Treadmill running: a post from another runner

Since there are 11 of us that are authors on this blog, you would think that we could manage to have a daily post, right? That would be only 3 posts/month each. Sadly, Ryan is the only one it seems who is posting 3 times per month (sometimes). I thought I would give him a little back-up. :-)

(And on a side note, anyone interested in maybe taking 3 days/month, so we can up the activity on this blog?)

I do most of my runs outside. I will avoid running on treadmill even in freezing temperatures and blinding snow. I typically just can't get over the monotony of running "in place." It drives me insane! GAH! Well, recently, I did two runs on the treadmill. The first was one of our first cold days after some really nice mild weather, and it was dark outside, and I just wasn't feeling running in the cold and dark. So I thought I would give the ol' 'mill a try. The second was during some really steady, freezing-cold rain. Blah. My least favorite running condition (well, in the same category with hail or sleet, probably). It is just so miserable to run in cold rain. I'd rather it be 10 degrees colder and snowing.

Both times, I managed 6 miles on the treadmill, but I think that I've determined that's my limit (or very near to it) before I die of boredom! Okay, yes, I'm being a little dramatic here, and I suppose if I had no other choice, I could probably run further on the treadmill, but I wouldn't like it. (Then there's my friend, Krit, who does almost all her running on the treadmill, including a 21-miler. Yikes!) Anyway, a few things I've learned:

1. If someone is running on the treadmill next to me, I find it easier to keep running. Must be something about the other person's running chi or something. It motivates me.
2. Good music helps tremendously. I tried listening to my ipod, but I got too sweaty and the earbuds slipping out (gross, right?). I need to get some of those headphones that hook over the ear if I want to do treadmill running.
3. Body Glide!
4. The best way for me to make it through multiple miles on the treadmill is to keep changing things: speed up, slow down, change the incline. It's much easier to say, "I'm going to run for 5 minutes at this pace" than to think of 45 minutes of "blah" ahead of me.

People's State Forest Long-Run

Yesterday was a great day to do a long-run. It was cool and dry. I last ran this 11-miler in July. I had run it twice before then in May and June. Back in May, I ran it at 8:43; June 8:55; July 8:50; yesterday 9:01. I haven't been doing long runs, so I attribute the slower pace to this. It certainly couldn't have been the weather. I need to start running long on a regular basis if ever plan to run another long race. Also worth mentioning is that it was nice to run this with someone. If it wasn't for Jessica, I would have run this in like 9:30. You know?

Nike Free 3.0

I've put almost 370 miles on my Nike Free 3.0.1. I could put more miles on them, but I'd like to buy a new pair soon, as the old pair feels flat and is worn-out. The only trouble is that I can't find the first generation Nike Free anymore. Out now is the second generation Nike Free 3.0.2, and I don't like the feel. The design has been completely revamped. Why? The reviews for the first generation were great--mostly 5 stars. The reviews for the second generation, and I think they're accurate based on my trying on the second generation shoe, have been 50/50. It seems that the folks who gave the second generation shoe a poor review are folks who wear the first generation shoe and love it. The bottom line is that if you compare the two shoes, the second generation share pales in comparison to the first generation shoe. According to Nike, folks complained about the toe ripping in the first generation shoe, so Nike decided to add a thicker, more durable, piece of material to the toe. I hate it and all other updates.

Northampton trails

I did some kayaking and ran some trails in Northampton last weekend. The trails were great, wide and mostly flat--not much in the way of rocks, roots, etc. This I like. The last time I ran trails with rocks and roots (Bigelow Hollow State Park), I twisted my ankle three times and could barely walk a few hours after finishing the run. I like running trails, so perhaps I should slow down to decrease my injury risk. However, running in general is more important to me than running trails. Are Northampton trails the balance?

2009 Torrington Road Race

Congrats on an excellent race, Ryan! Is that your Torrington Road Race PR? I also did the race and set my PR (nice weather!) Unfortunately, I didn't see you so I didn't realize that you and your brother were at the race until I saw your names in the results. It's good to see that the tick bite isn't holding you back. One question...where was Dan?

What I've been doing

I took another week off from running to drive my car across the country to Seattle. I visited Portland too. In nine days on the road, I covered 6,200 miles.

