running | Run Luau Run

Posts Tagged ‘running’

Buoy

Posted in boston marathon, health, motivation, tagged running, what if on January 20, 2011| 6 Comments »

[tweetmeme source=”luau” only_single=false http://www.URL.com]

I stare at the television, hardly paying attention to the cards in my hand. Are we playing Hold ‘Em? Guts? I’m not too sure. The TV is tuned to the Classic Rock Music channel. On the screen is a picture of David Gilmour from the band Pink Floyd. I listen to his music and think, “I could have been musician.”

But I’m not.

I started to think of all the things I wanted to be, but am not. Doctor. Actor. Master of the Universe. Trainer and gym owner. I am none of those things. When the roadblocks of life got in the way, I never pushed back hard enough to achieve those goals. I made the excuse that if I wasn’t pushing, I obviously didn’t want it. Now, at the age of 41, I wonder, “what if?”

I know that the “what if” game is a common one, especially for people my age and older, but it feels like mine goes a little deeper than that. I look back and realize that I let opportunity go by so many times – in college, after college. There were moments where I could have (should have?) zigged, but instead I zagged – more often than not because it was the path of least resistance. Life (my life) is full of opportunities lost, chances not taken, changes not made.

I hope I have been a good son, an adequate husband and a decent father, but I wonder if they could have had better.

I wonder if that is one of the reasons I run like I do.

In running I finally found something that when I got pushed (through injury or bonking), I found a way to push back. I was able to take adversity and knock it on its ass. Still, I can’t help but wonder if running has become a last-ditch effort to validate myself – to convince myself that the boy that I was would be okay with , if not proud of, the man I have become.

No, I will never be an elite runner, I will never qualify for the Olympic trials, I will never get financially rich off of running, but hard work and perseverance has made me a marathoner and a Boston Qualifier. The results have been tangible. In qualifying for Boston, I have, in the eyes of some, made it to the promised land.

As I try to figure out what it is that I will become when I grow up (yes, I know I’m 41), I will hold on to this buoy, training my eyes on the horizon. I hope that the next time opportunity sails close by, I have the wisdom to see it and the courage to hop on board.

Why do you run?

Read Full Post »

Softer

Posted in health, training, tagged Form, running on January 18, 2011| 9 Comments »

[tweetmeme source=”luau” only_single=false http://www.URL.com]

This time of year we see a lot of people in the gyms. It’s a combination of all the New Year Resolution-ers and those that don’t want to/can’t take the cold. This past Saturday, while my older daughter attended a skating lesson, I opted to go to the gym next door to put in a few miles on the hamster wheel. The rows of treadmills were almost filled to capacity, occupied by a wide range of runners, encompassing all shapes and sizes – it’s one of the things that I love about running – our diversity.

What caught my attention however, was not the wide variety of runners that day. It was the cacophony of heavy footfalls – a banging away that made me wonder how long before someone’s knee or hip popped. As I hopped on to my station, I saw that there were three runners, again, in a variety of shapes, in the row in front of me who seemed determined to smash their machines to bits. I wondered if they were running out of anger. I resisted the urge to interrupt them and try correct their form.

Among the many things I have learned over the last two years about running, one of the most important is that “how” you run makes a difference in both your performance and enjoyment. A lot of people, whether driven by a New Year’s Resolution or not, will simply hop on the treadmill or go outside and go. The problem is that many of theses runners are running as if they are trying to achieve their resolutions in one angry, hard run. If you go out too hard, too fast, and without paying attention to your form, you are likely to a)hurt yourself and b)give up after only a couple of weeks.

No matter how heavy you are, others shouldn’t be able to hear, much less feel your footfalls from 20′ away. I know that as runners we like to say we are “hitting the streets” when we run, but nothing could be farther from the truth. Ideally, a runner should glide along as they run.

Obviously, your feet make an impact on the ground with every step, regardless of whether you are walking or running, but you can control the intensity of the impact. By softening you footfalls, you lessen the impact on your knees and hips, decrease the likelihood of injury and may actually increase your base speed and enjoyment.

So, how can you soften your stride?

