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Posts Tagged ‘running’

Inertia

Posted in motivation, Odd Ball, training, Vibram Five Fingers, tagged Inertia, running, taper on May 10, 2010| 4 Comments »

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Definition –

Physics.
a.
the property of matter by which it retains its state of rest or its velocity along a straight line so long as it is not acted upon by an external force.

It’s been a week since Providence, 3 since Boston and 6 since the Eastern States 20. Despite, or rather because of the 3 races, I have essentially been in a state of constant tapering for about a month and a half.

I miss running.

Yes, I’ve run the races, enjoyed the crowds and had a lot of fun. But I miss the miles. I ran only 82 miles in April. I know that’s nearly 20 miles a week and for many people that’s a lot, BUT compare that to the 160 I ran in January and 210 I ran in March, and you can see how it might feel a little light. It’s all a matter of perspective, I know. So now that the big races are over, it’s time to ramp it up again, right?

Well, it should be, but there’s a problem. There’s this thing I’m fighting. A universal law that is very, very powerful. It’s called inertia, and I’ll tell you right now, it’s very hard to fight.

Now I know I just put up a post about downsizing, but that was more about the races I chose to run rather than the monthly miles.

I WANT to run. I do. But I’m finding it hard to make the time. That’s really all it takes. I just need to make the time, but right now, I’m finding it very hard to do so. Don’t get me wrong. The time is there. I could get up early, I could stay up late, I could stop sitting in front of the computer typing away on Run Luau Run and make the time. It’s just that I haven’t. It’s almost as if that taper that started at the end of March doesn’t want to stop. And unfortunately, the Taper has the universe on it’s side. Inertia is a real pain in the ass.

So this week I will fight the universal laws and I will drag my butt outside and just do it. The amazing thing about inertia is that it works both ways. That’s why tapering is so hard to begin with, right? So I’ve just got to build up a little momentum and inertia should take care of the rest. There’s gotta be a few other things in my life that I could apply this science to. Maybe I could finally start writing that book. Force myself to write for two weeks and inertia can take care of the rest.

It’s time to run. Here I go…right now…see me going?…what’s that? Celtics highlights are on Sportscenter? Maybe I’ll go afterward…

Full Disclosure So I actually wrote this post about an hour before I picked up my new Vibram Bikila’s. They should definitely help me motivate!

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Vibram Bikila – Product Review

Posted in Product Review, Vibram Five Fingers, tagged bikila, product review, review, running, VFF, Vibram, Vibram Bikila on May 8, 2010| 52 Comments »

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Yesterday I picked up a pair of the new Vibram Bikila. They weren’t supposed to be in the stores until this morning, but when I called to find out what time they thought they would be coming in, I was told they had just received a small shipment. They had received one pair in my size. I asked the salesperson to hold on to them and that I’d be there in 10 minutes.

I was there in 5.

The moment I slipped them onto my feet, I knew this was going to be my new favorite shoe. I have run in Vibram Sprints, KSO’s and Treks. All were great for running in, but these Bikilas fit nice and snug. They feel fast. I jogged lightly from one end of the store to the other, “testing” them out. I really didn’t need to…I just wanted to show them off. Now that they were on my feet, I didn’t care if someone else with my foot size showed up. I mentioned to the salesperson that I was happy that I had called because I knew had I waited until this morning, I would have been told that they had just sold the one pair they had in my size. These shoes are selling like hotcakes. On Thursday, CitySports put about 150 pair up online. They were gone in 20 minutes.

I brought them home and showed them to my family. They were unimpressed, and quite honestly, I guess I could understand. I never was into the Air Jordan craze. I never understood the hysteria. Now I do. I’ve been itching for a pair of Bikila since I first heard about them. The fact that I could play with but not purchase them at the Boston Marathon Expo killed me.

Anyway, after dinner I went for my first run in them.

Over the course of my 3 mile run, I took them over a variety of terrain, including road, sidewalk, grass and brush. The Bikila performed perfectly in all conditions. The only place I might hesitate taking them is on truly off road terrain, but quite honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised it they handled that decently as well. During my run I was able to feel the ground beneath as well as I could in my Sprints, but still get some traction like I do in my Treks. One of the reasons why I had switched to Treks in my long runs had been the fact that after 5 – 6 miles in my Sprints I would often feel the bottoms of my feet heating up a bit. That doesn’t happen in my Treks (at least not in runs 26.2 miles or shorter) and based on the feel of the Bikila, I don’t anticipate that happening with them either.