I'm back to running now, trying to maintain my fitness. I don't have any plans to run a race, but I'd like to make some. Can I get anyone who still reads this blog to commit to a race this summer/this coming fall?

I did a yoga class for the first time about three weeks ago. I might do it again tonight. It's only $5/class. The class is held at a local bike shop. Every Wednesday, after the shop has closed, bikes, displays, etc. are moved to the perimeter of the shop to make room for about 15 of us. The class is 60 minutes and challenging. It's not simply the holding of various positions. There's a lot of positions, they're held for about 10 to 15 seconds, and then you "flow" to the next one. It's very challenging if you don't have the strenghth in your legs and core. You think you're in shape? Try it.

marathon training suspended due to Lyme and/or Ehrlichiosis

I had a tick embedded in my upper back in mid-May. It wasn't engorged. As I understand it, a tick is only engorged once it begins to grow on the host. The tick in my back had not yet begun to grow, but it was in there good. I have no idea what kind of tick it was, but I took two 100-mg capsules/tablets of Doxycycline the day after the tick was removed from back and then forgot about it. Then my running times got progressively slower, and one time I had to stop and walk. In hindsight, I had a low-grade fever in the evenings. Then came two Tuesdays ago: June 9th. During the afternoon, I became dizzy and fatigued. I also developed an ache in the groin area. While walking to the train that evening, I had to stop twice due to extreme dizziness and fatigue. I nearly passed out. I got on the train, took it to Guilford and went right to the ER. They thought I was anemic. A blood test showed normal levels. My Lyme test is still pending. I saw a nurse practitioner on Friday of that week, and she prescribed Doxycycline 2x/day for 28 days. I took it for a week and felt no better, so I saw an M.D. yesterday. He thinks I have Ehrlichiosis. He said the medicine won't kick in for about a week with Ehrlichiosis, whereas with Lyme it kicks in within a few days--one reason why he thinks I don't have Lyme. He said that I'll feel shitty for about a month.

Overtraining

Fifteen minutes into my four-mile run on Wednesday, I had to stop. My legs would just not go. I could barely walk the rest of the way home. I skipped my planned six-mile run on Thursday. I took yesterday off. I felt pretty good today. Eleven point one miles at 8:55 pace. I had no appetite last week. Not sure why. I imagine that had something to do with my lethargy. After Tuesday's run, I didn't even want to run on Wednesday...and certainly not on Thursday after Wednesday. I didn't want to think about running.

Week 8 -- toughest week thus far

i did 33 miles this week, including a 13-mile long run yesterday. tuesday's run was by far the most painful; thursday's: the most difficult to finish--a mile in and i wanted to just stop. my long run went ok, though i didn't have my normal bounce and finished with little in reserve. today's run went ok. my legs feel really, really strong. thankfully, week 9 is a recovery week, including a long run of only 10 or 11 miles. i'll do 15 or 16 the following week. looking back at my week 8 long run of 2007, of which i did about 13 miles, as well, my pace was about 10 seconds slower, but i noted that i felt extremely strong finishing. i think i might have pushed too hard the past two weeks, but i'm glad i caught it when i did. i'm going to go completely on feel this week and recover the right way. cheers. //ryan

people's state forest -- barkhamsted, ct

I did my long run here on Saturday and woke up on Sunday with a tick in my upper back. My mother irresponsibly went to town on it and pulled it off in several pieces. We're pretty sure that she got it all. My doctor called in a prescription for two doses of an antibiotic. There's a Summary of Tick Testing Results for 2008 on the CT Dept. of Agriculture's website. In Barkamsted, one of four ticks tested positive for Lyme Disease.

Marathon Training -- Week 6

I had a breakthrough in fitness this week. It seems like once you break 20 miles per week for a few weeks, the gains are huge. I did a 5 plus mile training run tonight at 8:45 pace. I haven't been able to run this pace at that distance as comfortably as I did tonight since the latter weeks of my first marathon buildup. Going into this buildup, I must have been fitter than I was going into my first buildup. I bet the shoes--Nike Lunar Trainer+--have something to do with it, too. I have much stronger feet. My turnover is solid. Everything feels even, comfortable, and I'm up on my toes and flying the whole time. I'm going for eleven miles this weekend. I've made a vow not to race during this buildup. I think that it really threw off my first marathon buildup. I did three races and it only further injured my foot. I know that my foot is healed now, but I don't want to jeopardize this solid buildup thus far.

