Life in the fast lane!

Much as I wanted to get my 11 mile jaunt in today while it was still rainy and cool, the exertions of the rest of my life cut into my run time.  I only had the time for a 2 mile gallop.  Gallop I did!  I pushed as hard as I could from the start, and cut 44 seconds off what was my fastest pace!  As much as I'm not quite sure when tomorrow I will be able to find a spare 2 1/2 hours to run 11 miles, I'm singing with joy today about my new speed record for 2 miles:  17 minutes 20 seconds!   

Até amanhã... 
9/9/11 - 2.0 miles | 17:20 min | 6.9 mph | 209 kcal

Puddles 'n mud

Not long ago I was at a meeting where some of the members were discussing the state of joblessness in Michigan.  One of them commented that "at least we don't have hurricanes!"  It turns out the although we don't generally experience storms the size of Katrina, we do actually experience the remnants of hurricanes, as we are currently being drenched by Lee.  


Regardless of the source of rain, and the mud and puddles, I've decided that I like running in  breeze and falling water when it's 60 degrees.  Today I dropped 20 seconds off of yesterday's 2 mile time!  I am slated to run 11 miles this weekend, and want to move that up from Saturday to tomorrow, so that there's still some of Lee left in the atmosphere to refresh me.


Até amanhã... 
9/8/11 - 2.0 miles | 18:04 min | 6.7 mph | 211 kcal

Running in the rain

It was cold yesterday, and today it is both cold and wet.  Determined to be undaunted by mere weather, I waited until it was a medium drizzle rather than full downpour and suited up for my 2 mile interval run.  I used a visor to keep as much of the rain off of my glasses as possible, and my old running shoes so that the new ones can stay clean a little longer.  According to about.com, I had the right idea.  They say:

• Dress in layers if it's cold.
• Wear a hat with a brim.
• Don't overdress.
• Wear something bright so that you're visible.
• Wear old running shoes
• Prevent chafing (not necessary on short runs)
• Protect your electronics
• Dry your shoes and everything else thoroughly when you're done
• JUST RUN!

About.com was right, particularly on the last point.  The hardest part of the whole thing was before I began, when I was looking out the window and saying, "Yuck!  I just don't want to do this!"  Once I got started, I found myself having a great run.   I realized that the rain was refreshing, and the novelty made it more fun.  I doubt that the novelty would carry over if it were a 10 mile run, but for a 2 mile run it was *perfect*.  How do I know that?  I ran my fastest 2 miles so far!  
Até amanhã... 
9/7/11 - 2.0 miles | 18:23 min | 6.6 mph | 211 kcal

Motion therapy

It is impossible to believe that fall is here, particularly when looking at the calendar.  But the 53 degree temperatures, heavy cumulus clouds, and colorful first fallen leaves tell a different story.  It was a pleasure running today, even with a sweatshirt to keep the chill away. Cool is good, but soon it will be c-o-l-d.  As hard as the miles are sometimes, I have come to anticipate my runs with with pleasure, and I don't want to give up all the benefits when the snow flies. "Numerous studies have shown that exercise stimulates the neurotransmitters serotonin, dopamine, epinephrine, and beta-endorphin, all of which elevate mood and reduce depression and anxiety", according to Betsy Noxon of Runner's World magazine, veritable motion therapy :)  With all of that good, how will I stop?  When I saw my breath this early this morning I had to wonder, but fortunately I don't have to answer that question for another few weeks.  It's supposed to be 75 degrees again by the end of the week.


Até amanhã... 
9/6/11 - 3.2 miles | 35 min | 5.4 mph | 346 kcal

Laboring today...

"My father taught me to work.  He did not teach me to love it."  ~Abraham Lincoln

The concept that hard work will eventually pay off is one of the primary motivations behind our form of government.  Americans, at least the ones who remain employed, are said to work some of the longest weeks without as much annual vacation as much of the rest of the civilized world.  Some historians pin the American work ethic on Germany, which, given the work ethic of my German grandmother, I could easily believe.  But, as it turns out, Germans work on average fewer hours, with higher productivity, and greater quality of life, than most Americans, according to some measures.  Obviously there is more to it than a simple [hard work] = [good pay] equation.

