my blisters (on the rare occasions I get them) are between my toes, so I thought the Tetratsoks would help. However, they're designed only for feet where your big toe is your longest toe (my longest toe is my second one). Their pinky toe is also too big for my little guy. On top of that there are rather large seams inside the toes; as a result these socks cause more blisters for me! Adding insult to injury, the fabric doesn't wick or ventilate very well. If your feet are shaped exactly like the sock, you may want to consider them, otherwise don't bother.
Smartwool - Hiking Medium Mini-Crew (bottom right, gray/blue)
I won this sock as SWAG from an adventure race; I wouldn't have bought it otherwise and for good reason. It doesn't wick well and doesn't ventilate at all - I'm not even sure I'd like it for hiking, let alone running. At least it's better than running in cotton socks!
Just 11 days into January and I've already passed the 50-mile mark by running 10 times in those 11 days. I doubled-up one day and took two days off. I was at 39 miles this time last year, so not a big difference really.
Tuesday I jogged a mile to the local fairgrounds where they have a dirt track. It was 23 degrees and snowing a bit but I still wore shorts - my legs feel better with the freedom of movement. One of my favorite things about the spring is that I can wear shorts again! At the track I ran 12 laps, alternating fast 90-second laps with slow three-minute laps. It felt really good - running fast is such a thrill. For some reason I love going around the curve in a track while running hard, perhaps because I can feel the sideways g-forces and I guess it just makes me feel fast. By the time I got home I was warm except for my hands, which got numb despite wearing gloves! When they started to thaw out they HURT like crazy! Holy cow, was that painful, as if each finger was entirely a big bruise that was being smacked over and over. Ow ow ow ow.
Today I tried to do a tempo run with Beacon. I say "tried" because I didn't do the tempo part much faster than the slow part - the slow was too fast and the fast was too slow. But hey, Beacon had fun and behaved pretty well, so it was all worth it.
Tomorrow I'm running an easy 5 miles at work, just like I did Monday and Wednesday. I'm planning to keep that up for a while and use those as my easy days, since two of the four guys who run with me don't go any faster than 10 minutes miles. One guy can do 9:00 and another can do 8:00 over that distance, so I used to run with them if they ever pulled ahead, but now we're all doing an easy pace.
I forgot to mention one cool thing that happened during a recent PT session. On Tuesday my trainer asked what I did over the weekend. I mentioned that I went for a trail run with my dog. "How far?" he asks; "12 miles" I reply. "Wow, so, uh, you can just go out and run 12 miles whenever you feel like it?" was his response. I guess I never thought of it that way, but it's pretty cool that yes, I can just go and run 12 miles whenever I want. Three years ago I remember thinking how someday I'd go on an epic six-mile run! Amazing how my perspective has changed.
Another PT session today and it went pretty well as my shoulder rarely clicked during the stretching exercises. Nothing really feels different, but apparently progress is happening. Today I was the only person there most of the time so the trainer and I were talking a bit.
He told me about how he gets lots of wannabe bodybuilders who have lots of back and neck pain because they only work the "mirror muscles", i.e. only the muscles they can see in the mirror! As a result they don't work their back and everything gets out of whack.
I commented about all of the PT "toys" laying around and he said that his kids love to visit him at work and play with the equipment: giant rubber bands, medicine balls, balance balls, blocks of foam in various shapes. A friend going through some PT of her own recommended that I ask about the "ballistic squat machine". Unfortunately my trainer didn't recognize the term, and asked how she described it. Since I didn't actually talk to her about it, I replied "that's all her email said" to which he replied "Tell her to send a picture!"
My curious trainer isn't done; he asks why my friend is in PT. I tell him they think it's compartment syndrome in her leg and he responds "Oh, that's why she's doing that squat whatever thingy, to make it worse so they can confirm it." He's pretty sharp! He then describes the painful aspect of needles and possibly cutting the fascia, and adds that most people don't like to watch that stuff. I explain how I actually prefer to watch procedures being done to me so I know what's going on (e.g. when drawing blood). He agrees, but then casually states out of the blue:
"Except when I had my vasectomy! I couldn't bear to watch that, you know." I didn't quite know what to say; I was trying figure out how the conversation went from compartment syndrome to vasectomy so quickly!
Maybe I shouldn't be so surprised - apparently there's no place for modesty during therapy. One time I asked a female PT where a certain tendon was on the front of my shoulder. She replies "Here, feel where mine is" and she guides my hand to the spot, but first has to move her bra strap out of the way. Ack! It's really no big deal but I wasn't quite prepared for such an open environment. After all, this isn't the kind of stuff you'd do at the office!
Awkwardness aside, my PT is impressed with the progress on my shoulder so whatever they do, it really woks.