Marathon Training -- Week 4

I don't know if it's that I'm just fitter or not holding back due to an injured foot this time around, but I'm training at about a minute per mile faster than I did two years ago. I'm beating up my legs pretty good. My feet feel fine. I've gone back and looked at my early marathon training of two years ago and noticed a pattern of nagging aches and pains in my left knee and right shin. I also struggled with a sore right hip. After about 6 weeks of training, all of these issues worked themselves out. I don't have any of those this time around, hence my beating up on my legs a bit more than I probably should. I want to be stronger in the last four miles of this marathon. My pace dropped off two and a half minutes after 22 miles of my first marathon. I don't want that to happen in SF. I want to run an even-paced marathon. I don't know if it's going to be in sensible pacing or preparing my legs for the last few miles that will allow me to do this. I have to figure this out.

Good Article About Training and Improving

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/23/health/nutrition/23best.html?em

I thought this was a good article. Makes me think I need to get my lazy ass on some kind of a training program again.

Boston Marathon

My predictions, Tune and Merga, finished 2nd and 1st, respectively. Tune collapsed at the finish. Goucher (2:32) and Hall (2:09) both finished 3rd. At last, podium spots for Americans. I really thought that Goucher had this, but her pushing over the last five miles apparently took a lot out of her. When the lead pack dropped Hall, I knew he wasn't out of it. He battled back but didn't have enough to outrun Merga and Rono. The guy's an aerobic monster and showed some real stones beating up on four of five Kenyans. Unfortunately, Merga's stones have stones, so...

Judging by this 8-mile tempo run, Hall may win Boston. Does anyone know if it will be televised?

This a test from my iPhone.

Second week of marathon training

Looking back on my first marathon buildup, on July 3, 2007, my first workout of my second week of marathon training, I was between 5 and 8 pounds heavier than I am now at the same point in my second marathon buildup. I'm also completely vegan now. I don't know how this will affect my training, but I can already tell that I will need to consume more calories during the day. My habit is to back-load my day. I always eat some semblance of a breakfast, scant little for lunch, and the lion's share of my calories for dinner. This has not translated into my best performances. Maybe more moujadra from Mamoun's will do the trick.

Ryan's marathon training plan revealed...again

This is the same plan that I followed for the Hartford Marathon. I was a slave to this plan and got pretty fit--fit enough to think that I could actually run a 3:30 marathon with my initial goal at 4:00. Given my history of injury, I think a good goal for the SF marathon is 4:00 (or to just finish)...for real. The idea is not to run my fastest marathon but to travel the country and see SF. I hope that I will remember this when I want to push myself.

To ensure that I get all 16 weeks of training in, I must start the marathon-specific workouts tomorrow. Since having the hardware removed from my left foot, I've been running 10-20 miles per week in Nike Free. There are about 220 miles on them. I'm going to continue using these for my shorter runs but need to decide on a more supportive shoe for my longer runs. I think I'm going to go with the Asics DS Trainer. I tried this on once and remember liking its feel but didn't buy it because they wanted way too much money for it. The current model is 14. Maybe I can find a 12 or 13 at a discounted price.

Road Trip and San Francisco Marathon

I've decided to spend my summer vacation on the road to California and back. Originally, my idea for a summer vacation was a road trip across the country, hitting the northern states on the way out and the southern states on the way back. Then, I got the brilliant idea to couple the trip with a marathon somewhere along the way. I registered for the San Francisco Marathon today. It seemed the perfect marathon, as it's in California, my final destination to the west, and it gives me exactly 16 weeks to train. The marathon is on July 26.

another (short) break from running

With a slight cold and no appetite this week, my running really suffered. I won't be doing a long run this weekend--only four or five miles--or next weekend, as I'm having all four of my wisdom teeth extracted on Friday, March 27. My two top wisdom teeth are erupted. My two bottom wisdom teeth are impacted. The two top ones will be pulled out--it's as simple as that. It's not so simple with the two bottom ones, which will have to be cut in half and extracted using special elevation tools. I assume I'll be in some pain and unable to run for at least a few days. I have to use prescription mouthwash (as seen in the only photo of mouthwash appearing in this post) for the two days prior to the surgery and for the ten days following the surgery.