The concept of hard work was instilled in me by my family when I was young.  So how did I celebrate this Labor Day?  At 57 degrees it was downright COLD this morning for running, especially as I think back to two days ago when it was above 90.  I'm still recovering from the 10 miles I did on Saturday, so I took today's 3 miles at a leisurely pace.  My route was filled with other runners also laboring away.   I imagine we all preferred to be sunning ourselves at the beach rather than running, but would have had to travel 200 miles south to do so without shivering at the same time.  Instead, the group of us invested our cool cloudy morning working hard to improve our mental and physical fitness.  I worked on a math calculation as I was running.  If I had a Lincoln penny for every second I've run since I began this venture, I would be $1667.52 richer than I currently am.  The thought occurred to me, is this worth the work?  I'm banking on it.


Até amanhã... 
9/5/11 - 3.2 miles | 37 min | 5.2 mph | 338 kcal

The first 10 minutes, and metabolic profiling

Over the last few weeks of running I've noticed that it always takes me about 10 minutes of running before I feel like I'm in sync with what I'm supposed to be doing.  At first my stride is too short, my breathing too shallow, and my arms aren't swinging the right way.  I can tell without knowing how far I've gone when that 10 minute mark is hit because all the sudden I'm thinking about other things, no longer needing to think about how best to run, until the end of the run, when it gets hard again.


It turns out that there is something a bit special about 10 minutes of exercise.  Dr. Robert Gerszten of Massachusetts General Hospital says, "Ten minutes of exercise has at least an hour of effects on your body."  There's a new field of metabolic profiling, metabolomics, that studies questions such as how long really is it necessary to exercise for optimal fitness effects, and how long the biochemical changes in our bodies last after we stop exercising.  


Hmmm, definite food for thought.  Did he just say I only needed to run 10 minutes, not more than 2 hours, like I did yesterday?  More study necessary!


Até amanhã... 
9/4/11 - 2.0 miles | 21 min | 5.4 mph | 213 kcal

The last mile is the hardest, after the first.

It's 90 degrees right now.  10 miles down.  All I can say is:

#1.  BOOK

#2  DRINK

#3.  LAKE

Até amanhã... 
9/3/11 - 10.0 miles | 2 hrs 8 mins | 4.6 mph | 1088 kcal

DROID!!!!!!!!

I took a very leisurely trot around the lake early this morning before the temperature hit the forecasted 98 degrees. No pushing for time or form on this run, I just wanted to stay loose in preparation for tomorrow.  Hopefully I'll be able to run a full 10 miles, for the first time since I was 17.


You may wonder how I count the time, miles, rate and kcals.  I use the CardioTrainer app on my Droid phone.  It maps the route, and totals all the metrics by day, week, month and year.  It's very encouraging to look at the "How far have I gone?" map to see that since the beginning of the year I have run, walked, paddled, peddled, and skied all the way to either Jacksonville, Florida or Sioux Falls, South Dakota.  I still have 12 states on my "haven't visited yet" list.  Maybe this is how I'll do it: virtually, by phone, in keeping with the latest generation.  If you also have this app, send me an email and we'll have a friendly competition by connecting with the app feed share.  


   :)   The wonderful part about the app is that while running it will tell you "ONE .. MILE .. NINE .. MINUTES .. THIRTEEN .. SECONDS", or "TWO .. MILES .. SIX .. MILES - PER - HOUR" for encouragement.  


   :(   The bad part is that my phone tends to reset midway through many of my runs so I still have to use my stopwatch and do the math.  When the phone resets it displays a flash graphic like the one on the left.  Most annoying!  


I recently saw a billboard advertising the Motorola Droid picturing that little red reset graphic.  Not good advertising:  None of us who have to put up with that mechanical voice saying "Lost Service" accompanied by the pretty flash illustration are inspired to buy a phone that displays it because it just reset again.


Hopefully my phone will avoid the reset for the 2 hours or so it will likely take me to run 10 miles tomorrow, so that I can have a better idea how to set my pace for the big race, which is exactly one month from today.  Yeah!


Até amanhã... 
9/2/11 - 2.0 miles | 21:58 mins | 5.5 mph | 211 kcal

"Failure is a better teacher than success."

