It's been awhile, I know. I blame the stress at work that is making the rest of my hair fall out. Let's see, what's happened since November 16th.
MIT Biathlon (November 22):
The beginning of a tradition. Those two squash/swimming powerhouses, Canada and the US, represented by Alan Lee and Rob O'Brien respectively, squared off at the "Z-Center" at MIT on Sunday night. It was a split, with the US narrowingly winning the squash competition and Canada swimming circles around the US in the pool. Granted, I was going up against a champion swimmer, but the depth of my failure made me consider using some sort of motorized propulsion system for my next triathlon just to stay in the thick of things. More time in the pool can only help.
Donahue's Turkey Trot (November 26):
Sunday, November 22nd I came down with a mean cold. That had me waylaid until Wednesday. Coincidentally, that was the first day of my Thanksgiving vacation. What luck! It meant that I was going into the Turkey Trot on stale legs. But I'm getting ahead of myself. In 2008, the O'Brien/Howard/Schweizer/Bernstein family started a family tradition--running in the Donahue's 5K Turkey Trot in Watertown. This year, almost the entire family ran. Here are some notables: aunt Susan Howard won her age group, mother Karen Howard and father Chris O'Brien ran very well for their first races ever, brother Charlie O'Brien took several minutes off his time from a year ago. I, on the other hand, got slower. Fortunately (?) this year, I was wearing my new GPS watch which allowed me to see that I ran the first mile in a blistering 5:49 and the third mile at a crawling 6:24. Bad pacing.... I have already found many scapegoats: 1) the lingering cold; 2) my lack of training in the month of November; 3) a holiday spirit that made me smile and talk to my fellow runners and thank the volunteers instead of crushing the competition. Whatever it was, maybe I'll do better next year. Although, as a wise man once said, every year I get older and they stay the same age. (please submit your guesses as to the reference guesses in the comment section).
November 30th:
Miracle of all miracles, I got up to run on a weekday morning. I was obviously well-rested if I convinced myself to get out of bed. I was recovering from some "runner's knee" that I got during the Turkey Trot and this run definitely didn't help matters. The experience actually led me to believe that I should shut it down for the rest of the week. That happily coincided with a string of 4 weekday mornings during which I didn't want to get out of bed.
Rehab:
Following a discussion with my unofficial injury coach, Meggie S., I spent a good amount of time stretching and doing some leg strength exercises. Here's a link to a great blog post of hers about the benefits of stretching (and ways to do it).
Winter triathlon (December 6th):
Yesterday I decided to get back at it (after an indulgent weekend that pretty much necessitated it). Under clear and crisp (cold?) skies, I donned my tights, long-sleeve, vest, hat, gloves, shoes, and ridiculous watch and headed out for a run along the Charles. I actually decided to run backwards this time! Not actually backwards, mind you, just in the opposite direction from which I usually run. So I headed down Cambridge St., across the Longfellow Bridge, and west along the river to the Weeks Bridge. I crossed over and ran back to the Longfellow Bridge, down Charles St. and up Beacon St. My nifty watch told me this was 8.92 miles. For you runners out there, you can probably agree that running a course backwards is somewhat akin to running in completely new neighborhoods. It was a real breath of fresh air, almost as fresh as the cold air that I was actually breathing.
After some football watching and beer drinking, I headed to MIT to meet up with Mr. Canada for some more squash and swimming. The squash match was very streaky, with very little consistent play. The swimming was more consistent, in that I was consistently on the border between "swimming" and needing to be rescued. Hmm, that scene from the Sandlot comes to mind, maybe I'm on to something here. Actually, I thought I was swimming better than last time, I felt like I could swim for quite a while. That should come in handy when I need to swim 1.2 miles this August. Post-swim, Alan and I had burritos and hot peppers from Anna's. The hot pepper made me forget all about my aching legs and made me focus on my burning mouth. Maybe I should try some variation of this strategy during my next marathon....
