Running into a Real Mother ________.

I had a solid 4.5 run last night in Central Park - just completed a solid 6 miler @ 80% this morning - I will hit September healthy and ready to get serious about training again - I have not been since my last race because I've not had a goal in mind to train for (despite the NYC Marathon being 2 months away). But let me tell you about a woman who did something rather unbelievable - I've never heard of before. Last night I was watching the World Championships (Track & Field) in Osaka, Japan - and I saw the unbelievable in the Women's 400meter hurdles. Sprinting is tough enough, imagine sprinting and having to jump over 10 obstacles in the process? Well that photo on the right is the event of which I speak and the Australian Jana Rawlinson is in the lead - went on to win and become the

World Champion. The real story here? The field of runners in the finals included 3 mothers. I've never seen something like this in a sprinting event at this level, the World Champion Finals @ 400m (CLICK TO SEE THE RACE ON YOUTUBE). It's nothing short of astonishing to have 3 mothers in this eveny ya'll. Yes, Jana the winner is a Mom, and the other Moms in the event were Tiffany Williams of the USA and Briton Tasha Danvers-Smith. After the event Jana said, “Apart from my marriage, and winning a second title, having a baby is one of the highlights of my life,” Rawlinson said. “Winning is all the sweeter for having a wonderful husband, and a lovely boy back home to share it with". That woman on the left is Jana, last night after winning the event - just look at her - Jana had a baby (boy) 8 months ago! , no kidding. Have a baby & become a Champion inside of a year? This is what I'm trying to do for crissakes and I've got the easy job on the baby front! When I took this feat in, in context, the enormity of it all - I just concluded "what's my f #@%ing excuse? "for anything?" Jana is proof positive that you can do amazing things - once you have a clearly defined goal and determination. You can have your cake and eat it too! Hope you have a splendid day!

Running into the Goddess of Speed

Another one day Wednesday, an 8pm 5 miler @ 75% or so - quite a few people in the Central Park last night, it was a warm Summer's night - got up early and was in Central Park this morning at 5:30am - no shortage of runners in the darkness of morning - I did a "Reservoir Lap" on gravel surface - as I saw a full moon still easily visible @ 6:00 am. As I was at the final stages of my morning 7 mile run heading up the steepest hill in Central Park - I was nearing the top and happened to glance sideways - caught the figure of a runner approaching from behind at a rather fast speed uphill - it was just a flash in the corner of my eye but I could see this runner was Black and pretty damn fast. My first thought? It is too early to be racing - I am not going to race this 'brotha no matter who he is -no Big D Contest - but I did stride to get to the top / peak first (hee hee) - and coasted down as this runner zipped by me - this was no 'brotha - far from it - this was a Sistah! When she passed me I thought, "Oh my God - look at that body - that stride - this was a very serious runner - not just any runner - a Superstar runner. I also remember seeing this specific woman a month earlier at the NYC Half Marathon - that's her on the right post-race - you don't get a bib # like #488 without being a speed demon ya'll. I saw her in warm ups - and again at mile 7 - before she pulled away from me in the race and gave me a thorough ass kicking. There was no way I was not going to meet this woman this morning - just look at that body on the left - that's her in the Half - she is the real thing - a real Sprinter for sure - Olympic caliber - and she was just as gorgeous this morning.....so I upped my pace - caught her and said, "you ripped that hill pretty well", I then told her I saw her in the NYC Half Marathon - she was very nice - we talked running - she too came out too fast in that race, the NYC Half Marathon she said - yet she managed a 1:28 time that day. She told me her name was "Nickel-ola". "Nickel-ola" I thought?....hummm...maybe I should tell her my name is "Shiney Penny", or FiddyCent...no, that one's taken right? Okay, stop acting silly Lance - one last corny coin joke, as they say in the ghetto, Nickel-ola is a "dime" (translation for the white people, that's a "10"). For clarity - her name is "Nikelola" or "Nike + Lola", literally, seriously ya'll. For those unaware, "Nike" is the Greek Goddess of Speed & Victory. "Lola" rings of the famed "Lola" racing cars. Nikelola did not tell me any of this, I am just a nerd and happen to know it. Lola is also the diminutive for "Lolita" and I don't even want to go there as I can twist that to NC-17 in a nanosecond. Suffice it to say her name alone? "SPEED". Oh, Nikelola has lived up to it too! She's a former NCAA track star at Tulane University, this woman has clocked 400 meters under 54 seconds. That's her on the right too - yup - your basic model in print, TV, etc. To all the men out there - why do I live in New York City?...- you can wake up and go for a jog and literally run into a superstar runner-brainy-beautiful model - ha ha ha, that's why. She's too young for me but guys - I would advise you to run Central Park at the 6:00 am hour and find a way to bump into Nikelola some way, some how. She like me is a Californian too! She was out for a 13 mile run this morning ya'll - read that to mean guys - you better eat your Wheaties!