Success is sweet

My son, although a good soccer player, is no fan of running.  Every time I return from a run he looks at me with total disdain.  *Why* would anyone put herself through this kind of obviously sweaty duress?  One of the talents at which he excels is chess.  Before he ever went to school he would play chess on the computer, since no one else in the family could provide much of a challenge.  One wintry week when he was still in elementary school he asked if I would take him to a chess tournament the upcoming Saturday.  I assumed it was local, and said yes, figuring it would be good for him to find some kids who would provide more of a contest than the home folk did.  I was very sorely dismayed on Friday night when I asked which school I needed to take him to the next morning, and I found out it was the state tournament, on the OTHER side of the state, and we needed to leave at 3:30 in the morning.  UGH!

Not only did I have to take Cam, but I also had to take his younger sister, Julia, who was completely ventilator dependent at that point, as well as on many different medications.  I spent much of the evening preparing.  We were up at 3:30 AM, and we made it to the tournament in time, despite the miserable driving conditions.  I vowed to make absolutely sure I knew all the details before I ever said "yes" again to another request to go to any kid events.

Cam settled in to his first game.  Julia and I settled in to a quiet corner where I could monitor her, her machinery, and any floating germs very closely.  I waited for results.  Cam won his first game!  Everyone congratulated him, and we settled in for the next game.  Amazingly, he won that one too.  The games were getting harder as he was placed against others who also won their first games.  Somehow, though, he won the third game.  And the fourth.  And then, late in the afternoon, he won his fifth.  He won every game he played that day, and rather than leave for the very long drive home, he wanted to stay to receive his trophy.  Julia was tired, and hurting, and I was exhausted from the late night, early driving, and long day of caregiving.  But there was no way I could leave without Cam having his moment of much deserved majesty.

To this day, the memory of what happened next is one of my favorite memories of two decades of being a mother.  Cam was called up to go in front of the crowd, have his photo taken, and receive his award.  He did.  Then he walked back through the audience, and gave his medal to his sister, Julia, who would never be able to win any medals on her own.

I remember telling Cam something he didn't need to know that day, but did need to know plenty of other times as he honed his game and became an even better player. Former World Chess Champion Jose Raul Capablanca said, "You may learn much more from a game you lose than from a game you win. You will have to lose hundreds of games before becoming a good player."  According to a recent University of Colorado study, "Success may be sweeter, but failure is a better teacher."  It was hotter today than it has been for several weeks, and I didn't feel like running, much less trying to beat my recent interval times.  I did run, didn't beat my intervals, but know that I will do better tomorrow.  Any doubts?  Think of Capablanca, and read this excerpt the University of Colorado's press release about how failure leads to success in life.


Até amanhã... 
9/1/11 - 2.0 miles | 19:23 mins | 6.1 mph | 206 kcal

End of month accounting

Another month down, and I'm two-thirds of the way to my goal.  Time for a pulse check:


June:
I ran 39.5 miles in 8 hours 38 minutes at an average distance of 2.2 miles per run and an average rate of 4.58 mph.  I expended 4552 kcal, the equivalent of 30 McDonald's ice cream cones.


July:
I ran 80.8 miles in 16 hours 45 minutes at an average distance of 2.6 miles per run and an average rate of 4.93 mph.  I expended 8857 kcal, the equivalent of 59 McDonald's ice cream cones.


August:
I ran 91.1 miles in 17 hours 24 minutes at an average distance of 3.4 miles per run and an average rate of 5.24 mph.  I expended 9840 kcal, the equivalent of 65 McDonald's ice cream cones.


I'm not going to jinx my progress by forecasting the September stats.  All I can say is bring on the McDonald's ice cream cones!


Até amanhã... 
8/31/11 - 2.0 miles | 19:12 mins | 6.3 mph | 207 kcal

You only get one shot

In Your Face
Joe Louis Fist Statue Detroit Michigan
 Photograph by Gordon Dean II

Last February Alison was sitting in Washington with some of the other students who had fellowships to work as interns in a variety of federal offices.  They were enjoying a fun Sunday evening watching the Superbowl when she stopped the show and yelled "LOOK!  It's Detroit!"  


Chrysler's Imported from Detroit commercial gained extraordinary acclaim by tapping into America's love of the underdog, and the underdog's love of muscle cars, music, and hope that axle grease will resurrect both car company and city.  It must be working:  Chrysler's sales were up 20% in July, leading all domestic automakers, per this Wall Street Journal article.  As for Detroit, well... that will take a bit more time.