Monday, December 7, 2009
Monday, November 16, 2009
Swimming Past Boredom
I'm staying at the Peninsula Hotel in Chicago (free slippers!), and I woke up this morning at 6 to jump in the pool to do some laps. The pool was beautiful and quiet as I "swam" back and forth, back and forth. Despite the near idyllic settings (picture here), I soon found myself growing quite bored. There was no music to listen to; no runners running, dogs playing, or geese pooping to observe; no one next to me to talk to (as I can riding side by side on the roads).
My mind was wandering and getting tired of it; I wanted more stimulation (and oxygen). I tried to focus on the bottom of the pool and observe exactly how far I was able to glide with each stroke, but without any focus points on the bottom, that was hard to determine. Some people say it is this very inability to focus on external objects that makes swimming so enjoyable--they are able to enter into a Zen-like state. As I sit here writing this, that sounds great; but I wasn't able to get there. Between my muscles burning and my gasping for air, there wasn't much room for a peaceful, meditative state.
I don't have this problem with boredom when I swim at Walden Pond. Perhaps because the distances are longer and I'm focused on making it to a particular point on the far shore. Perhaps because I'm swimming with other people and trying to keep up with them.
If I'm going to get serious about swimming, I'll be spending a lot more time in the pool this winter and I'm going to need something to keep me from watching the clock on the wall. Does anyone have any tips on how to make swimming laps more enjoyable?
My mind was wandering and getting tired of it; I wanted more stimulation (and oxygen). I tried to focus on the bottom of the pool and observe exactly how far I was able to glide with each stroke, but without any focus points on the bottom, that was hard to determine. Some people say it is this very inability to focus on external objects that makes swimming so enjoyable--they are able to enter into a Zen-like state. As I sit here writing this, that sounds great; but I wasn't able to get there. Between my muscles burning and my gasping for air, there wasn't much room for a peaceful, meditative state.
I don't have this problem with boredom when I swim at Walden Pond. Perhaps because the distances are longer and I'm focused on making it to a particular point on the far shore. Perhaps because I'm swimming with other people and trying to keep up with them.
If I'm going to get serious about swimming, I'll be spending a lot more time in the pool this winter and I'm going to need something to keep me from watching the clock on the wall. Does anyone have any tips on how to make swimming laps more enjoyable?
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Tights and Tight Buns
This morning marked the beginning of the running pant season for me. While it's definitely possible to run through a Boston winter in shorts, I think it's better for the leg muscles and joints to keep them warm (and supple) while you are asking them to perform. So I throw on a pair of pants or running tights if the weather is cold enough that I would end my run with pink legs. This morning was one of those mornings.
I either wear a pair of running/wind pants with poly-pro boxer briefs underneath, or I wear running tights (here are the ones I own). This morning was a tights morning. About half the running population along the Charles agreed with me that some sort of extended leg covering was appropriate. The other half stubbornly clung to their shorts. Of that half wearing pants, about half wore running tights (or were they leggings? A category of clothing I didn't even knew existed until two weeks ago), although most of those wearing tights were women.
Anyway, fearlessly onward to the point of this entry--please, for the love of God, do not wear things under your tights. They are meant to be worn sans underwear. 1. No, your underwear/panty lines do not look sexy; 2. putting cotton(?) underwear under performance wicking fabric defeats the purpose of that fancy fabric you paid extra for; and 3. you are asking for chaffing issues and no, I will not have any sympathy for you. Furthermore, if you wear them without underwear, you have to wash them after each use and that means the manufacturer gets to sell more! Obviously, that's how the manufacturer meant them to be used.
Finally, in case you need more convincing, imagine that you are running along the Charles on a bright, crisp morning. Do you want to run up on this or this? For the sake of humanity, make it the latter and leave the underwear at home.
The same goes for biking. I never want to see underwear under bike shorts/bibs. You just paid anywhere from $50 to $400 dollars for special shorts that elimate chaffing and give you some padding. Why would you ruin that?
I also need some tips. On very cold mornings, I get dangerously cold--well, I guess I'll just be adult about this--my penis is freezing! Any recommendations? For all the above reasons, I'm not about to add underwear under my tights, and it also happens with the boxer brief/wind pant combo. This has created some real problems on long runs in the winter and I'd be forever appreciative if someone could tell me how to solve this. Yeah for winter running!