And now for the wholesome segment of Harlem 26.2 - let me put some shine on that woman on the left, author Wendelin Van Draanen. Van Draanen, a well-known pre-teen author with 20 books in print, she is best known for writing “Flipped,” “Runaway” and the “Shredderman” series of books. In the ‘Shredderman’ series, the character grows one month at a time and through the series the character makes it through middle school learning lessons and through the character the students can have an adventure and take away wisdom about facing the same situations. Van Draanen is a marathon runner and is promoting a “Running for Reading Marathon” campaign where students run or walk a mile a day for 26 days and read 26 minutes a day for 26 days. The marathon begins Oct. 1 and ends Nov. 4, the day of the New York City Marathon in which both Van Draanen and her husband, Mark Parsons, plan to run. Van Draanen said one-third of our country’s children are overweight and two-thirds did not pass recent fitness tests. Studies show as childhood fitness levels go up, so do academic scores and expulsion rates go down.“The program addresses both schools’ wellness and literacy goals,” Van Draanan said. So her program is called “Running and Reading Marathon” , check it out! I wish we could get our urban centers in this country to follow suit, this sounds like a really great thing for kids. Have a fantastic Day!

Running into Katrina

Yesterday sucked running-wise...just too busy all day with real life, did not get a chance to run until 9pm or so and kept it to 4.5 miles. It was me, the bats & raccoons in Central Park. Yes, there are bats flying in Central Park at night and the raccoons truly take over the Harlem Hills. Sometimes I startle them with my presence in late night runs, they get pretty big too. I'm actually kind of scared of the bats, they're just too damn creepy and I keep thinking one's going to dive into my neck, fangs flaring, bite me and my life is instantly F @%#'ed! as I'm now a Vampire. I'm busy now and won't get a morning run in, crap! - but I will run tonight and reflect on my good fortune & blessings - and so should you - 5 years ago my Mother got tired of the Bay Area (California) "rat race" (traffic, congestion, stress & pressure, the Manhattanization of the Bay Area you might say). My Mother opted out, sold her house, retired early to her childhood home on coastal Mississippi, a small town called Waveland, 75 miles East of New Orleans. Sidebar: Most people who see my Mother think my Mother is White. Usually Black folks can instantly recognize the fairest skinned Black person as Black, but not my Mom - thin lipped, straight hair, blue eyes, etc. She bought a little house right off the white sand beach in a predominately White community (she grew up in 1940's in the adjacent "Black town", Bay St. Louis, MS. So before I go down there the first time I say to my Mom, "Do they know you're Black.....Mom?" (neighbors) LOL. Then I said to Mom, "I'm going to be running when I'm down there so I'm going to fax the local Sheriff & Police and let them know a Black man will be running on the streets and I am not down for any Rodney King, Emmitt Till, or Mississippi Burning BS!". My first time down there? Waveland was serene, tranquil, gorgeous I was blown away with how lovely Coastal Mississippi was. I ran along the only beach front road in extreme heat & humidity - but it was great, saw other runners who showed me down there when you need some water to hydrate, you just walk up to someone's front yard, anyone's house - and these were grand homes with sprawling yards, etc. you then politely remove their garden hose and turn on the nozzle, drink some water, turn it off and position it back in its place - it's all good, no kidding that's just how it is down there. Every single person down there, the cops, the old White retired folks speak to you greeting you with a "good morning" no matter who you are. I was running down there with no shirt on, just some strange Black man running in this lovely beach town and old White ladies power walking would wave and say hello from across the street - just for the sake of being neighborly and kind. Wow, I told my Mom these White folks are nicer to me than the Black folks in Harlem - how in the hell did that happen ? LOL. I was ready to go down there with my whole Al Sharpton attitude and those White people killed me with kindness. This little town Waveland actually held a Marathon there every Thanksgiving too, looks like the Gulf Coast Running Club is back at it with an active schedule. Anyway 2 years ago today my Mother safely evacuated to Atlanta on a Sunday night as Hurricane Katrina rolled in those very early Monday morning hours, it's eye direct on target for Waveland, MS - and this photo is basically pretty much the same of what was left of my Mother's home & everything she owned. If you want to feel connected to today's anniversary - if you read this blog - you are connected to Katrina. My Mom spends half her time in California ( Bay Area) and half in Mississippi and yup she has a FEMA trailer down there - she volunteers, her spirits are bright and is having fun determining the design of the new home she will eventually build. My Mom's done an amazing job coping with the enormity of it all, she's going to be fine and I am very proud of her. Ya never know what might happen to you in life - that's why it's important to make the most of each day, appreciate your surroundings, smell the roses, cherish bright moments, and just live like you mean it. I'll be running in Waveland again real soon. Have a great day!

