Know When to Fold ‘Em

Like most runners I try not to let small things keep me from running.  This usually means I’ll run with a small cold, sore throat or other minor health issue.  But last week I got hit with some sort of respiratory infection that sidelined me all week.  I was coughing up a lung just walking through the house and my throat and lungs felt raw.  So, as much as I wanted to get out I knew this was a case where being smart would get me back out sooner.  If I tried to run through that I would have been in much worse shape and probably missed several weeks. 

Today I feel almost back to normal so tomorrow morning I’ll hit the streets (now that it’s back to only a “small” sore throat).

A Sunny 24 Degrees

I knew winter had to come eventually so I shouldn’t have been surprised that the temp read 24 degrees this morning at 9:00AM.   At least the sun was shining.  It had been a while since we had temps that low so I had to guess at what to wear.  I went with Under Armor leggings and top then a Cool-Max shirt over that plus hat and gloves.  Turns out that was perfect.  I was very comfortable the entire 9 miles.  I got some interesting looks from some drivers and I imagine they were thinking “what’s wrong with that guy running in this cold weather”.  But I also passed about half-dozen other dedicated runners and I’m sure they were thinking the same thing I was, ”what’s the big deal, it’s cold, so what?”

I know it will get harder to stay outside once the snow flies but for now, 24 and sunny is just fine.

So Many Reasons to be Thankful!

Every day should be Thanksgiving Day.  I don’t mean that we should gather with family and friends to eat and watch football every day (although that doesn’t sound too bad).  I mean we need to be thankful every day.  No matter what our circumstances are there are many things to be thankful for.  Of course if you focus on what you don’t have you’ll always be wishing for more.  But, if you focus on what you DO have, there will be too many things to count.

Today I was so thankful to be able to run 4+ miles (yes, with a pirate patch).  As I ran early on this Thanksgiving Day the streets were very quiet and stores were closed.  It was a great way to start a busy day.  After my run I was thankful to just relax with my wife and two terrific teenage sons for a while.  Then we all headed to my parents for a traditional Thanksgiving meal with my sisters and their families.  All the nieces and nephews were home and everyone including my parents are healthy.  That’s a lot to be thankful for. 

So today and every day I thank God for all I have and for what He has done for me. 

Happy Thanksgiving!

The Running Pirate

If you read my last post you know I am unable to run outside for a while because I can’t blink my eye.  So I thought I was forced to use the treadmill for a few weeks.  Well, I remembered I had a pirate eye patch that my friend Dan gave me as a joke so I tried it.  It worked great!  I ran 9 miles outside yesterday with a black eye patch that has a skull and crossbones embossed on it.  Maybe I’ll start a new club, “The Running Pirates”.

Forced Inside

Today I was forced to run on the treadmill.  Not by cold weather or snow or rain.  By Bells’ Palsy.  A very strange condition that causes one half of your facial muscles to stop working.  That means your eye doesn’t blink.  And if your eye doesn’t blink wind hitting your eye is a killer.  I woke up with it Wednesday and since I have had it in the past (20 years ago) I knew what it was.  If you’ve never heard of it and you get it, it can freak you out.  Anyway, I went to the doctor and got steroids (Oh-oh, banned substances) that hopefully will make it go away quicker.  But in the meantime I can’t risk outside running.  Your eye can easily get infections if it can’t blink to clear itself to remove particles and bacteria.  So unless something extreme happens I’ll be sweating on the treadmill instead of nice and cool out in Michigan November/December weather for a few weeks.  Oh well, at least I have two legs to run on.

The Defining Moment

6:00AM. Dark outside. Windy outside. Thermomator reads 42 degrees outside. Bed is warm. What do you do?  Don’t even think, just put your feet on the floor and grab your gear.  You are a runner!

It’s those moments that define your dedication. If you are a runner, you run.  I run.

Book review: “Running & Being: The Total Experience” by Dr. George Sheehan

If you consider yourself a “real runner” you have probably heard of the 1978 classic “Running & Being” by George Sheehan.  For decades it has been considered the book that helped launch the popular running movement.  Unfortunately, I must admit I had never read it.  I’ve heard of it and meant to read it, but never did.  So when it was mentioned in a recent Runner’s World article I decided I had to visit my local library.  I found they had the updated 20th Anniversary version titled “Running & Being: The Total Experience” which includes an updated forward.  If by chance you have not read it, let me warn you.  It isn’t exactly a “How To” book.  Yes, there are tips and suggestions but it is mostly philosophical. Sheehan appears to be an expert on the great philosophers and ancient thinkers and he quotes them often.  If you enjoy the mental benefits of running (don’t we all?) then this book helps validate that feeling and tries to explain that connection.  If for some reason you are just running for the physical health benefits then, frankly, you may find this book a bit boring or too “deep”.  It can make you think if you want but it takes some work. I read it mostly at a surface level without taking lots of time to ponder or debate his point of view and I enjoyed it at that level.  It was interesting to thnk about the community of distance runners and how we are different (which we are). This book makes that point abundantly clear.  It did make me want to keep “Running & Being”.

Familiar Strangers

I’ve been running at approximately the same time in the morning for several years now.  Most mornings I pass many of the same people as they run or walk their dogs.  We acknowledge each other with a head nod, or a hand wave or for some a “Good Morning”.  I’m not sure how people decide who to nod to, who to wave to and who to speak to.  But for some reason it appears that once you put the other person into one of those categories it’s rare that they move to another level.  Meaning the guy in the ball cap that runs toward me most mornings has always been a head nod and never a wave.  The guy quickly walking his two schnowzers gets a “Good Morning” every time.  The walking lady gets a “Good Morning” plus a wave.  There are many others and each has a pre-determined acknowledgement.  You may think it’s a progression, that people move from nod to wave to greeting.  But that does not appear to be the case.  Test this theory as you run and let me know what you find.

An Hour Makes a Difference

Most mornings I’m out the door for my run about 6:15AM.  Even on the hottest days, the humidity is not bad at that time of day.  The past two days I’ve been home helping my oldest son pack for his first year of college (that will be a different post) so my schedule is different.  I’ve actually slept in the last two days so I didn’t run until almost 7:30AM. What a difference.  The humidity was noticibly higher. The same 3 mile run I usually do left me soaking wet.  Both hot runs were good and I felt like I really accomplished something but I think I’ll stick to the early morning weather as much as possible.

Online Log or “Old School”??

Old fashioned paper and pencil logs worked just fine.

I’m torn.  I’ve posted before about the great online running logs available so now that I’m running again after my little layoff, I planned to start tracking my progress online.  The Runner’s World site has been my log of choice for the last few years.  But for some reason, the last few days I’ve been seriously considering going “Old School” and grabbing a notebook and pen.  There’s something appealing about having an old fashioned running log like I used back in the 80’s and 90’s.  Something tangible that I can pick up and read no matter what room I’m in.  Somewhere that I can easily add notes even a few days after my run without logging into a site and clicking through screens to get to the one I need.  But on the flip side, the RW log has great tools like maps, graphs, and distance/pace calculators. It even tracks how many miles I put on my shoes!

I figure I have the rest of this week to decide because by next week I should be back to running 4-5 days a week and increasing my miles so I’ll want to start tracking. 

So, help me out here.  Does anyone out there still use a pen and paper for their running log?  Will I be the only throw-back writing if I go that way?  Or are the online tools really just too great to pass up?

Vote now!