There are a couple of things you can do. First, if you are new to this running thing, don’t feel compelled to run at other people’s pace. Start slowly, get comfortable. There is absolutely no shame in running a 15:00 mile. Think of all those people who are still sitting on the couch. Once your legs adapt to running, the speed will come. Second, try to land with your feet UNDER you instead of IN FRONT of you. The whole minimalist shoe vs. modern running shoe/mid-foot vs. heel strike is a topic that has been talked into ground and doesn’t need to be re-hashed here (if you want some in depth discussion on the topic hit up my friend Pete at www.runblogger.com). Suffice it to say that if you focus on landing with your feet directly under you, you will be working WITH your forward momentum, allowing you to run softer and eventually faster. Finally, try shortening your stride and increasing your cadence (the number of stride you take per minute). The shorter stride will naturally bring your landing closer to directly under you.

I am convinced that anyone, ANYONE, can become a light-footed runner. It’s not about size, it’s about form.

Do you think about your form when you run? What advice would you give to those trying to soften their steps?

Why do you run?

Read Full Post »

Stumble

Posted in diet, health, motivation, tagged health, new year's resolution, running, stumble on January 11, 2011| 8 Comments »

[tweetmeme source=”luau” only_single=false http://www.URL.com]

Happy New Year everyone! With the holiday season now at a close, many have wolfed down that last slice of pie, drunk the last glasse of champagne and moved on into resolution mode. Yes, January brings the deluge of New Year’s resolutions that people swear they are going to live by for the following year – eating better, exercising more are probably the most common. Inevitably they falter by the end of the week, the month, the season – at which point they throw in the towel to wait for the next turn of the calendar and start the process yet again.

A word of advice.

Give up.

You heard me.

Give.

Up.

This coming Sunday, forget about your New Year’s Resolution to get in shape, and stuff your face at breakfast or dinner with a huge plate of comfort food. Make sure you wash it down with 2 or 3 alcoholic and/or sugary drinks.

Go ahead.

Do it.

There is no reason to wait until the end of the month or the Winter, or for Summer to stumble and fall off the wagon. That’s right, I am telling you to get off that wagon this Sunday and indulge.

***

Wait a minute there, Luau! Aren’t you a proponent of healthy living? Don’t you advocate regular exercise and eating smart? Aren’t you the one who says anyone, ANYONE can get fit if they want to? What the Frak is going on here?

***

Hmm. I guess I should elaborate a little bit, huh? Notice above I said “breakfast OR dinner”? I did not mean to take the whole day, or weekend or week. I did not mean to give up for good. That would be silly.

No, what I propose is resolving to stumble in your New Year’s Resolutions.

Nobody is perfect, and because of that we can’t do things perfectly all of the time. Eventually we are bound to stumble. This is what happens to so many people who make New Year’s Resolutions every January 1st. The problem is that once they stumble they feel like that’s it. The shame of failing kicks in and overwhelms.

“It’s over!”

“I can’t do it!”

I’ve seen it before. Friends will decide that since they fell off the wagon on Saturday, they might as well carry it on through the entire weekend, the following week or even the rest of the year.

“You know, I ate like crap for breakfast and lunch so I’m just gonna complete the trifecta and eat this whole bucket of mashed potatoes and ice cream.”

A lot of people feel like if they fail the first, or second or third time they try to get healthy, they might as well give up because they can’t stick to it.

***

But what if one “stepped” off the wagon as opposed to “falling” off the wagon? A planned fall, if you will. Then maybe it’s not quite as bad. Then maybe, one would have the will power to step back on to the wagon after a single indulgent meal or a single missed workout as opposed to losing a whole weekend or a week or a month or the rest of the year?

Some people call it the 90/10 plan. The concept is to eat healthfully and exercise regularly 90% of the time and allow yourself to indulge in some guilty pleasures 10% of the time. The idea being that if you allow yourself to eat junk food and be a couch potato in small doses, you are more likely to remain disciplined the rest of the time.

A controlled stumble – think about it. If you are walking down the street and you fall, you are a lot less likely to hurt yourself if you fall in a controlled manner. It is the same with New Year’s Resolutions.

New Year’s Resolutions are fine and dandy. They can kick-start an active lifestyle, but don’t panic if you fall. Even if you fall hard. There is no reason why you can’t get right back up and dust yourself off. But if you have found that you have had trouble in years past with sticking with it through the year, try the controlled stumble, maybe once every week or two.