As I mentioned earlier, these Vibrams feel fast when you put them on. These truly feel like a second skin to me, unlike my previous Vibrams that in comparison, feel like loose fitting gloves. The tread on the Bikila is like a cross between the KSO’s/Sprints and the Treks. Thick enough to feel like you’ve got some traction and protection, but light enough to feel the road completely. As I went out for my run, I told myself to go slow. My legs are still recovering from my 2 Marathons in 2 Weeks Adventure and I had originally planned on waiting until Monday to start running again. Of course, with the Bikila in hand, I wasn’t about to NOT run. So I went out with the intention of running a slow 3 miler.

These shoes don’t want to go slowly. Your feet just want to go in them and mine did. After starting off with an 8+ minute mile, I covered the last 2 miles in 15 minutes, without any realization that I was running that fast. Had you asked me to guess my pacing, I would have told you I ran 8 minute miles the whole way. For those of you who are not runners, but have made it this far in my review, a 30 second difference per mile is NOT insignificant. It is huge.

When I arrived home, I didn’t do my usual routine of ripping off my shoes immediately after the run. I had to leave them on. HAD to. That’s because not only do they feel fast, and not only do they have the perfect balance of tread on the soles, they are comfortable. I mean cozy! The feet feel great in them. If I wasn’t moderately self-conscious, I would wear then 24/7 – from dropping off the kids at school, to going to the grocery store, taking the kids to their various activities – I would wear them everywhere – and then I’d run in them. Unfortunately, I am a little shy when it comes to wearing them for anything but running, but that’s a Luau problem, not a Bikila problem.

I feel bad for my other Vibrams. I haven’t worn the Sprints since last fall, and the KSO have only been pulled out a couple times over the last few month. I thought I had found my perfect Vibram in my Treks. They are a great running shoe, especially during the cold winter months up here in the Northeast, but they too are about to be relegated to being a back-up player. The Bikila’s have taken the best from each of the previous models and improved upon them. These shoes were obviously made with the runner in me in mind. The Bikila are truly the runner’s Vibram Five Finger shoe. I am sure you will feel the same.

My new favorite running shoe – The Vibram Bikila!

I need YOUR contributions to a project that I’m working on. Interested?

All you need to do is send me a paragraph or two telling me why you run and/ or why you think others should run. E-mail it to me at “runluaurun at gmail dot com” (written out so the bots don’t start sending me spam).

If you can, please include a picture of your favorite running shoes and tell me what kind of shoes they are. Also, please let me know how you would like to be referenced (real name, nickname, pseudonym, etc) just in case this project actually ever sees the light of day.

The more responses I get, the sooner I can put it all together, so please don’t be shy about forwarding this to your running friends and spreading the word.

Thanks!

Luau

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Downsizing

Posted in training, Uncategorized, tagged 5K, downsizing, running, summer on May 6, 2010| 8 Comments »

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So March was a monster mileage month for me (210 miles) and April was a huge racing month for me (okay, technically the ES20 was at the end of March and Providence was the beginning of May, but over the course of about 5 week I raced 2 marathons and a 20-miler). My legs are feeling it.

I’m a little tired.

It’s time to downsize. I have a half-marathon scheduled at the end of the month, and then nothing on the calender until October, when I plan to make another run at qualifying for Boston.

That said, I am hooked on this racing thing.

Love it.

Love!

It!

But I can’t keep doing half’s and full’s every month – my legs at some point will protest or simply fall off.

So I’m thinking that along with training toward an October marathon, this is going to be the summer of the 5K. I haven’t run a 5K race yet. Ever. I have no idea what to expect from them, but I do know that they are the most commonly run road race out there. That being the case, you may see a, um, ahem, run of 5K race reports over the summer.

The 5K though is a little scary to me.

Scary?

Well, yeah.

My biggest fear of the 5K is the distance.

The Distance?

Yup, the distance. I am a relatively slow starter. Whether it’s age or simply just how I’m built, in the races I have run, it usually takes me a two or three miles to get into a groove. The problem with that, of course, is if it takes me 3 miles to get in a groove in a 5K, I’ll only have 0.1 miles left in the race.