I either wear a pair of running/wind pants with poly-pro boxer briefs underneath, or I wear running tights (here are the ones I own). This morning was a tights morning. About half the running population along the Charles agreed with me that some sort of extended leg covering was appropriate. The other half stubbornly clung to their shorts. Of that half wearing pants, about half wore running tights (or were they leggings? A category of clothing I didn't even knew existed until two weeks ago), although most of those wearing tights were women.
Anyway, fearlessly onward to the point of this entry--please, for the love of God, do not wear things under your tights. They are meant to be worn sans underwear. 1. No, your underwear/panty lines do not look sexy; 2. putting cotton(?) underwear under performance wicking fabric defeats the purpose of that fancy fabric you paid extra for; and 3. you are asking for chaffing issues and no, I will not have any sympathy for you. Furthermore, if you wear them without underwear, you have to wash them after each use and that means the manufacturer gets to sell more! Obviously, that's how the manufacturer meant them to be used.
Finally, in case you need more convincing, imagine that you are running along the Charles on a bright, crisp morning. Do you want to run up on this or this? For the sake of humanity, make it the latter and leave the underwear at home.
The same goes for biking. I never want to see underwear under bike shorts/bibs. You just paid anywhere from $50 to $400 dollars for special shorts that elimate chaffing and give you some padding. Why would you ruin that?
I also need some tips. On very cold mornings, I get dangerously cold--well, I guess I'll just be adult about this--my penis is freezing! Any recommendations? For all the above reasons, I'm not about to add underwear under my tights, and it also happens with the boxer brief/wind pant combo. This has created some real problems on long runs in the winter and I'd be forever appreciative if someone could tell me how to solve this. Yeah for winter running!
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Musical Inspiration
When I'm training alone I often listen to music for inspiration/to stave off boredom. More details below:
Swim: I'm not about to buy one of those expensive and cumbersome underwater headsets but some pools pump music through the water. Usually it's pretty mainstream music (which I'm fine with) and adds an interesting element to the swim. At the MIT pool last week the lifeguard was playing Michael Jackson. I think she was going to let me and Alan choose the music.
Bike: I don't ever listen to music on the bike because I think it's too dangerous. I used to listen when I could ride in Central Park (when it was closed to traffic) but here in Boston I'm always struggling to maintain my place on the asphalt and need to know when a car is about to run me into the ditch (a la the Italians in Breaking Away; sorry, couldn't find a link). I do however have some great music for spin classes and have the pleasure of having some instructors with similar tastes. I think techno has a place in spin class whereas it might not have a place on the road. If you are interested in sampling some Sweedish techno (isn't all techno European? Why is that?) check out Basshunter--they have some "inspirational" music videos. And by inspirational, I mean, they make you want to work out so you can look as good as everyone in the video. I don't think this is one of their better songs, but it's certainly one of the most unintentionally hilarious ones.
Run: Definitely, unless I'm talking to someone. Depending on the mood I'm in, I have different playlists. There's the angry, rock playlist (I'm really fast and pick races with people who may or may not know that I'm taking them down). There's the R&B playlist. There's the country playlist (generally more mellow, good for long runs and all my runs in Vermont). I listen to certain playlists too repetitively, then they are forever associated with a certain time in my life. For instance, I can listen to playlists from May and basically relive the events of that month during my run. It makes for some interesting introspection.
Any song recommendations you'd like to pass on to me?
Swim: I'm not about to buy one of those expensive and cumbersome underwater headsets but some pools pump music through the water. Usually it's pretty mainstream music (which I'm fine with) and adds an interesting element to the swim. At the MIT pool last week the lifeguard was playing Michael Jackson. I think she was going to let me and Alan choose the music.
Bike: I don't ever listen to music on the bike because I think it's too dangerous. I used to listen when I could ride in Central Park (when it was closed to traffic) but here in Boston I'm always struggling to maintain my place on the asphalt and need to know when a car is about to run me into the ditch (a la the Italians in Breaking Away; sorry, couldn't find a link). I do however have some great music for spin classes and have the pleasure of having some instructors with similar tastes. I think techno has a place in spin class whereas it might not have a place on the road. If you are interested in sampling some Sweedish techno (isn't all techno European? Why is that?) check out Basshunter--they have some "inspirational" music videos. And by inspirational, I mean, they make you want to work out so you can look as good as everyone in the video. I don't think this is one of their better songs, but it's certainly one of the most unintentionally hilarious ones.