Eminem's theme song from the movie "8 Mile" is one of Alison's favorite running tunes.  She sent me another version of it today to help keep me motivated.  It worked!  I don't run listening to music, but I haven't been able to stop listening to the official video of the choir behind the commercial, Selected of God.  It moves me, and as I ran today, I kept thinking of the truth in the the final lyric.  You only get one shot.


Até amanhã... 
8/30/11 - 4.2 miles | 46 mins | 5.4 mph | 449 kcal

Happy birthday, Mom!

My mom, circa 1958

My mother was born 74 years ago today.  She grew up wanting to be a wife and mom, in a world where women learned to cook and take dictation.  She was a secretary until she had her first child, me, at the age of 22.  Her love of reading, a desire to learn French, and fondness for crafts are just a few of her qualities that shaped my life.  She always liked a good story, and I adored listening to the adults talk "grownup stuff" during family gatherings.  Part of the lore of my mom involved the tales she told about the one class she hated.  The idea of girls taking exercise was new to her school.  She and her friends dreaded it.  She had a vast cadre of extraordinary measures she and her similarly minded classmates employed to avoid participating in gym.  Listening to my mom tell me about how she skirted the rules to avoid sweating always made me laugh.  How could she, who always taught me to follow rules, be such a mischief maker?!


As funny as the anti-gym stories were, my mom's dislike of exercise was no joke.  She started smoking when she was 17, to look cool, and as part of a recommendation in a brochure she got at her doctor's office to help control weight.  Sadly, she passed away six years ago, still smoking, which, if it controlled her weight only helped tip the scales higher.  I never saw my mother ride a bike nor run in the 45 years I knew her.  


My mom always wanted the best for her kids, that we would find the happiness she dreamed of having.  She had many talents, and she also had many regrets over the missed opportunities in her own life. I wish she had found a way to be her better self, to leap over her obstacles.  There are so many things I now wish I could share with her, especially as I enter new stages in my own life and gain the wisdom to better understand the passages she traversed in hers.  In many ways, she continues to inspire me.  I thought of her today as I pushed myself to run just a little harder.  Love you, Mom.


Até amanhã... 
8/29/11 - 3.3 miles | 34 mins | 5.7 mph | 349 kcal

Slacking --- NOT!

check out another hslf-marathoner's adventures

I've heard that less than 1% of adult Americans can run a mile in under 10 minutes.  I've tried to verify this stat, but, so far, haven't found a credible source that assures me it's true.  (If anyone out there can find the reference, please let me know.)  I can say with certainty that running a mile in under 10 minutes is not as easy as it sounds.  I've now set a goal that for each ot the days that I run only 2 miles, I work hard to make sure that at least one of them is under 10 minutes.  Today I did.  :)

Total running mileage for the week:  23.5 -- a little more than a full marathon... in just seven days!

Até amanhã... 
8/28/11 - 2.0 miles | 19:55 mins | 6.0 mph | 211 kcal

What was long is now short

Read this Wiki How article to
improve your running style

Alison told me early in the summer that she relished the days when she *only* had to run 4 miles.  When she said this to me, 4 miles was twice as far as I was running, and didn't seem very short to me.  After completing 9 miles today, I'm with Alison:  I too now relish the days when I'm only scheduled for 4 miles!  I thought a lot about that 5 miles into my run.  Here's the good news:  I paced faster than 5 mph for the first 5, not dropping to below that rate until I was in the last 4.  I can see measurable improvement.

I've reached the point where running style makes a difference in the outcome.  Here is a list of tips from Wiki How to improve your running style:

Make sure your body is loose and relaxed, but not hunched over. Keep your shoulders relaxed.

Breathe steadily. What matters is you breathe with a rhythm that provides a consistent supply of oxygen to your body. Don't worry about whether you are breathing through the nose or the mouth. You should be able to carry on a conversation with a running partner without much difficulty, if you're running at a medium pace. If you cannot you are running too fast to go very far in most cases. Most people take two steps as they inhale and two steps as they exhale.^[1]

Keep your head in a neutral position, not looking up or down. Look approximately 10 feet in front of you if running a distance of more than 400 meters.

Keep your elbows at a 90 degree angle.^[2] Swing each arm forward and backward in time with the opposite leg, this gives momentum and prevents your body twisting. The motion should come from the shoulders, not your forearms.^[2]

• Do not tense your fists. Imagine that you have two fragile items in each of your hands and if you tense too hard, you will break them.