I know I can cover the distance. After running several marathons and half’s, the race may be over before it even feels like it’s started. The question is can I kick it into 5th gear from the very start?

Part of the reason I’m trying my hand at 5K’s this summer is the same reason why, in the end, I did 2 marathons in 2 weeks – to see if I can do it.

Very often, that’s what these races, whether they be 5K’s or marathons, are all about. Very few of us have any hopes of winning a race outright. But that is not why we run. We are not running against our competitors. No, we are running against ourselves – to see what we are indeed capable of.

I’m looking forward to finding out.

***In the meantime, if any of you have suggestions for 5K’s that you really enjoyed in the Boston or New York City areas, please let me know.

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Am I Really Doing This?

Posted in motivation, Odd Ball, tagged Charity, marathon, Providence, running on April 27, 2010| 18 Comments »

Stay with me...this will make sense when you get to the bottom.

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I mean, seriously? 2 marathons in 2 weeks? Really?!?

A lot of my friends, particularly the experienced marathoners, and of those, specifically the crazy ones (Brooke, Erica you know I mean that in the nicest way), are calling me crazy. They’re looking at me and shaking their heads, thinking that this is not a good idea.

I didn’t originally set out to run 2 marathons in 2 weeks.

That would be insane, right?

Right.

But that’s how things played out. I had signed up for and spent the bulk of the winter training for the Providence Marathon, which takes place this coming Sunday. I was going to run it in hopes of qualifying for Boston 2011. But then the Running Gods shined upon me a few weeks ago and presented an opportunity to run Boston THIS year.

What was I going to say, no?

Exactly.

So there you are, 2 marathons in 2 weeks. Really, it’s not my fault.

Now leading up to Boston I was convinced I was going to run a 3:20 and then be able to approach Providence as a fun run of sorts – maybe even pace some friends who are also running. Things didn’t work out quite as planned, so now there is a part of me that wonders if maybe, just maybe, I should be taking another shot at 3:20. I know, probably not so smart.

So what’s my approach going to be? I’m not really sure. Last fall, I followed up my meltdown at Manchester by scorching a huge Half-Marathon PR (7 minutes) just two weeks later. The thing is, this is not a half-marathon we’re talking about this Sunday. My thought is to start slow and easy and do a self-diagnostic every three miles or so. If I feel good, maybe speed up a little. If I don’t, well, no pressure, I ran a marathon less than 2 weeks ago, right?

As for wondering whether I’ve lost my sanity simply for running a second marathon so close to the first, I can’t help but think of Sam of Operation Jack, who is running 60 marathons this year to help raise autism awareness and Martin of Marathon Quest 250, who is running a ridiculous 250 marathons this year in an effort to raise $250,000 for Right To Play. (Right To Play is an international, humanitarian organization that uses sport and play programs to improve health, develop life skills, and foster peace for children and communities in some of the most disadvantaged areas of the world.)

One of them is running just over a marathon a week. The other is running nearly 5 a week. 2 in 2 weeks sounds a lot less crazy now, don’t you think? Of course, they are doing it because they are passionate about their causes. I, on the other hand, am running them because of dumb luck. Well, how about I give a little purpose to this? If you are so inclined or moved by the giving spirit, please donate $22 (for 2 in 2 weeks) to your favorite charity. If you don’t have one, feel free to donate to one of my favorites: Autism Speaks or Susan G. Komen for the Cure. Click on either of their names to be taken directly to their donation pages.

Whether it’s one of my charities or Martin’s or Sam’s charities or one of your own, if you let me know by Saturday evening, let’s say 8PM EST, to whom you donated to and in whose name, I’ll write your name, the name of the charity and the person you are honoring either on my arm or my leg for the marathon.

Maybe this makes me a little less crazy – or just crazy with a purpose. Either way, the answer is yes. Yes, I really am doing this.

I hope to have your name written on my arm or leg on Sunday.

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Hope

Posted in boston marathon, motivation, tagged boston marathon, hope, running on April 16, 2010| 7 Comments »

With 3 days to go, I am filled with all kinds of hope.

I hope that I get to meet a lot of the friends I’ve made through dailymile and Twitter tomorrow at the get together that has been planned post bib pick up.

I hope that they like me.

I hope that I like them.

I hope they’ll let me take pictures.

I hope that I am able to make it to Monday without injuring myself in some ridiculous fashion.