I'm in the market for a more supportive shoe for only my long runs. The Nike Free 3.0 do not provide enough support in the latter miles of my long runs when my feet start to get sloppy. There are about 200 miles on my Frees (see photos above). They have held up better than expected. I plan to continue using them for my weekday runs.

Boston Marathon -- April 20, 2009

Could Kara Goucher win for the women; Ryan Hall for the men? Sure, in theory, but it's unlikely. Who was the last American to win the Boston Marathon for either the women or men? And WHEN? For two Americans to win the Boston Marathon this year would be an absolute boon to American distance running. If there's any year in which it could happen, 2009 would be the one.

Goucher ran a 2:25 at the New York City Marathon in November 2008. Can she better that time? I think so. According to her coach, Alberto Salazar, Kara is fitter now than she was going into NYC. We'll see how she handles the pressure to pull off at least an equal performance. So many fans of American distance running are pulling for her to win. If any American woman has a shot, it's her. Deena Kastor, who holds the American record in the marathon, is aging, and she's coming off a broken foot. Not that this will matter on race day, as she's not running the Boston Marathon, but I don't believe that her times will improve and that she'll be able to compete with future Boston fields.

Hall ran a 2:12 at the Olympic Marathon in Beijing, six minutes off his PR. Hall made the mistake of not taking off enough time between marathons. After PR'ing at the London Marathon in April 2008, he ran the Olympic Marathon four months later and choked. He hasn't run a marathon in more than six months, and it should show in Boston. I predict that he will run strongly and finish in the top three.

Ryan's predictions:
For the women: Dire Tune
For the men: Deriba Merga

Night Running

On Sunday night, I braved the dark, lonely roads of Guilford for a six-mile run. It wasn't the best idea, as I don't have any reflective running apparel or accessories, and the roads were wet from a light rain.

This six-mile route is an out-and-back, and I felt great out at around 26 minutes and then deteriorated from about 40 minutes. I finished as strong as possible and wound up holding the pace.

While running, I thought to myself that I would never walk those roads at night. I feel no fear while running, even though the thought of a bear barreling from the woods or the Loch Ness Monster emerging from the various bodies of water along 146 crossed my mind.

Serious Trails

I just learned today that there are 5 different trail systems (Timberlands, The Braemore Preserve, James Valley Preserve, Northwoods and Westwoods) comprising 81 miles of trails over 2,552 acres of land in Guilford, CT. All of the trails are hiker-friendly and presumably runner-friendly, too. I know a Westwoods entrance off of 146. I always see runners gathered at this entrance on the weekends. Westwoods alone comprises 39 miles of trails over 1,200 acres of land.

Are treadmill outputs accurate?

It has been a while since my last post, so here's a long overdue update on my progress. I'm trying to find that key balance between stress and adequate recovery. If your body doesn't adequately recover in time for the next scheduled workout, then it won't be able to reap the full benefit of that workout. This may seem intuitive, but runners often ignore signs of overtraining for fear of undertraining. Cumulatively, this can hamper training and cause injury. My long runs of six or more miles have left me with very little strength for my Wednesday workout. I attribute this to a combination of the following: 1.) inadequate recovery due to possible nutritional deficiencies (e.g., carbohydrates, protein and fat), over-intense long runs, and lack of fitness; 2.) running on pavement; and 3.) wearing Nike Free 3.0.

I'm now able to run comfortably for about an hour at about 180 footfalls per minute, striking the ground first with the balls of my feet directly under my center of gravity. According to the experts, this is the most efficient way to run long distances. I've found that this has alleviated stress to the posterior, medial part of the foot and transferred it to the arch. As a result, my arches and lower-legs are sore and fatigued.

Nike claims that the Free 3.0 is designed to simulate barefoot running. If this is true, then it lends itself to the most efficient running stride, as described above. The Frees, as a byproduct of simulating barefoot running, strengthen the feet and can prevent, and even cure, common running injuries, like PF and runner's knee. Stability and motion control running shoes, on the other hand, are said to be the cause of most preventable running injuries, due to their medial posts and beefed-up heels, among other stability enhancers. These shoes force a runner to strike the ground with the heel first, putting undue stresses on the body from the feet to the hips and lower back. It's not implausible, therefore, that these kind of shoes played a role in my injury.