After enjoying our new iPod Shuffles for the past week, Amanda and I wondered if our dogs were missing out on the fun of rockin' while runnin'. Do dogs enjoy music? I'm not sure, but if they do, Haven has the perfect gift idea!
Does your dog get bored on long walks? Do the slightest sounds distract your dog? Or perhaps you want to boast that your dog is more spoiled than the neighbor kid! If you love your dog and you love your iPod, then you'll really love...
...the dPod!
On today's trail run Haven and I encountered lots of various creatures in the woods. First we spotted some turkeys in a roadside lawn - luckily Haven didn't pull hard but she whined a bit. Then we met a lady on a dirt road walking her two poodles; I allowed Haven to go say hi but after a few sniffs she clearly felt there were better things to do than hang out with a pair of little yappers! We saw a cat crossing the road ahead of us and Haven forced me into a sprint. (If the cat is half black and half white, does that mean I get some bad luck and some good luck?) Later on Haven chased a half dozen deer through the woods.
The biggest scare happened as I descended a technical hill that was rocky enough that I had to watch my step. Finally at the bottom, I looked up to see a black bear standing just 30 feet in front of me with Haven (off leash) standing halfway between us! My mind flashed the following thoughts in sequence (amazing how one can remember this stuff in this adrenaline-inducing situations) over the next, oh, 0.5 seconds:
"Holy cow, a BEAR!!!!"
"How am I gonna get out of this situation?"
"How will I keep Haven safe?"
"Do I call Haven and turn around and risk it chasing us?"
"If I try to scare it off, will Haven try to chase it?"
"If I have to fight it, I could do that, and a big stick would help"
"Oh... It's a DOG!!!"
No kidding! It was some shepherd mix with wooly black hair plus a splash of white on its chest and some tan on its muzzle - the exact coloring of a black bear! In case you are like me and can't tell the difference very easily, the first reference photo is a black bear and the second is a bear-ish dog.
Haven and the bear-dog cautiously sniffed each other before Haven went on to jump all over his owners, a couple who were 100 feet or so behind their dog. Everyone politely said hi and we went on our way.
Haven started lagging behind a bit over the last 20 minutes, so at least I wasn't the only one to get tired! We finished our 12 rugged miles in a little over 2 hours, a nice weekend long run. Right as we finished we saw Amanda and Beacon jogging from the opposite direction, finishing their 1-hour workout. Once inside, Haven found the nearest sunbeam and lay down for a nap, rolling onto her back to ensure she gets an even tan. :)
I ran twice today! Both were rather short, but remember I'm trying to improve speed this year. I noticed in my running logs for 2004, 2005 and 2006 that my average pace was right around 10:00 miles for all three years! While I've been going farther and farther, I haven't become much faster.
Well today was a decent start. O' dark thirty this morning I leashed up Haven to my brand new Just-a-Cinch leash that Amanda got me for Christmas and struck out under a bright, full moon. I started out fast and kept it up for 12 minutes before slowing for a couple, then I pretty much alternated fast and slow every two minutes until I got back home 2.9 miles later. We did it in 23 minutes, good for an 8:00 pace, so my first 12 minutes were probably 7:30 or so.
Funny story of the run was that Haven got freaked out by a Christmas tree! Someone had put their old live tree on the curb for pickup and in the moonlit darkness Havy must've thought it was a monster and wouldn't go anywhere near it!
By the way, that Just-a-Cinch leash is awesome! It has reflective fibers woven in for visibility, it has a round (instead of flat) cross-section, and best of all there's a slight amount of stretch to it so there's less jarring whenever Haven spots a squirrel and tries to take my arm off.
When I got home from work I felt like running some more, so I did. Wary of over-doing the mileage, I decided to do a short run and make up for the decrease in miles with an increase in speed. I even took both dogs with me! It started raining as soon as I walked down the driveway and it was a balmy 47 degrees out! Great running weather. The first minute felt good but at my fast pace I felt pretty wasted for the rest of the run. Luckily it only lasted 1.4 miles and it felt like 10-11 minutes. To my amazement when I finished my watch read 8:41 - that's a 6:12 pace!! Wicked. Earlier this summer I was happy to run a 1/4 mile lap on a track in 90 seconds (a 6:00 pace). Maybe the dogs were pulling me along a bit, but I also had to stop once to untangle their leashes.
Must remember to take it easy running tomorrow at work...
Another session of PT today and it went pretty well, probably in part because I was one of just two patients being seen by the two PTs, so my work was one-on-one today. My PT was a lot more talkative, although as a result I learned that he just started here in November and used to be a back and neck specialist rather than a sports specialist. Still, he's done a good job so far.