Car-Free Central Park Update - The Cyclist Must Be Harnessed!

Okay - in response to Chris who commented on yesterday's topic - Chris is right, StreetsBlog is a terrific site, the leading authority on all things transportation - commute - movement in NYC. That's a photo was yesterday's feature - a bunch of cyclist in victory over the new car-free hours in Brooklyn's Prospect Park. However I'm not buying there would be a deterioration of Park maintenance, etc. with a car-free Central Park. The Park has become too much of a revenue generator, the tourist industry & adjacent real estate values are tied up in the preservation & appeal of the Park. Last week a cyclist moving at about 25 mph did come within about 2 inches of my leg as I ran in the jogging lane at about 7:10 pm - the Park was closed to cars. The problem in a nutshell? The Cyclist assume 2 car lanes when the Park is closed to cars, they assume a sense of entitlement to that space & the liberty to move at unrestricted or governed speeds. I'm all for cyclist training for the Tour De France - however it makes no sense to entitle and or for cyclist to assume 80% of the available paved surface surrounding the park as their exclusive race track or velodrome. All the wide open space induces their recklessness ya'll. We have competing interest (a fringe group of Lance Armstong Wannabees vs. parents with strollers, walkers, joggers, runners, rollerbladers, ) why should this demographic defer use to cyclist? I say let the cyclist continue to race their vehicles at unrestricted speeds dangerously around the many blind turns between 4 am and 6am, and 8pm - midnight. This way they are sure to hit a raccoon at he North end of the park and do a major face plant, crash & simultaneously earn the wrath of animal activist! Other hours they can use 1 car lane - that's it, expand the other road space to the demographic that's now forced to 30" inches or so width of space and now deprived. I don't feel you should be banned from Central Park. These cyclist are operating vehicles at higher rates of speed than the cars & motorcycles are legally allowed to move through park and in proximity to pedestrians, etc. How this problem will be solved? There on the left is crazy sexy cool Angelina Jolie with one of her kids on the Carousel in Central Park last Sunday. Can you imagine if Angelina Jolie & her baby(s) were accidentally hit by an out of control cyclist as they crossed the Central Park Drive? We'd see wall-to-wall CNN, Entertainment Tonight, Extra, etc. news coverage, investigative reports on these crazed cyclist and moratorium on cycling in Central Park. This is America and the way things get done is something has gotta happen to a celebrity before anyone takes note or cares. Anyway - be safe runners, most cyclist are actually okay - it's just a whopping 25% of them as the Gothamist Poll suggest that are the problem. This is particularly the case at the North end of Central Park, the Harlem section where the hills enable even the total neophyte cyclist to attain tremendous speeds as the hug blind turns. I've only been hit once, but I have had hundreds of near misses! Enjoy the day!