My bet is that you’ll find a lot more success down the road in achieving your resolution goals. It’s not about luck, it’s about determination and planning.

Have fun this Sunday! I don’t know about you, but I’m plopping myself in front the TV for some NFL playoffs, beer and a bucket of wings!

GO PATS!

Why do you run?

Read Full Post »

The Goose Egg

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged goose egg, New Year, running on January 1, 2011| 5 Comments »

[tweetmeme source=”luau” only_single=false http://www.URL.com]

It stares at me. It taunts me. Whether it is the beginning of the year, the month or the week, it dares me to wipes its grin off of its face. It is the dreaded goose-egg. Whatever the cycle, it has the ability to wipe away all of the hours, miles and sweat I have endured. I hate the goose-egg and the power it holds over me.

Every Monday, it is waiting for me. Every 1st of the month, it is waiting for me. At the turn of every year, it is waiting for me. This morning the goose-egg wiped away 148 miles for December and 1552 miles for 2010. A new month, a new year.

But I am stronger than the goose-egg. I have the strength to chase it away, if just for a week, a month, a year.

One step – that is all it takes. One step, and the goose-egg is banished for another 7, 30, 365 days.

And one step leads to another and then another. Steps turn into yards, yards turn into miles, miles turn into sweat, sweat turns into better health and mental well-being.

Last night at midnight, the goose-egg returned. At 5AM this morning, I zapped it away with 4 slow miles. It is not the pace that matters. It is that I took the first steps of 2011.

Happy New Year!

May your year be filled with health in your heart, happiness in your soul and miles on the road.

Why do you run?

Read Full Post »

Review/Preview – 2010/2011

Posted in log, tagged 2010 review, 2011 preview, running on December 30, 2010| 8 Comments »

[tweetmeme source=”luau” only_single=false http://www.URL.com]

With my goal of 1500 miles for 2010 out of the way (I passed it last week) and the end of the year rapidly approaching, I want to take a look back on my running goals of 2010 and then look ahead to those of 2011.

Last Christmas, the wife was thoughtful enough to give me a leather-bound journal to use as a running log. One of the first things I wrote in it were goals for 2010. They included the following: 5K – 20:00 (check! 19:27), 10K – 40:00 (check! 39:29), Half-Marathon – 1:30:00 (nope! 1:33:47), Marathon – 3:20:00 (YES! 3:19:19), Total Miles – 1500 (check, I should finish the year at around 1550). I am happy to say that I was able to accomplish 4 out of 5 of my goals (just missing on my half-marathon goal). Not bad for my second year of running, right?

In the process of accomplishing much of what I set out to do, I ran 12 races – 2 5K’s, 2 10K’s, a 5-Miler, 2 Half-Marathons, a 20-Miler and 4 Marathons. Along the way I set 9 PR’s and was in striking distance of a 10th. I got to run Boston and then I qualified 6 months later to run it again. I was asked to join the RaceMenu/mix1 racing team, which I have been running for since April. I even had a few podium finishes (both overall and in age group).

It has been a fantastic year of running. When much of my world around me seemed to be going to hell in a handbasket, running kept me centered and grounded. For that I am grateful.

A few days after I passed 1500 miles for this year, I realized that with no chance of accomplishing a 1:30 Half-Marathon in the remaining days of 2010, maybe it was time to look ahead to 2011. So, I pulled out my running log and began to jot down some numbers.

5K – 18 minute handle
10K – 38 minute handle
Half-Marathon – still 1:30:00
Full-Marathon – 3:15:00
Mileage – 1800 miles

All respectable goals I think.

But I got to thinking, should my running goals continue to be solely number related? Yes, numbers are a big part of what we do. Their importance varies from runner to runner, but there is a reason why we wear stop watches, count miles and run races. Numbers have meaning to us. They show us whether we have made progress or not. Sometimes we use these numbers to see how we compare to others, but 99% of the time, we use these numbers to measure our current state against ourselves.

