Big tree fall down hard

Posted on August 7, 2015 by besaroboy

First off there was no fifth run in a row yesterday. Spend a day (which became a rest day) drinking hard cherry cider and eating pizza, not a bad way to go at all! I also ended my no-cannabis rule too, so streaks ending all around which is fine as they were going to eventually one way or the other. One of the things that prevented me from running before my indulgence in cider and pizza was that I have been wanting to go to the track and run some straights and curves. I haven’t done this in a long while but I got it stuck into my head that I wanted to. Now I don’t think a fifth day in a row of running when one isn’t used to such streaks is a good idea at all. I wanted to be a bit more rested and ready to do the interval training. All in all, yes it is just an excuse for not running yesterday, but a valid one. I’ll take it and took it.

So that brings me to today. Is it now the sixth day in a row? No, excuse destroyed. Did I not fuel up yesterday? No, tons of pizza and cider carbs, excuse left by the curb. Was it too hot out? Uhhh, yeah actually it was as I procrastinated long enough for the heat to set in. Yes, an excuse! But not one I relied on. So out the door I went, heading north through Creston Park across Powell on my way to the recently refurbished Cleveland High School track. One of the things that make track running extra tough for me is that it is two miles away, so any track run automatically has four miles included. I guess I could drive or even bike but driving is something I don’t really do and seems lame for a run and biking is well biking for four miles which has its positives from a cross-training approach (though the distance isn’t really far enough to feel much benefit). But if I had taken either method of transport I’d be feeling much better right now, not just from the soreness of an interval run, but because I was that big tree and I fell hard.

About a block away from the track I was cruising along listening to talk radio speak on the great duh-bate. I must have been distracted as I hit a sidewalk crack (which I am usually on the lookout for due to the many we have in Portland in trade for our shade) and I went down hard. Usually I am able to roll through such stumbles, but this time I went down fast and hard and my inclination to tuck and roll caused me to land with a crack right on my elbow..The only thing to do is roll right back up and continue to run and with blood trailing down my arm I did just that. Initially my hip was pretty sore, I guess I balanced out the elbow abuse with some hip abuse. But it wasn’t too bad (yet!) and I kept on running to the track where I got in six laps of straights and curves (sprint the straight portions and recover on the curves).

I didn’t go super all out on the straights and instead pushed myself solidly but not to an extreme. At one point my watch registered 197 HR, but I think that was a anomaly (189 was my previous high chasing Fig and a pit bull while running) and I feel like I may have approached 180 or so. I was a little discouraged that I wasn’t able to get down to 144 (my goal for the resting curves) and instead was starting my sprint portions around 150-52. I will look for that to improve as my overall fitness increases. I initially set out to only do a mile at the track, but I ended up adding two more laps to that before I headed back. I set no speed records on the two miles back, but the last .6 lap came in under 10 min mile pace, so that was pretty good.

As I sit writing having rehydrated and showered the soreness is really setting in. My right hip is killing me. My cool down hip stretches were really rough but I finished them all. I think it is mostly just bruising on the hip and my elbow will take some good scabbing to return to normal, but it should be fine. Hopefully the pain I am feeling in my hip will recede (I know it will eventually…) after taking a couple of Ibuprofen and maybe dome targeted cannabis (indica strain for pain) later tonight. Oddly I feel really fuzzy headed, almost as if I hit my head, but I know I didn’t. I think it is just teh exhaustion of the hard run coupled with the heat and some tension in my neck after the fall.

I just read an article on a supplement called Cogniq that Steven Hawkings is taking to increase cognition. I am really curious. I would normally be a huge skeptic, but Hawkings makes me less so. The places it is for sale on the Internet make it look as if it is one of those gluten-free jellyfish pills but I am curious. Skeptical but curious.

I keep running, if not blogging

Posted on August 4, 2015 by besaroboy

It has been awhile since I last blogged here. The last post I said something about it being hot. Well its still hot, so it can’t have been that long ago. Today when I ran this morning it was actually really nice out. I got a good sweat on, but I didn’t manage to wreck myself. Sunday, however, was a different story in terms of wreckage. I added an extra mile to my normal (these days 5+ miles) route and felt terrible afterwards. I also didn’t really have enough to eat to support any kind of run, so i am sure that had a lot to do with it. Ok, I also did some yardwork before and after I ran. Oh yeah, and I didn’t sleep well that night. And… Ok that’s enough. The run sucked and that was that. But I made the best on it on Monday and went out again and even pushed away the initial thought of doing a short run to accommodate the previous day’s exhaustion. I am really glad I hit the streets and left that crappy run in the dust where it belonged. I even managed a sub 10 min mile pace (which didn’t happen on Sunday!)