I ask the question in the title of this post because I've gotten pretty good at gauging and controlling my pace on every run. All of my runs are done on a treadmill with the exception of my long runs on the weekends, which are consistently at least one-minute per mile faster than those done on a treadmill. Hmmm.

H.I.T.

A new book, Healthy Intelligent Training (aka H.I.T.), by New Zealander Keith Livingstone, attemps to more coherently convey the training methods of the late Arthur Lydiard. Livingstone, in an interview found here, says that "long work CANNOT be compromised." He goes on to say:

"Too many personal trainers and 'sports scientists' with ponytails and compression tights have been assiduously chipping away at the edges of Lydiardism, peddling their compromised versions, till all we get is meaningless articles in popular running mags for the masses warning people of the dangers of good old-fashioned, decent mileage. What a load of cobblers!"

"I’ve seen plenty of people who couldn’t run out of sight on a dark night just get stuck into mileage and totally embarrass more highly talented people cautiously and carefully coached by people with ponytails. One guy coached by Magee or Dick Quax ended up with a sub-30 10k track title and a 2:15 marathon, and at full speed he resembled a Clydesdale towing a full harness and plough. Forgotten his name at present, but he did the job, didn’t he? That’s all that counts in the end."

I don't intend to buy or read this book, because I thought that Arthur Lydiard's "Running with Lydiard" made plenty of sense.

Interesting stuff, though.

Kelly Jaske

A testament to the fruit of hard work.

Marathon #3 Disney

Yesterday I finished my third marathon, the Disney Marathon in Florida. All and all it went pretty well, and I finished just under 3:30, which was what I was expecting. I did my normal start fast and crash at the end. I started out doing a 7:30-7:45 pace and held that for the first 15-20 miles. Then about 8:00-8:20 pace for 5 miles or so, then the last couple were slow and painful.

Chip time: 3:29:44
5 mile: 38:04
10 Mile: 1:15:56
Half: 1:39:58
20 Mile: 2:34:34

I think in order to hold the pace I will need to ramp up the training to 35 miles per week and then peak at 45-50. For now I will need a break, as my legs hurt.

The Disney Marathon has its ups and downs. On the upside there is a pretty good vibe that is very festive, laid back, and without the serious competitive vibe in other races. I think the vast majority of the 14,000 runners go very slow stopping along the way to take pictures with various Disney characters. The course was ok. Running through parts of Disney and Epcot were kind of cool as they were lined with people but there were many miles on the highway and in parking lots. A couple stretches were nice 2 lane roads in the woods. Generally the Orlando/Disney area really sucks. All the roads are divided highways with tons of stoplights and traffic. Not really my cup of tea.

One thing I really didn't like was that the race started at 5:50AM, as apparently it can be very hot. This meant I was up at 4:30 and I think most people were up even earlier. I still stood in the start corral 40 mins until the start. The race was well staffed, but more water would have been nice. There was no water available at the start, and some of the stations only had powerade. No GU, some other stuff that I didn't try. I also didn't like that they had all the refreshments at the end of the race sectioned off from the public. Once the runners left the finisher area to meet friends and family they had no access to food or water, and I could only carry so much.

The best part of the race, was that my nipples got a bit chafed, as you can see in the picture above. It wasn't nearly as bad as it looked, but I had dumped a couple things of water on my head so it made the blood run down my shirt. People were horrified!

An excellent, excellent opinion article in WSJ this morning. Must, must read!!!

'Alternative' Medicine Is Mainstream

This article was written by honest professionals in the medical industry who are not trying to benefit from a gimmick or otherwise. These professionals are straight-shooting, and their sound advice must reach a larger proportion of the population in order to have any effect on the current medical crisis.

Where I'm At

The Disney Marathon is 1 week from today. I haven't been feeling particularly strong on my recent runs. I think my last 20 mile run in the snow did me in pretty good. Legs have generally felt pretty tired and sore. I think I will need to view this marathon as a training build up for another in the spring or summer. I'll be happy with 3.5 hrs and no injuries.