Lots of exercises today, including one where he said "do this to exhaustion". I clarified "you mean until I can't lift the weight anymore?" and he replied yes. After about 50 reps my hand started shaking but I was still getting the weight up and down, so he finally took it away from me, saying "uhh, I think you're done now!" I'll be sore tomorrow.
There was also an exercise where an elastic strap attached to the wall was placed around my shoulder; I then walked forward to put backwards tension on the shoulder joint and then proceeded to raise and lower my arm about 40 times. It was supposed to hold my joint further back in the socket to prevent the clicking whenever I raise and lower the arm, but it didn't work today. Perhaps I need more tension, or maybe I just need stronger muscles that will improve over time.
The PT also worked out yet another knot in my infraspinatus muscle (it attaches to the shoulder blade ridge and runs to the shoulder, under the trapezius). However, the pain in the front of my shoulder he thought was my biceps tendon. I'm not so sure about that since working my biceps has never caused pain, but doing pushups or pullups does cause the front side of my shoulder some pain. The frustrating thing about all of this is that it's gonna take time to see some change since I have to wait for those muscles to develop!
I went running with a couple guys during lunch hour and we really loved the "winter" weather! Nice and sunny, 42 degrees with a stiff breeze. I wore shorts and felt very warm by the end of the run. We talked a lot about Gerald Ford (he was buried here in Grand Rapids today; his motorcade drove past my office yesterday), Howard Hughes, and military strategy. By the end of the run I was the only one talking - it was a very easy pace for me but not as much for the other guys. I sprinted the last 1/4 mile to burn up some energy.
The highlight of the run was being spotted by my cousin, Ana! She goes to college here in town and recently started a part-time job at a storage facility that we run past. I'd completely forgotten about that when suddenly I hear someone yelling "Andrew!" way behind me, and I turn to see her waving in the distance. We had a brief shouting conversation before I turned to catch up with the guys.
Last week I forgot to write about my second PT session, which didn't go so well. Session 1 was run by a PT assistant (not a full PT) and one who was just a contractor substituting for the regular guy, Doug. For session 2, Doug was still on vacation so I saw another PTA substitute and she was rather clueless. She hadn't read my file by the time I showed up and didn't know what was wrong with my shoulder. She was about to ultrasound the outside of my shoulder (the deltoid?) when I informed her that it was a different muscle, one on the shoulder blade. So we did the ultrasound and then she worked the front of my shoulder, which was rather painful. Actually, it hurt for three days afterward! I don't know if it's supposed to do that but it feels OK now. At least she was friendly and willing to explain all that she could.
Yesterday, session 3, went much better since Doug was finally there. He's very knowledgeable but rather distractable, too. It didn't help that there were only two PTs on staff there and I was one of five patients in the room! Nevertheless, Doug did some good detective work trying to figure out my shoulder. I raised my arm, and it clicked going up and down as usual. Then he would hold my shoulder in different positions within the socket while I moved my arms again, trying to see if there was a place where the clicking would stop.
He found it, too - it turns out my shoulder has kind of drooped forward against the front of the socket. The injured muscle(s) on my shoulder blade are so weak now that they don't hold the shoulder tight. After loosening up the muscles a bit, he had me do some exercises that were different than what I'd done before. Boy can I really feel it today! My shoulder blade muscles feel sore, the good kind of sore. My next session is tomorrow.
Next time I have PT, I'm going to ensure that the regular PT is the one to see me for my first appointment because after yesterday, I feel like the first two sessions were pointless and a waste of $25 copays. Speaking of which... I elected the best health insurance offered by my employer just for reasons like this and I figured that $25 (for a maximum 30 sessions per year) must be good. While I'm in line waiting to pay, two college students in front of me discuss their coverage, which is $15 copays and 60 visits per year! What?! Why doesn't my company offer that?
Naturally I went running today - gotta get an early start on those 2007 miles! ;) I brought Haven along while Amanda walked Beacon at a nearby park where I would eventually end up. Haven and I tallied 6.2 miles in under an hour through the chilly drizzle, although I got warm enough to take off my jacket after four miles.
I treated myself to wearing my brand new shoes for the first time, shoes that I had bought a couple months ago when Striders had a sale. I now have three pairs of Brooks Adrenaline GTS 6 shoes: one with 400 miles that I only use for casual purposes now, one with 300 miles that I'll now use for sloppy conditions, and my new pair with 6 miles. If it ever snows here again, I'd like to experiment on some icy trails by converting my 400 mile shoes into screw shoes.
And for the first time ever, I ran while listening to music! I'd never tried the walkman thing before Amanda wisely convinced my family to give me an iPod Shuffle for Christmas. I must admit that it was a lot of fun to get lost in my own world of tunes, although I was still able to hear vehicles approaching from behind. The first song to accompany the rhythm of my footsteps: Johnny Cash's "I Walk the Line".