Today was the third run in a row and it felt really good. No signs of the pains of Sunday and I even brushed up against my goal pace of 9:30 (9:31, dang it! Five seconds off!) I was in a really good mood too after have several positive transit experiences (unusual due to my usual curmudgeony running bias!) I had done 30 minutes of qi gong before I ran and then several times I have done that before running I have noticed an improved running experience, both mood-wise and physically speaking. And to top it off I am actually blogging about it!

One interesting/different thing that is going on with me right now is that I have taken a break from medical cannabis. Partly to keep a clearer head while by wife recovers form a minor surgery she just had, but also it has been something I have been thinking about doing. It has been a week now which may not seem like a lot of time, but for someone who had gotten used to enjoying his meds every night it makes a difference. Positives I have noticed: waking up is a bit easier (though not as much as I would have thought), I go to bed earlier (though the cannabis seemed to help me sleep better), I wake up earlier (see go to bed earlier), I read more as opposed to watching tv. Negatives I have noticed: foot pain, cramping and discomforting sensations appear to have increased, bad TV seems really bad, slight rise in general irritation with people (very slight, people often already irritate me!). Overall it has been pretty easy to deal with not having the habit, and I enjoy not having to look forward to medicating (oh, let’s call a spade a spade: getting high. I really hate the concept that it is just “medicating”). Oh another positive raises it head, I can be justified in my disdain for potheads (a big reason I do it by myself and don’t really like socializing)! The lessening foot sensations issue has been a major benefit for me with cannabis and I think it is going to win out, the benefits are too high (ummm, pun intended?) I’ll finish out the week with a clear head (and lungs) and then decide if I want to continue. I am leaning to no.

Running in the heat – new normal?

Posted on June 30, 2015 by besaroboy

Portland is experiencing a really hot dry spring/summer. Stuff is blooming in the yard that usually doesn’t happen until the end of summer, the lawn has a golden August glow already. I have been getting my runs in when I can get up early enough to avoid the worst of the heat and I have experienced a modicum of success! yesterday I weighed myself before and after, turned out I was losing a pound of water every mile. I guess it is time to break out the water belt! I have been reluctant as it is falling apart and while it still works ok and I am able to clip it it will soon need to be replaced. IIRC the darn thing was super snug last year (in the only position I can get the belt to stay in), considering that I am not smaller this summer, I am skeptical I can use it in non-muffin top comport.

I am really worried that this heat and dryness we have been dealing with this year is the new normal for us. Have our weather patterns really shifted? Some think so, so think it’s an anomaly. I tend to lie in the latter camp though I think the effects of our existence on earth is a huge contributor if not the absolute cause.

Today’s run was the longest I have done in a couple weeks and the first time I have come in under 10 min miles. I wasn’t pushing it at all (occasionally I would pick up the pace a bit) and I really focussed on not giving into the desire to walk. I kept telling myself that mini-goal marks were just around the corner. I crushed it. But I also sweated a ton which felt really good. But I am rehearsing tonight and a bit concerned that I will be pooped. I have been pushing my rule abut not running on music days because I am finding it a convenient excuse for not running. I have to find a compromise. Actually I have been working on discovering what that is through running shorter distances (4-5 miles as opposed to 8+). I have had mixed results, but some positives have been encouraging.

On the injury front I have little to report, mostly just soreness in the legs, but nothing else glaring; yet, anyway…

Third week of getting on it

Posted on July 15, 2013 by besaroboy

After nearly running 30 miles a couple of weeks ago I had a week of less frequent running and only covered 17 miles. Still it felt pretty good and I am feeling pretty strong right now. So this week started and I decided I would try to get a good solid start. My base run that I set out to do this morning turned into an 8+ miler and at a decent pace as well 10:15 miles. It was pretty hot this morning but I weaved back and forth to maximise my shade and I brought water with me.

I have been adding on more of a cool down workout after finishing during these last three weeks. In addition to the stretches and pushups I normally do I have consistently added the hip stretching exercises as well as a pull ups (which are more of hang downs. I have been holding five sets of palm facing out for five seconds and five with my palms facing the other direction.) I seem to be seeing some improvements in my hips and haven’t had nearly the soreness that I was experiencing and the hang downs are coming ever so closer to actually being pull ups (one day!)