Run: Definitely, unless I'm talking to someone. Depending on the mood I'm in, I have different playlists. There's the angry, rock playlist (I'm really fast and pick races with people who may or may not know that I'm taking them down). There's the R&B playlist. There's the country playlist (generally more mellow, good for long runs and all my runs in Vermont). I listen to certain playlists too repetitively, then they are forever associated with a certain time in my life. For instance, I can listen to playlists from May and basically relive the events of that month during my run. It makes for some interesting introspection.
Any song recommendations you'd like to pass on to me?
Monday, November 9, 2009
The End of An Era
Tomorrow morning marks the end of my self-imposed exercise hiatus. Although it's arguably warm and light enough to go biking outside, I've shifted my focus to the indoors for the season and I'll be headed to spin class at the crack of dawn. I just created a playlist for class in case I get to teach.
I've been reading a lot about how biking is therapeutic and recommended for a lot of injuries. Here's hoping that's the case with me and when I resume running on Wednesday, it's pain free. I have been less diligent about treating my injury this weekend than I would have liked. Speaking of treatment, Meggie made a good point about my last entry being misleading--stretching should never follow icing. Don't try that at home kids. Stretching should be undertaken when the muscles are warm and supple.
Having been largely sedentary this weekend, there's not much else to say here. However, I do have a great training tip. Do not attempt to go inverted on a stripper pole, you will end up on your head/back and will severely strain your left hamstring. Live and learn.
I've been reading a lot about how biking is therapeutic and recommended for a lot of injuries. Here's hoping that's the case with me and when I resume running on Wednesday, it's pain free. I have been less diligent about treating my injury this weekend than I would have liked. Speaking of treatment, Meggie made a good point about my last entry being misleading--stretching should never follow icing. Don't try that at home kids. Stretching should be undertaken when the muscles are warm and supple.
Having been largely sedentary this weekend, there's not much else to say here. However, I do have a great training tip. Do not attempt to go inverted on a stripper pole, you will end up on your head/back and will severely strain your left hamstring. Live and learn.
Friday, November 6, 2009
Payment in Lieu of Taxes
I am unable to run this morning because of a self-imposed rest period to ensure that my IT band returns to normal as soon as possible. For 5 long days I will not go running, although I will go for an easy bike ride on Saturday and go to spin on Tuesday. (Elsie and Mod 2B, I'm making stops at your places on Saturday).
I think it's ridiculous that some people either actually, or claim to make themselves look tough, hate skipping a day of training. Sure this weekend, when it's 50 and sunny on Saturday and 60 and sunny on Sunday, I'll wish that I could go running. But this morning? I'll take a pot of coffee and the excuse to stay in my apartment with no grumbling. This is not to deny that once you get your body used to regular exercise, you often do better sticking to that schedule; or that having to abstain for an extended period of time sucks. But come on, a couple of days here or there isn't so bad. And for all those people for whom it is a calamity, think of it as a much needed opportunity to reestablish some balance in your life.
As for the injury itself, apparently it's pretty common for runners. Since I try to avoid going to the doctor's, all I know about it comes from the internet, like this and this. As I sit here, I have an ice pack on my hip and just threw down 800 mg of ibuprofen. I will stretch afterwards. Experiences/tips are very welcome in the comments.
The pain arrives after about 4 miles of running and it located at the left-most point of my hip. I imagine the IT band is rubbing back and forth over this point and gets inflamed. Strangely, this pain didn't arrive until 4 days after the marathon. For the first couple of days I had sore muscles, etc. Then on Thursday, (two weeks ago) I started walking around with a limp. It's gotten better so it's only an issue when I run now, but it's dragged on long enough.