I hope that I am able to fulfill my dream of a BQ.

I hope that BQ or not, I finish.

I hope I don’t miss my family as I run by.

I hope my buddy Mike forgives me for not being his pacer from the Newton Hills to the finish.

I hope I remember to yell, “On On” right before Heartbreak Hill.

I hope that Hill won’t break my heart, body or spirit.

I hope that all of my friends who are running, regardless of whether I’ve met them or not, finish and finish strong.

I hope that my running will inspire someone else to start running, whether it be for the first time or not.

I hope the running revolution is here to stay.

3 days to go and I am full of hope.

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Faith

Posted in boston marathon, motivation, tagged Boston, faith, marathon, running on April 15, 2010| 9 Comments »

It is the flip side of doubt.

Faith comes in many forms.

Faith can be used for good.

Faith can be used for evil.

Faith scares me.

Faith inspires me.

I am by no means a religious man. I believe in a higher power, but the blind faith S/He inspires sometimes frightens me.

***

But that is not the Faith I speak of here.

No. The faith I speak of is the Faith in ME.

The Faith in my Training.

The Faith in my Desire.

The Faith in my Focus.

The Faith in my Body.

In 4 days, I will be putting my Faith into these 4 things to carry me through to the end.

It is not a blind faith.

I know what I have done over the past 3 1/2 months and I am sure of what I am capable.

4 days ’til Boston.

See you at the finish line.

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Believe

Posted in boston marathon, tagged believe, Billy Mills, boston marathon, positive thinking, running on April 14, 2010| 6 Comments »

Believe in yourself! Have faith in your abilities! Without a humble but reasonable confidence in your own powers you cannot be successful or happy.
-Norman Vincent Peale

5 days to Boston.

I believe.

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“Act As If…”

Posted in boston marathon, motivation, tagged Act as if, boston marathon, running, Running Times, training on April 13, 2010| 9 Comments »

Last week I picked up the latest issue of Running Times. There was a short article entitled Being in the Moment by Tamara Rice Lave that really struck a chord with me. The main gist of it was that as runners we should “shut down your brain and just believe”.

The part that really grabbed my attention however was the mention of the Harvard Women’s basketball team and their coach, Kathy Delaney-Smith. Several years ago she coached her team to one of the greatest upsets in college basketball history with the “Act as if…” philosophy (they are the only 16th seeded team in NCAA history ever to beat a #1 seed in the Big Dance).

The idea is to “act as if you already are what you want to become”. Once you sell yourself on the concept, you are that much closer to achieving it.

Now, one of the first things I thought of was, taken to extremes, this could be one of the most idiotic philosophies ever. We’ve seen those people who act as if they are the funniest person in the room when in fact, they’re about as funny as a bowl of white rice; or the guy who acts as if he’s the smartest person in the office, when in fact he speaks plenty but says little at meetings.

I don’t think the “Act as if…” philosophy works for them.

But I DO believe that if you are aware of who and what you are, and have a grasp on what your talent level really is, you can make this philosophy work to your advantage.

It is the little things that Coach Delaney-Smith insists on her players believing in/acting as if that I think have a huge impact on these athletes when they are in the thick of a hotly contested game.

Act as if you’re not tired.

Act as if you’re confident.

Act as if you’re not hurt.

By acting as if these things are true, you can begin to make them happen. And once you learn to instinctively apply it to the little things, you can then apply it to the big race/the long run/interval training. Obviously you (unless your name is Ryan or Mebs, in which case I’m honored you’re reading this) can’t tell yourself or act as if you are going to win the Boston Marathon, but knowing what you know you can do and then acting as if you can go a little faster, harder and longer is well within the realm of possibility.

And you can apply this philosophy to other parts of your life as well. When and where you apply it is totally up to you.

All I know is that in 6 days, I am going to shut down my brain and just believe. I plan on acting as if I’m going to run a 3:20 marathon or better…and that’s exactly what I’m gonna do!

The rest of the article is excellent by the way. I highly recommend clicking over and reading it.

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Doubt

Posted in boston marathon, motivation, tagged Boston, doubt, marathon, motivation, running on April 9, 2010| 18 Comments »

10 days.

10 days ’til Boston – and doubt has started to creep in.