Running in a Car-Free Central Park

Was too busy to get a morning run in on Monday - did clock 7pm miles, half of that was on at the Central Park Reservoir. It was very nice to alter my running surface from road to gravel - the views were spectacular - nice to not have to run with an awareness of cars too, speaking of which I am sure the Prospect Park Track Club, Brooklyn Road Runners, are quite pleased with the efforts of Transportation Alternatives, and all that advocated for a car-free Prospect Park. They did not quite get it done all the way but a significant gain was made. In Brooklyn's Prospect Park (which as of yesterday) cars will no longer be allowed on the east loop drive between 5-7 pm. The only times in which Prospect Park will be open to cars are weekdays from 7-9 am on the east drive and 5-7 pm on the west drive. This was all based on how Brooklyn has less park space per resident than any other borough and thus prioritizes the hundreds of thousands of Brooklynites in need of recreation over the small number of motorists who use the recreational loop drive as a shortcut. Transportation Alternatives are the people you may see from time to time pushing for a car-free Central Park, you should check out their site - You can even sign their petition on the site & my feelings are congruent with theirs on way Central park should be "car-free" - take a look at all their campaigns and the simple & concise case for making Central Park car-free, just like it was in that 1895 photo above of cyclist in Central Park. But there are few cyclist that I would not mind seeing booted out the park as well - ya know a year ago the NYPD decided to crack down for a weekend and ticket cyclist for running red lights within Central Park, $200 a fine! I was once told by a cop there is an official speed limit & law on the books for cyclist in Central Park, it's 15mph! I did not know it but apparently this is a little war taking place in Central Park. It seems the cyclist hate the dog owners who let their dogs off-leash even more than they hate runners. Ya know cyclist can be very anal ya'll - they often feel their right to the road with no limit on speed whatsoever trumps runners, walkers, dogs, horse carraiges, strollers, basically everybody in Central Park, even the poor squirrels have to keep their eyes peeled for fear of getting ran over! If you're not familiar with The Gothamist, it's a pretty cool blog site - all encompassing pop culture NYC Blog that last month held a poll and asked, Who are the most annoying creatures on the roads of Central Park?

1,530 votes, the results?

Bicyclists 25% (382 votes)

Runners 2% (37 votes)

Rollerbladers 13% (202 votes)

Power walking groups 5% (82 votes)

Tourists 32% (488 votes)

People with strollers 12% (178 votes)

Hey this is great, we took last place! As I tell everyone, runners are the best people! Have a great day!

Running Safe!