Still, something continued to tug at me, so I turned to the people I knew would have the answer – You! On Twitter I asked the question, “what are your running goals for 2011?” I thought that I was going to receive a flood of responses related to race times. What I was surprised to find is that for most, it had more to do with race location than race time (although a BQ was on many people’s lists). Another popular answer was to stay injury-free. Of the responses I received that had to do with numbers, the most common one was that people hoped to run more consistently from month to month.

So, based on your wisdom, I have revised my goals somewhat for 2011. I am still hoping to accomplish the times I have set for myself, but I want to run at least one race this year in a state I haven’t run yet (not hard to do considering I’ve only raced in Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and New York). I would like to remain relatively injury free for the next 12 months. I would like to run more consistently from month to month. 2010 saw me run a monthly low of 75 miles in May to a monthly high of 210 miles in March. My goal for 2011 is to run a consistent 150 miles per month, every month. Finally, I hope that I can run at least 12 races in 2011, ranging in distance from 5K to possibly taking on the mountains of Vermont in a 50-Miler. I already know where I’ll be come SuperBowl Sunday (the SuperSunday 5K/10K is a fabulous race located in the heart of Boston) and on Patriots’ Day (the Boston Marathon – this time I won’t be the very last starter of the second wave). Boston 13.1 in June (where Autism Speaks will be the sponsored charity) and the possibility of the Vermont 50 in September aside, the rest of my calendar is wide open.

Do you have running goals for 2011? Maybe it’s just to start running? Whatever they may be, I wish you the best of luck in the New Year!

Why do you run?

Read Full Post »

The Middle Way

Posted in training, Vibram Five Fingers, tagged buddha, moderation, running, the middle way on December 27, 2010| 9 Comments »

[tweetmeme source=”luau” only_single=false http://www.URL.com]

Everything in moderation. My father says that all the time.

In Buddhism, it is called the Middle Way, a mid-point between extremes, that by it’s very nature keeps one safe from the dangers of those extremes.

Some would say (the wife included) that over the past two years, I have taken my running to an extreme. Well, maybe as far as the general population is concerned, but within the running community, I don’t see myself as too far off the reservation. The only thing that I had been pretty extreme on is my choice of footwear. In June of 2009 I made the switch to the Vibram Five Fingers and I didn’t look back. I embraced it whole-heartedly and became somewhat of a Five Finger preacher, evangelizing the wonders of barefoot-style running.

3 Marathons, 3 Half-Marathons and several other races later, I still thought that they were awesome.

The problem with going to extremes however, is that you very often blind yourself to the benefits of the other extreme or to the possible issues within your own extreme.

Look at both the political climate in our country and the religious climate in the Western Hemisphere. People are entrenched in their own positions, refusing to even acknowledge that there might be something positive coming from the other side. Christians and Muslims continue to go at each other despite sharing some common beliefs, and Democrats and Republican continue to put their own interests ahead of the interests of the people who elected them.

And so it was with my conversion to the Five Finger religion. Now, don’t get me wrong, I am still a huge, HUGE fan of the Vibram Five Fingers. If you haven’t tried the new Bikilas or the Treks yet, I highly recommend them. They are both wonderful for running, and I still use them on a regular basis. BUT, I have come to a place now where I am willing to look a little more carefully at the finer details of my running. A little over a year and a half into the Vibrams, I’m still a moderate heel-striker. My form has improved, but I have not been able to completely transform myself into the mid-foot striker I would like to be. Don’t get me wrong. I am not complaining. In fact, I am very pleased with how my year of running has gone (more on that on Thursday), however, because my my form tends to break down in the latter half of my longer runs, I need to take the long view and protect my legs.

Over the past several months, I have come to appreciate the Larson School of Thought as it pertains to shoes. Larson (actually my buddy and fellow BQ Pete) believes in rotating one’s shoes. I think he does it in part because he loves running shoes, but the main reason is because each shoe is slightly different and therefore puts stress on slightly different parts of the body. When you rotate through 2 – 5 pairs of shoes, you reduce the risk of overuse injuries because the stress points that your body has to deal with are being moved ever so slightly.

I have found that since I introduced the Saucony Kinvaras into my rotation, my aches and pains have reduced dramatically. That’s not to say I don’t have aches and – running can be hard on the body – but I find that I am running harder and stronger yet recovering more quickly. I am convinced that much of that has to do with keeping my legs and feet guessing as to what they are going to be running in on any given day.