• Don't let your hands cross the midline of your torso, or else you'll create a twisting motion.^[3]

Keep your hips forward. Act like you've got a rope tied across your waist and someone is pulling you gently forward with it. Avoid side-to-side movement or twisting.

Increase your cadence. Aim to hit the ground about 185 times per minute. The simplest way to do this is to minimize the time your feet are on the ground.

• In the event of sore muscles, use the R.I.C.E. technique (rest, ice, compression, elevation). If you don't feel like sitting doing nothing with an ice pack, try turning the shower on cold and pointing the showerhead at the sore muscle for a minute or so after your workout.

• If you get a cramp, walk it off. Raise your hands above your head and breathe. It is important to stretch the muscle. Cramps result from many different factors (such as fatigue) but are a direct result of the muscle being overstimulated and over-contracting or not relaxing after voluntary contraction has been ceased. Stretching the muscle will promote relaxation and help to alleviate the pain. Rubbing and massaging the muscle will also help. Promoting circulation to the area will always be a benefit as fresh blood will help control the imbalance that is leading to the cramp.

• When running up hills, lean into the hill. Take short strides, pump your arms more than usual, and bring your knees up.

• It's important to stretch the muscles before and after the run, 10-12 seconds each stretch before the run and 15 seconds after.

• To avoid pain in one of the sides of the belly breathe in with nose and breathe out with mouth.

• Remember, running is kind of meditation!!

• If you keep your hand out and relaxed it will be better

• Run mainly on the balls of your feet, only allowing your heels light contact with the ground. This is the natural way to run, as you will find if you try running barefoot. Running on your heels excessively may cause shin splints, since the muscles in your shin will be bracing your feet so they don't slap the ground.

• Drink PLENTY of water. Dehydration is very bad for you.

• If possible run on soft surfaces, because running on roads and streets affects your knees negatively if you run on a daily basis.

• DO NOT drink energy drinks, coffee, or other stimulating drinks before a run. Even tea isn't a good idea; all three of which dehydrate you, and increase your chances of cardiac arrest/heatstroke. Why raise your heart rate right before you raise it (and core body temperature) through running?

• Be sure to drink your liquids 10-20 minutes before your race. This will help you avoid cramps.

Até amanhã... 
8/27/11 - 9.0 miles | 113 mins | 4.8 mph | 955 kcal

"Love is the Opposite of Underwear"

I'm sure you're wondering what either love or underwear has to do with running! I am a huge fan of Jonah Lehrer, Wired Magazine's "The Frontal Cortex" columnist.  His recent post recapping his convocation speech to Earlham College summarized one of the largest predictors of success:  GRIT.  Lehrer makes the point that the trait of GRIT is more than stubborn persistence.  It includes the selection of appropriate goals, which must be attainable, and for which one must above all have passion.  I can not say it better than he did, so I will excerpt below.  Please do yourself a favor and put Lehrer's column on your must-read rss subscription!

Love is the Opposite of Underwear by Jonah Lehrer, excerpted from "The Frontal Cortex"

Grit is not just about stubborn persistence. It’s no use persisting, after all, if a goal is truly impossible. While you’ve no doubt been bombarded with successful people telling you that dreams always come true, that we just need to believe, that if you can imagine it then it can happen, the dismal reality is that not every goal is worth pursuing. I might want to play in the NBA, but I’m not Spud Webb. I still want to compose the Great American Novel, but I also know that my college creative writing professor was right: I have no talent for fiction. Unless I’m honest about my limitations, I’ll waste time chasing a farfetched future, which quickly gets very very frustrating. Because dreams do come true. But first we need to pick the right one.

So how can we sort the useful long-term goals from the futile ones? How can we make sure that all of our struggle and practice and sacrifice will be worth it? Well, here’s my advice: ask yourself if the goal passes the underwear test.

Let me explain. One of the most deep seated features of the human mind is that it quickly takes things for granted, becoming numb to the predictable perceptions and pleasures of the world. Just think of your underwear. Do you feel it? Are you conscious of it? Of course not. That’s because you’ve adapted to the feel of underwear, habituated to the touch of cotton on your bum.