I have to remind myself that I have finished a marathon. It wasn’t pretty, but I did. The thing is, it’s not the finishing that has become the constant occupier of my thoughts. It is the how. I have no doubt that I can finish. I have no doubt that I can finish in under 4 hours. At this point, especially after my performance at the Eastern States 20, I have no doubt I can finish in 3:45.

But from that point, things get a little hazy. 3:30 is about where I think I know I can come in, but I want to prove to the running gods that I deserve this gift they’ve bestowed upon me. Part of me feel like if I don’t run at least a 3:20, then I will be offending them…disappointing them.

I keep wondering what will happen at 16. I know that Heartbreak Hill isn’t for another 5 miles, but that famed hill is not a mystery to me. I’ve run it many times. It will be hard – yes, harder than any time I’ve run it before – but I will know what to expect and for how long I will be running it. It’s 16, where I seem to hit these “soft walls” that has me worried.

It doesn’t help that my buddy Pete seemed to have an issue with 16 in his first few marathons before he finally broke through with a great run at Disney this year. What is it with 16? It was the beginning of the end at Manchester and it shook my confidence briefly at Eastern States.

Doubt. It’s an evil thing.

But it can also be a motivator. It can be what keeps you mentally prepared and ready for that “moment”. In every race, half marathon or longer, I’ve had a moment where my race could have gone one of two ways – when doubt about my ability to not only finish but finish strong grabbed me by the throat and tried to end my race. In one race, it almost broke me. In the other three I dug deep, faced doubt down and broke through with a smile on my face. Doubt can destroy you, but it can also drive you.

The key so far for me has been to use it as a motivator and then draw on the strength of those around me. At the Boston Run to Remember, I drew on the energy from the crowd. At the Chilly Half and at Eastern States, it was from my fellow runners. I have been told by my good friend Rick, a veteran of 22 Boston Marathons and a mentor of sorts, that the crowd at Boston will pull you through. I plan on using them as much as I can. According to Rick, you can hear the cheers at Wellesley College nearly two miles before you reach the college. He says you can feel the fans on the Newton Hills willing you on. He says as you come into Boston, the roar of the crowd can carry you home.

These are the tools that I will use to push doubt out of my mind while I run hard through the second half of Boston.

In the meantime, I will use my doubts as motivators to train smart, eat right, sleep well and take care of my legs.

10 days.

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Taper

Posted in boston marathon, rest, training, tagged boston marathon, running, taper on April 5, 2010| 6 Comments »

I kind of make it up as I go

– @britishbulldog (winner of the ’09 Cayman Marathon) on how he approaches his marathon training

And so it begins…the part of the training cycle many of us dread – the Taper.

Two weeks before race day and we’re supposed to drop our mileage by 20 – 40%. Since I haven’t been following a particular training program – encouraged to make it up as I go – see above – I’m not exactly sure what to do for the next 2 weeks.

My training program has essentially been “run a lot” – and I have. With 250 miles in five weeks, a little over 600 in the 16 weeks leading up to this point, I know that I need to lighten the mileage, but I also know that I need to keep using the engine to stay sharp. Maybe the plan should just be “run less”.

What to do, what to do.

Last Friday I went out for what was supposed to be an easy four miler. I came back with a non-race PR of 26:30, a hopping 6:38 pace. The weather, the rest day before, my first run of April all combined to tempt me into flying. It was a fantastic run, but I know that it wasn’t the smartest thing to do. You start running at top speed and you raise the risk for injury. I don’t want to do that right before my race.

The running gods smiled on me a couple of weeks ago. I need to respect that and be smart in these next two weeks leading up to Boston. The problem for me is, I’m not sure what that means. Right up to Eastern States I was piling on the weekly mileage, and my legs felt pretty fresh. Do I continue that approach this week? Put in 40 – 50 like I want to? or would taking it easy these two weeks make my legs feel even fresher? I just don’t know. Unfortunately, experience lies on the other side of this race.

Why do we hate the taper so much? Is it habit? Addiction? Shouldn’t our bodies welcome the reduced pounding that is marathon training? Whatever the reason, I know, KNOW, that these next two weeks are going to be the most difficult part of the training for me.

And of course, if I fail in my attempt to qualify for Boston at Boston, how do I approach the next 13 days before Providence? It’s going to be an interesting month. With 2 marathons in less than 2 weeks, I don’t anticipate April’s mileage approaching March’s. Is there such a thing as a month-long taper?