One day last week I pushed my pace and averaged a 9:30 over five miles. The pace felt good and I finished the run and my post run workout without issue. But despite having water with me, I seemed to get really dehydrated. I kept peeing so I was pretty sure I was solidly hydrated, but soon I felt dizzy and sick to my stomach. I focussed on getting fluids into me and flet quite a bit better, however the cocktail I had was not a good choice! Still I managed to recover after awhile and soon felt normal.

So far my return to my normal shoes (over the zero-drops) has seemed to be a success. I miss the larger toe box but my hips feel a lot better (of course much of that could be the hip exercises I have been doing). I haven’t been covering a ton of miles so that may have something to do with how good my feet feel as of late, but I think the normal shoes and the way my lift works in my right leg is the main reason for the improvements.

Three in a row, twice in a row

Posted on July 3, 2013 by besaroboy

Today, same days as last week, I ran my third run in a row. Now if I can just leave out the four rest days in a row this week I will be in pretty good shape. Though looking at my schedule it is looking more and more like I will have some rest days coming up. This is the second run in a row I have done when I had music to perform later in the day (though today is a rehearsal and yesterday was a relaxed show). I didn’t have any problems with fatigue yesterday at all which I was a bit concerned about as it was so dang hot (then we played outside too! But it was a nice evening ans we were out of the sun). I am really glad to see that I can play and run at the same time on occasion though I don’t think I will make a habit of it and I am not running tomorrow before our big show for the fourth (then again it is supposed to be like 15 degs cooler tomorrow so maybe I will tempt fate!).

The run itself went pretty well. I am still running slowly but that is ok for now. I just need to be getting out on a somewhat regular basis. It was pretty cool this morning and I didn’t even bring water with me. This quickly felt like a mistake, but not a really bad one. I hit up a couple of water fountains on the route and that seemed to be enough. I was really happy to make it to the fountains though! Coming out of reed campus and heading up the hill to Woodstock was a bit rough but I only thought about walking.

Hot run

Posted on July 1, 2013 by besaroboy

In my recent return to running I have found myself stalled by the heat and the bad habit I have developed as a musician of staying up late and sleeping in. This has caused me to miss the cool temps of the early hours. Today I got up at 6 or so and thought about running, then thought about needing to take my rebif, then immediately went back to bed. Dang it another day of sleeping into the warm hours! Oh but not this time! While I did sleep for a couple hours I decided to go anyway. Fortified with a cup of coffee and half a clif bar I filled up my water bottle and headed out.

As I snaked through the neighborhood heading for shaded areas I realized it wasn’t too hot out after all. That realization lasted about a mile. then I started feeling hot. But I kept sipping water (and even eventually refilled at a water fountain) and kept going. I felt really good (other than feeling hot) and the problem areas that I have been experiencing (hips and hamstrings) all felt really good. I didn’t have any pain in my hips which I was bummed to see return after my month away from running. But today I felt great and even decided to push my miles a bit back to the 10k base distance I had been doing. My back has been bothering me for the past couple of days for some reason but it actually seemed to improve on the run. Not sure if the run managed to loosen up the tightness or what.

So my plan for the next couple of days is to try to repeat this run, though maybe not the full distance as I have music all week to perform (three shows! and two rehearsals!) My hope is to run tomorrow and the following day, I think I can do it (as long as I get up a reasonable hour.)

Even my feet felt pretty good on this run. I have been running in standard running shoes since getting back into it. I am thinking about trying to make a full foot lift (rather than just the heal) to use with my zero drops in hopes of evening out how my hips are situated. We’ll see.

Four runs in a row

Posted on May 8, 2013 by besaroboy

Once again I managed to get in four runs in four days, my benchmark for getting back into running on a regular basis. I feel pretty good and even considered tagging on some extra mileage today. But I thought better of it seeing as it was the fourth in a row and more importantly I have a rehearsal tonight that I need to give my best effort (well when don’t I?) My right glute is giving me a little grief, it seems as if the adjustments to my hips that my acupuncturist was able to do have faded somewhat. For several days after she aligned my hips I was feeling really good after running and I didn’t have any soreness in my butt or hips. Now the soreness is back, whether it is due to the increased running (which is what I suspect) or if the hips have gotten back out of alignment I am not totally sure.

My speeds have not been very fast but that is just fine. I am getting the calorie burn in which will alleviate my paranoia about weight gain. Seems like in the past I needed 2-3 weeks of regular running before I felt thin again. Ah, the phycology of exercise! We’ll see how it goes this time around. My ankles have been feeling fine but I have had some soreness in my knees which is sort of a new thing and something I certainly want to keep an eye on. I haven’t had any issues with my knees in the past and I’ll be really concerned if they become a problem for me. Arnica gel at night seems to help out quite a bit so that is a good thing (I hope I am not masking a larger issue…)

The heat we have been experiencing has been really interesting. I have never been much of a warm weather runner, but I have been really liking it as of late. The extra sweat and exertion has been a welcome thing and I haven’t had much trouble dealign with it. I have been bringing water with me (except for today as it was cool and cloudy when I got out for my early run. I suppose now that I feel like I am enjoying the heat it means that the weather will turn cold for the foreseeable future! I hope not, at least right now I say that. Talk to me in July!