Extremes can be good. They open our eyes to new possibilities, but in the end, the path to longevity lies down the Middle Way.

Are you a multi-shoe runner? or do you stick to your favorite pair?

Why do you run?

Read Full Post »

Pace

Posted in training, tagged Long Slow Distance, LSD, pace, running on December 20, 2010| 5 Comments »

[tweetmeme source=”luau” only_single=false http://www.URL.com]

There are dozens, if not hundreds, of plans out there promising to help you train for a race. Whether it’s a 5K or a marathon or anything in between, there’s a plan. Before running my first marathon in November of 2009, I followed a plan that I had found on-line. If I am going to be honest, I didn’t follow it too well. Like most plans, it had a variety of runs that I was supposed to run at very specific paces. I ignored the pacing all together and simply ran at the speed my body wanted to that day. Most of the time that meant running 20 – 40 seconds slower than my expected marathon pace.

Yes, it’s true, I simply looked at the distance and ran. I would do the speed work at the recommended pace, but when it came to the Recovery Run, the Medium Long Run or the Long Slow Distance Run, I didn’t want to have anything to do with the recommended pace.

Run almost 2 minutes slower than my goal pace? No Frakking Way! What’s the use of that?

And then I promptly injured myself. And then I injured myself again.

Looking back, I’m convinced that the most probable culprit for my pre-Manchester Marathon injuries was probably pace. I also think that my lack of running LSD’s may have had an impact on my leg freeze at mile 20 of that same race. I didn’t fully understand the importance of the Long Slow Distance Run nor did I fully grasp the concept of balancing hard workouts with easy ones. In some ways, the easy workouts are just as important as the hard ones, and to a degree are much harder to master.

The slow run has a physiological benefit, however, I think that there is another benefit to having the discipline to run the Recovery, Medium-Long and Long Runs at the recommended paces. It’s the mental aspect of the marathon. When you are forced to run much slower than you are capable of, it’s easy to get bored, let the mind wander and lose focus. I know that even with short recovery runs, I sometimes have to fight to get to that 5th mile, in part because I feel like I should already have completed that distance. By learning to stay focused during the slower runs, you are more capable of keeping your head in the marathon during the latter parts of the race.

In training for the Smuttynose Marathon, I finally put my faith completely in the program. There were days when life got in the way, so I was unable to follow the schedule to a T, however, I made a huge effort to do what I was told, and that included running long runs at a pace that was much slower than I was comfortable.

The payoff? An 11 minute PR and a BQ.

A week into training for Boston 2011, I have to remind myself to slow down. Just yesterday I took my first longish run of the cycle – 12 miles. I should have run it at about an 8:15 – 8:20 pace based on the 3:15 I’m shooting for in April. Instead I let my legs take over and ran it in a 7:55 pace, with the last 6 miles at 7:30 pace.

Not exactly listening to my own advice. Hopefully next week I can be a little more disciplined.

So remember to take your time and enjoy your LSD’s.

Why do you run?

Read Full Post »

Age

Posted in health, motivation, tagged age, Birthday, running on December 16, 2010| 12 Comments »

[tweetmeme source=”luau” only_single=false http://www.URL.com]

Back in May I went running. I know, nothing unusual about that. I took my time running through town, proudly sporting my 2010 Boston Tech T, steadily making my way to one of the more popular running roads. As I turned left on to that road, I could see another runner coming from the opposite direction. He was younger, faster and wearing the same shirt. A quarter mile later he caught up to me.

“Nice shirt,” I said as he began to pass me.

“Yeah, you too,” he replied.

He fell in step with me and asked how I did.

“3:32,” I said, “not bad for a old guy.”

“Not bad at all,” he said genuinely.

“You?” I asked.

“2:25”

Cue record scratch sound. Cue my stutter step and double take.

“2-, 2:25? 2:25?”

“Yup.” He almost seemed uncomfortable with it and quickly changed the subject to my then spankin’ new Bikilas. We chatted for another quarter mile or so, but the whole time I was thinking “2:25?” I looked at this kid. He must have been somewhere between 18 – 25 (it’s getting harder to tell as I get older), running along gracefully with the stride of youth.