Between my superb ability to rationalize not getting up in the morning to work out, the end of the race season, and the crappy weather, I have no doubt that I'll get enough rest so I can really ramp up my training for Boston on time. At this point, I'm primarily worried about getting over this so I can continue to train for the Turkey Trot. This year the entire clan is running it, including some who just started running in the beginning of November. Being a competitive bastard, I know that I'm going to run however hard it takes to beat everyone else in the family, regardless of how much it ruins my hip. Therefore, my goal is to be recovered by Thanksgiving (and hopefully before then so I can resume running prior to the race).
This post has been brought to you by the Ice Manufacturing Association of America. Reminding you that injuries are the less talked about, but equally important, "fourth leg" of the triathlon world. Next time you're out, don't forget to grab a bag of ice to treat your injuries!
I think it's ridiculous that some people either actually, or claim to make themselves look tough, hate skipping a day of training. Sure this weekend, when it's 50 and sunny on Saturday and 60 and sunny on Sunday, I'll wish that I could go running. But this morning? I'll take a pot of coffee and the excuse to stay in my apartment with no grumbling. This is not to deny that once you get your body used to regular exercise, you often do better sticking to that schedule; or that having to abstain for an extended period of time sucks. But come on, a couple of days here or there isn't so bad. And for all those people for whom it is a calamity, think of it as a much needed opportunity to reestablish some balance in your life.
As for the injury itself, apparently it's pretty common for runners. Since I try to avoid going to the doctor's, all I know about it comes from the internet, like this and this. As I sit here, I have an ice pack on my hip and just threw down 800 mg of ibuprofen. I will stretch afterwards. Experiences/tips are very welcome in the comments.
The pain arrives after about 4 miles of running and it located at the left-most point of my hip. I imagine the IT band is rubbing back and forth over this point and gets inflamed. Strangely, this pain didn't arrive until 4 days after the marathon. For the first couple of days I had sore muscles, etc. Then on Thursday, (two weeks ago) I started walking around with a limp. It's gotten better so it's only an issue when I run now, but it's dragged on long enough.
Between my superb ability to rationalize not getting up in the morning to work out, the end of the race season, and the crappy weather, I have no doubt that I'll get enough rest so I can really ramp up my training for Boston on time. At this point, I'm primarily worried about getting over this so I can continue to train for the Turkey Trot. This year the entire clan is running it, including some who just started running in the beginning of November. Being a competitive bastard, I know that I'm going to run however hard it takes to beat everyone else in the family, regardless of how much it ruins my hip. Therefore, my goal is to be recovered by Thanksgiving (and hopefully before then so I can resume running prior to the race).
This post has been brought to you by the Ice Manufacturing Association of America. Reminding you that injuries are the less talked about, but equally important, "fourth leg" of the triathlon world. Next time you're out, don't forget to grab a bag of ice to treat your injuries!
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Kickoff
In order to train for my two big races of 2010--the Boston Marathon (April 19) and the Timberman Half-Ironman (August 22)--I'm going to be spending a good deal of time running, biking, and swimming.
Because I'm so interesting and my thoughts are so insightful (isn't that essentially what everyone with a blog is saying?), I'll be detailing my training runs, bike trips, and near-drowning experiences on this blog. I also include post-race recaps of the two "big" races as well as all the other ones I participate in.
Comments will be allowed and are encouraged, especially if you are making fun of me. I hope this blog will be like a non-pretentious version of Runner's World meets Triathlete Magazine with a Rob-esque flavor (that thought should provoke a wince/pucker/shudder). I'll be bringing you reviews of all the equipment that I buy to mask my physical limitations, as well as training tips--such as "don't go for long tempo runs when you are supposed to be resting an inflamed IT band."
Because I'm so interesting and my thoughts are so insightful (isn't that essentially what everyone with a blog is saying?), I'll be detailing my training runs, bike trips, and near-drowning experiences on this blog. I also include post-race recaps of the two "big" races as well as all the other ones I participate in.
Comments will be allowed and are encouraged, especially if you are making fun of me. I hope this blog will be like a non-pretentious version of Runner's World meets Triathlete Magazine with a Rob-esque flavor (that thought should provoke a wince/pucker/shudder). I'll be bringing you reviews of all the equipment that I buy to mask my physical limitations, as well as training tips--such as "don't go for long tempo runs when you are supposed to be resting an inflamed IT band."
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