Long hill run to the volcano

Posted on August 12, 2012 by besaroboy

Once again I find myself struggling to break out of a string of rest days, but once again I did it. Another week off but two runs in the last two days with today’s being a quality LSD/hill run up Mt. Tabor. Couple of things were weird on today’s run. As I silently cursed my neighbor for parking on the right of way (we have no sidewalks in my neighborhood) and causing me to run into the street (no traffic, but their could have been, jerks!) my water bottle fell out of my recently loosened running belt. The stupid spout broke and a piece popped out, so when I stuck in back in I kept squirting water onto my back (not totally objectionable…) so I emptied out my worthless bottle and stuck it back in. I would like to blame my inconsiderate law breaking neighbors for making me vere into the street causing the bottle to break, but reality says it was probably that I loosened it (much more comfortable). I thought at the time either that or its karma for my general irritation with my neighbors.

The second thing that happened occurred after I asked a dog whose owner had him off leash if the dog had in fact “lost his leash.” Not 10 seconds later a woman with another dog off leash appeared. I moved to the side of the trail to avoid her my irritation at “off leash dogs beginning to boil. Suddenly I was air borne having tripped over this large rock and landing solidly on my hip and elbow. Again, karma? She did ask if I was ok (and I was). We chatted a bit and I headed off dusty and bloodied. I really do think I was being told to relax and get in a better mood. It was a beautiful day, I had new good music on my iPhone (Black Joe Lewis and the Honeybears), hot but shady, what more should I ask for? So I decided to change my tude.

Other than the karma altert the run today was pretty hard. I took a few walks, but ended pretty strongly. I think more water would have helped quite a bit, the water fountains I found while numerous were still inadequate. I did ok with what I had (probably 5-6 water breaks) but still not enough. Can’t say it more, must drink water.

Tomorrow is supposed to get into the 90s, but I still really want to get a short recovery run in. I am pretty sure I will be going to bed early. Ruthann and I had a great meal at Dove Vivi and I think I have replenished ALL my calories. Good sleep is on the way.

Coming back from a cold

Posted on July 14, 2012 by besaroboy

Cold, flu, whatever it was is still in my lungs a bit, but I am coughing less. I have been meaning to write after taking a week off. I have run through illnesses before but this one was particularly nasty. So my first run back went pretty well, that was four days ago. 10K slow, I felt pretty good through the run. It was hard and I had to push myself along at times. But I made it through it and even ran again the following day. This run was tough and I walked a couple of times, but I got through 5 miles +. I followed this up with a couple days off mostly to perform better (actually played really poorly, kept forgetting my notes…)

Which brings me to today. I started out with some overcast but that quickly burned off and got warm. I didn’t bring water and that was a mistake. But I was going by water fountains on the run and I did ok, still should have had it with me. My pace was fast right from the start. I stayed conscious of my pace trough most of the run and pushed myself several times. For the last mile or so I knew I would make it averaging under 10 min miles. I finished my 10k distance just over 60 minutes and ended with a 9:46 pace, I was happy with that. I felt pretty beat and a shower flet great but I recovered throughout the day pretty well.

My feet have been bugging me a bit lately and today was no exception. Yesterday I had to play a show standing on audio cables which felt really uncomfortable on the bottoms of my feet. Today on the run I was feeling it. Weird feet!

6 miles under 10

Posted on June 29, 2012 by besaroboy

After my faster than usual run yesterday I decided to try to run under 10 minute miles again. I took a couple of breaks but managed to run 9:52 for six miles. Not bad! I tried a couple of things from past readings about increasing your speed. The best one by far has to do with tilting your entire body forward (not bending at the waist). You feel as if you are falling forwards, but it is that momentum that pulls you along and builds up your speed. So I focussed on doing that today for several stretches.

I ran early but it was still warm, so I brought water and took sips throughout my run. I think this balance of hydration really helped keep me going. Something to more of in the near future.

I did notice my feet were getting pretty sore as I was finishing, but I was able to push through it. The last half mile was tough to keep the pace going but I did it. Good small breakthrough.

run with ms

Category Archives: heat