I started thinking, “wow, I’m old. I could be twice this kid’s age and he’s running a 2:25. Who am I with my 3:30?” Pangs of doubt led to the awareness of the pains of age. Every little pang I usually ignore in my legs suddenly became very noticeable. Suddenly I felt very much like a 40 year old, something I hadn’t felt since I started running.

I asked myself, “why am I doing this?”

***

5 months later I answered that question – Why am I doing this?

I’m doing it for this feeling:

Official Time - 3:19:19 - BQ

It was shortly after that run in with “2:25” that I reminded myself that yes, I was probably twice his age BUT I should be proud of that. The truth is, when I was that kid’s age, there was no way I would/could do what I am doing out there today. I was a physically old 20 year old. Today, I am a physically young 40 year old. Comparing myself to this kid was ridiculous, but comparing myself to my 20 year old self made a lot more sense.

Aging is inevitable. Regardless of how well we take care of ourselves, we will eventually have to yield to Father-Time. But how we get from 20 to 40 to 80 and beyond, and how long it is before we must ultimately throw in the towel, is, to a degree, in our own hands. I will be 41 next Wednesday. If I focused solely on the number I would end up down a rabbit hole of depression. In widening the lens, taking in the bigger picture, I realize that at 41 I will weigh less, run faster and be stronger than I was at 21. I may not recover as quickly from a night of partying like a rock star like I used to, but in the end, 41 is looking pretty damned good.

20-something year old Luau

40-year old Luau

Do you know what you want to look and feel like on your next birthday? or are you already there?

Why do you run?

Read Full Post »

Go!

Posted in boston marathon, training, tagged boston marathon, BQ, Newton Hills, Pfitz 18/55, running, training, training program on December 13, 2010| 9 Comments »

You’ve put in the work…now it’s time for your victory lap!

–My buddy Doug right before the Smuttynose Marathon

[tweetmeme source=”luau” only_single=false http://www.URL.com]

18 weeks until the Boston Marathon. My training starts today! Well, kind of anyway. Day 1 of my 18 week training program starts with a Rest/Cross-training Day. So, technically training starts today, but my first run isn’t until tomorrow. I am excited to start. The 5 weeks since New York have consisted of free form training, and to a degree I’ve been feeling a bit at sea. It will be nice to be able to look at the schedule and know what to expect for the coming week.

I will be following the Pfitz 18/55 program (for 18 weeks/maxing out at 55 miles per week) from his book, Advanced Marathoning. I used his 12/55 program in my BQ at Smuttynose, and I think that the 18 week program can advance my marathoning even further. I highly recommend his book. You don’t need to be an advanced marathoner to use it. I used it to great success and by no means am I an advanced marathoner. It is chock full of useful advice and has programs ranging for those willing to run a max of 55 mile/week (starts with 33 miles/week) to those crazy enough to run over 105 miles/week. I’m still trying to wrap my brain around that one. 105 Frakking Miles? Along with advice on marathon training, Pfitz also outlines some core exercises, strength training and a good stretching regimen. I plan on using them all as I train for my assault on the Newton Hills (my downfall last year).

Anyway, so here I am – the first day of my Boston Marathon training and I don’t get to run. I guess it’s a perfect time to start the core and strength training, right?

For those of you running Boston this year, when do you start your training? Have you already started? What program are you going with? And for those running other Spring marathons, what programs do you use? Or are you like my hero, the British Bulldog, Steve Spiers (he recently defended his Cayman Islands Marathon Title…Rock Star!), who just kind of makes it up as he goes?

People…or at least I…want to know!

Why do you run?

Read Full Post »

Pass the Mic

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged kool-aid, podcast, running, runrunlive on December 10, 2010| 7 Comments »

[tweetmeme source=”luau” only_single=false http://www.URL.com]

Here’s something new and different. Today you can find me —>HERE<— as a guest on Chris Russell’s latest podcast at RunRunLive. I’m at the beginning introducing the show and reading my Kool-Aid post. A totally new medium for me. When you’re done, come back and let me know how I did. I hope you enjoy it.

Why do you run?