And this isn’t just about underwear. Psychological adaptation also explains why the first bite of chocolate cake is better than the second, and the second is better than the third. It explains why the first time you use that new iPhone you’re pretty excited, but before long it will just be another thing in your pocket. And then, a few weeks after that, you’ll start complaining that your phone (your phone!) can only hold 10,000 songs or that it downloads streaming videos from Netflix so slowly. The delight has vanished, replaced by the usual dissatisfaction. This is because our brain is designed to be ungrateful, every pleasure a fleeting thing.

What does this have to do with grit and long-term goals? Well, the only dreams worth pursuing are those that pass the underwear test. These are the pursuits that don’t bore us, even after we put in 10,000 hours of practice. They contain the kind of subtle thrills that don’t get old, that we don’t adapt to, that keep us motivated and interested for years and years at a time. Sure, there will be frustrations along the way, but these frustrations don’t feel permanent, which is what allows us to keep on working and learning and improving. Because that’s what it takes to succeed, to accomplish something interesting. Perhaps you want to invent the cure for malaria, or bake a perfect baguette, or create the next Facebook. Whatever – don’t apologize for your obsession. Just be grateful you are obsessed with something, that you’ve found a goal worth getting gritty over. Because if your goals ever feel tedious, if you find them as unnecessary as that last bite of chocolate cake, then you’re never going to put in the necessary work. Grit requires passion. Grit requires love. And love is just another name for what never gets old. Love is the opposite of underwear.

Maybe it was the crisp clean 57^o breeze of the morning, but my today my second mile was even faster than the first!  So, in fact this post really isn't about love or underwear, but rather grit.

8/26/11 - 2.0 miles | 19 mins 23 sec | 6.2 mph | 212 kcal

Buzzard food

The weather front that passed last night brought the first twinge of the seasons changing.  I'm amazed at the many signs of autumn already visible in the neighborhood.  A few trees have pinches of color, the sumac berries are beginning to bud, and all the little turkey buzzard chicks have gotten BIG.  I rounded one of the corners of the back route I like to take when I run in the evening.  There in my path was an entire gaggle of turkey buzzards, just standing there, looking at *me*.  


I immediately was reminded of the feeling I had while watching my first Hitchcock movie when I was about seven, only the birds in The Birds seemed a whole lot smaller than these.  I slowed my pace just a bit, but kept running, not sure what else to do.  I noticed the deep red of their featherless heads, the beady twitching of their eyes, and the nasty sharp point at the end of their flesh eating beaks.  Just when I decided it might be better to turn back in search of an alternate route, they started running, and then took flight.  I remained unsettled with 30+ carrion connoisseurs flying not very far above my head, but they didn't bother me, so I kept on running.


I can honestly say I've never before been challenged to think on my feet because I was being stared down by a collection of vultures.  I was happy when I got home to read this in Wiki Answers:

"Turkey vultures are only interested in food items that do not move, run away or fight back."

Amen.


Até amanhã... 
8/25/11 - 3.2 miles | 36 mins | 5.4 mph | 355 kcal

Beware the ravages of time and inactivity!

Check your pace at
runnersworld.com

Beware the ravages of time and inactivity!  Six years ago I actually ran one mile in six minutes.  Between then and now I've had a whole encyclopedia of reasons not to maintain that level of fitness.  Today I ran one mile in 9.5 minutes, and I'm feeling very proud!   If I could maintain that pace for the entire half-marathon I would complete the course in 2 hours and 4 minutes, a very worthy goal.  I learned in my second mile today, however, that I can not *yet* maintain that pace for even 2 miles.  My second mile took 10.5 minutes.  I've been working on a variety of pace workouts suggested by Runner's World, and have set a personal goal, which I realize I may not attain this year, but I won't stop trying.  I would like to run at least one more six minute mile without expiring before I expire.


Até amanhã... 
8/24/11 - 2.0 miles | 19 mins 37 sec | 6.0 mph | 212 kcal

Look at those long legs!

Much as I'm a big fan of environmental responsibility, I'm not as involved or knowledgeable as I would like.  I figured that the cranes I had been watching grow from little fuzzy chicks to sizable adolescence in the swamp I run by every day had flown away by now.  This morning on my run I heard the neatest sound, e voila!  There, on the back edge of the swamp, were the pair I'd been watching, and their two chicks, now nearly the same size as mom and dad!  


Sandhill cranes stand about 4 feet tall, and when they fly, have wingspan exceeding 6 feet.  They live for 20 years or more, and keep the same mate for life.  They migrate between the northern states and Canada to the southern US and Mexico.  Some of the migration flocks are in excess of 10,000 birds.  I recently learned from a naturalist friend that there is a very large migration stopover here in Southern Michigan.  The Michigan Audubon Society works to provide safe haven for the thousands of cranes who fly by each spring and autumn at the Phyllis Haehnle Memorial Audubon Sanctuary.  There is even a Sandhill Crane & Art Festival in Belleville Michigan celebrating these magnificent feathered creatures.  


Take a moment to watch this video of a pair of cranes and listen to their song, which I have often heard on my morning journeys.  I have no need for ipod and earphones with this music to entertain me as I run.


Até amanhã... 
8/23/11 - 3.3 miles | 33 mins | 5.7 mph | 334 kcal

Way of life

Ayrton Senna

Part of the attraction to running is pushing yourself a little farther while learning how far is exactly the optimal amount.  There is an immediate feedback mechanism as you balance all the input from each part of your body:  the sound of your lungs, the pumping of your heart, your feet pounding the ground, your arms swinging in sync to make you go farther.  It is absolutely physical, and very much mental.  When you near your peak performance your mind and your body are all focused to overcome smaller constraints and pains to achieve the next step and ultimately reach the end of the course.  


Yesterday I had the chance to watch the powerful documentary about the great Brazilian Formula One driver, Ayrton Senna.  He overcome obstacles, controversy, and occasional personal doubts to become the world's fastest man on wheels.  His international success engendered intense national pride at a time when his homeland was in a state of discord.  His untimely death marked the rebirth of hope and unity for the largest country in South America.  


Aryton Senna had extraoardinary talents that he honed to the utmost to achieve his greatness.  Most of the rest of us will never acquire his level of acclaim, yet we all can benefit from using his method for self improvement.  In his own words:

"I continuously go further and further learning about my own limitations, my body limitation, psychological limitations.  It's a way of life for me."

Até amanhã... 
8/22/11 - 2.0 miles | 20 mins | 5.7 mph | 217 kcal

What do running and chocolate have in common?

Chase away mental gremlins by running...
for chocolate

Endorphins, of course!  I've known since my dog days in college that when the going gets rough, run... for... CHOCOLATE!  A tidy two ounces of Hershey's, or better yet Toblerone, never fails to set me free from whatever little mental gremlins were holding my creative juices hostage.  The problem is that we humans have a natural tendency to believe that if two ounces is good, twelve ounces must be nirvana.  It turns out that two ounces of chocolate really is the optimal amount in most cases to derive the maximum thinking benefit from the myriad chemicals in chocolate.  More than that and other, not quite so beneficial, effects begin to occur.  Oh, and, by the way, to get the endorphin effect you need real chocolate with all of its full nutritional armament, not chocolate flavered cake, cookies, ice cream, or other substitutes. I don't like the taste of dark chocolate as well as milk chocolate, but the darker the chocolate the greater the facilitation of endorphins.  Don't believe me?  There is plenty of literature on the subject, but start with this article from CNN.


Running, of course, works even better than chocolate for producing endorphins.  Sometimes when I don't fell like running, I remind myself that the more I run, the more chocolate I can eat without any ahh -- sizeable -- effects.  2 ounces?  No problem.  2 pounds?  Well, I better keep working toward my half-marathon.
Até amanhã... 
8/21/11 - 5.1 miles | 58 mins | 5.2 mph | 553 kcal

100 miles Moore... Shemar, that is!

Check out Shemar at www.maxfitmag.com

One (or two) Moore word(s) on biking 100 miles:

I knew there was more than one reason to applaud Shemar Moore.  Not only is he a star on the popular series, Criminal Minds, and an avid advocate/role model for staying fit, he puts his celebrity, sex appeal and fitness to good use to raise money to fight the disease his mother struggles to overcome. It turns out that my favorite workout hero is known for biking 100 mile treks to raise money for multiple sclerosis.

Yeah Shemar!  The next time I'm feeling the need for a little inspiration, I'll just pull out this little spread from www.maxfitmag.com and Do the WORK.  Thanks, Shemar, for getting us started, and especially for working to eradicate multiple sclerosis.  Oh, ya, by the way, adult onset Krabbe's disease is sometimes misdiagnosed as M.S.  There are many worthy charities; this is certainly one of the top on my list.   Be sure to check out Bike MS to see if there's a ride near you in which you can participate in the fight to beat this disease. 
Até amanhã... 
8/20/11 - 4.0 miles | 46 mins | 5.2 mph | 442 kcal

Life is good!

Julia shares cake with her mom

Oh yes, life is so  so-o-o-o very good.  Today I woke up extraordinarily happy to be able to have another cake day!  It has always amazed me that on our birthdays we say we're another year older, rather than just a day more mature than we were the day before.  The anniversaries of our births do provide opportunities to inventory where we've been, are, and hope to go, as well as count our wrinkles, grey hairs, and ascending numbers on our optics prescriptions. We must all remember, as we throw away another AARP solicitation, that aging truly is better than than the alternative.

I took my probability of aging gracefully as a birthright until thirteen years ago, when I became dedicated to doing more than giving my Krabbe's kid something better than "sympathetic and symptomatic" treatment for her terminal illness.  Julia is pictured to the left having the one and only taste of birthday cake she was able to swallow on her own accord, on my birthday, August 19th, 1998.  We were at the beginning of our many month stay in Duke Medical Center for Julia's transplant, which occurred the day after this picture was taken.  The fighting spirit of that little kid with the bright red dress inspired me more than I will ever be able say.  She remains a primary source of motivation.  She never talked or walked, or ran, but did more than many folks do who have all of those abilities. Julia taught me:  If we can, we must.


Living up to my motto, I started the day off with a 3.3 mile run. and I plan on finishing the evening with at least 3.3 pieces of cake. Happy birthday to me, and a good life to all of us.  :) 

Até amanhã... 
8/19/11 - 3.3 miles | 37 mins | 5.2 mph | 353 kcal

All star break

There is a reason they call it Peach *Mountain* .
It's the highest point around.
Photo by Mark Bialek of the
University Lowbrow Astronomers

I feel like I'm having an All Star break, like the major league baseball players do. I began my running adventure on June 12th, and ran every day for 63 days.  Then I took two days off, in prep for Alison's and my bike adventure, and another day off yesterday to recuperate, particularly to be sure my knees had a day of recovery.  Today, after four days without running, I went back to "regular season", and the final 45 day push until the big run.  The break was great, and the endorphin rush from the marvelous trek on Tuesday is still strong.

Here's a bit of trivia:  Alison and I were *biking* at the same pace world class runners *run* marathons.  But imagine this:  RUNNING 100 miles in one day.  There are a number of ultra-marathon races world wide in which people actually voluntarily run that far!  The women's record holder in the Western States 100 mile endurance Run, one of the more famous races, is 17 hours 37 minutes.  OMG!  Having just biked 100 miles, I'm in complete awe that any human could *run* that far. Being a rather competitive person somewhat known for taking on interesting challenges, I have to be careful when looking up these statistics.  I see there is a bracket for my age, and that the record for women aged 50-59 is 21:58:37.  NO!  I'll do some crazy things, but rest assured I'm never going to consider running the Western States 100 mile ultra endurance race.  I'll stick with equipment for anything over the distance I can run in 6 hours.  What's even more amazing is that the folks who run that race start in Squaw Valley, California, at an elevation of 6,200 feet, and the run the first 4 1/2 miles UP-hill, climbing 2,550 feet in the first 5% of the race!

I love mountains.  I've always considered Michigan too flat for my taste.  During the last 10 or so miles of our ride on Tuesday, I was thinking that maybe this state isn't quite as flat as I always thought it was.  It turns out that the road to Greenfield Village really is a little easier than the road home.  In fact, it rather seemed like we were ascending Pike's Peak rather than Peach Mountain, the local landmark near home housing the University of Michigan McMath-Hulbert Observatory.  It turns out the the difference in altitude between Henry Ford Museum (591') and home (955')  is 364 feet.  Yes, we really did climb a 36 story sky scraper that last few of miles!  And those crazy people running uphill in California:  They have it right.  Get your uphill running done first when you're fresh.  Don't leave it for the last few miles when you're already toast.

I learned a lot about my fitness level on that bike ride.  I've never been an especially fast runner.  My forte is endurance, not sprinting.  That was true when pedaling, and I expect it will be true when running in the race.   Even though I am still a bit stiff today from biking, I'm very glad to be back in my running shoes.
Até amanhã... 
8/18/11 - 2.0 miles | 22 mins | 5.3 mph | 223 kcal