I Clocked 5.5 miles on Sunday @ 80%, actually did not engage in a second run. Sometime this week I think I'm going to get a physical exam including the whole HIV/STD test. First of all there is something out there called the National AIDS Marathon Training Program, looks like a great thing, wonder why there is no chapter in NYC? People with HIV & AIDS are running marathons just fine - that's a good thing. Anyway a good starting point of info & services/ resources of all things HIV/AIDS is here. There's also an organization called BlackAids.org. White folks may not know the numbers but it’s down right scary out there in Black America where we make up approximately 13% of the population yet account for 50% of the new HIV/AIDS diagnoses in the US. 1 out of every 4 Black men in Manhattan aged 40 – 49 is HIV Positive and HIV/AIDS is the leading cause of death of Black women between the ages of 25 and 44. That right there sums it up and is why being single in NYC can suck – you can literally get killed out here dating and there is nothing cool or sexy about that reality. But it would be irresponsible to not deal with it in real life - married or not. My first HIV test was just last year and it was like “Welcome to the real world Lance”, I could not believe how before you’re tested you have to provide the name, address & telephone number(s), emergency contact info, etc of parents, siblings, etc - I imagine what happens is people learn they are positive and then the concern is their emotional psychological well being – coping – adjustment period and getting family involved in that process...but it's strange because it's as if the grim reaper is potentially looming - which I imagine can be the case. Then in a room you're counseled & questioned - it's pretty raw too. A lady I just met looked me in the eyes and said, “Have you exchanged saliva with a man in the last 2 years”? “Have you engaged in oral sex with a man in the last 2 years”? “Have you engaged in anal sex with a man in the last 2 years”? “Have you used needles, etc?” There are just some questions you never really have prepared for and it’s a trip when a stranger bluntly asks you the most private of questions. She kept probing in my sexual life, types of sex acts, number of partners, etc. and I frequently tried to expedite the whole process and said, “Can we just take the test?” She explained how she has to go through this list of questions and I patiently endured - to a point - and after some more pretty invasive questions I said, “Yes I'm 43, never married, a little light & curly, green eyes the whole bit - I know - but I’m as square as they come – no tattoos, never pierced an ear, I’ve not been doing the Horizontal Mambo with the guys at the gym, I’ve not been smoking crack, I'm not on the "down low", can we just take the test?” The whole process can be so over the top – you start actually believing you might be positive! I got both the blood and gums test – and it came back negative – but what blows your mind is you find yourself relieved to have favorable results, even though you know damn well you’ve not engaged in any high risk activity. It’s like they do a whole mind trip on you that there is "suspense". But ya know what – I actually understand it all and why? The stats, they are unbelievable! Men lie (yah, no shit right?) and it's these men that are giving HIV to women - and thus I have to wonder about the women I meet in concern that they've been lied to in this context....and ya know what, women lie too....and on reflection, I understand the line of inquiry at my HIV test as I actually did engage in high risk activity – just having heterosexual sex is a high risk activity in 2007 ya’ll. I learned this some years ago. I was getting to know a woman, did all the “take it slow” things, discussed our lives and aspirations and sexual selves. In a City where people are having sex on the 1^st & 2^nd dates, we did not get intimate until date 5 or so – and even then almost did not. Early in the dating she said she wanted to have a child, etc. and then later – just about when things were to become intimate she started crying with me and explained to me that she could not have a child because she had a hysterectomy years prior in her early 30’s. I swallowed this news and told her I was open to adoption, etc. however my preference would be to try and have a child of my own first before exploring that option – and as such, it might not be fair to her for us to become intimate as I’m going to date and look to partner with a woman to have a child with. This woman told me she understood and that was fine with her – yet she still wanted to develop and intimate relationship with me, etc. Long story short I’m at her place – it goes down – a long night of sex – unprotected sex. The next morning the sun is rising – we’re in the glow – all is great in the world right? I say to her – “Wow – this is great – we can be completely honest with each other – enjoy each other – have great sex and be open and honest – no risk of unintended pregnancy, no risk of diseases,”. Suddenly right in the bed she’s next to me and starts crying – she then tells me how she has not been completely honest – says, I should know, and proceeds to tell me she has Herpes. When she said this I just looked up at the ceiling stunned, in disbelief, and silent for about 10 minutes – and then she goes into a whole line of explanation on how it’s manageable, etc. – tells me she’s not in a “break out” and does not think she’s given it to me, etc. I’m stunned ya’ll – still looking at the ceiling – feeling entirely betrayed on so many levels. After not saying a word for 15 minutes and simply in a state of self shock I said, “You directly lied to me”. (She’s crying – apologized profusely) and I said, “You directly lied to me 3 times – you told me in 3 separate conversations over dinner that you did not have any STDs, etc.” More crying – and then she explains how she lied because she feared rejection with disclosure & truth. I was still stunned in looking at this woman - a woman of some fame – at one point she was at the very top of her field & considered one of the most beautiful Black woman by the Black mags like Ebony & Jet, etc. Yet despite being heralded - in her career & a great life - unable to be honest about herself - pathetic, that's all I thought. I then said to her, “you denied me my right to make an informed choice? And you took my health into your hands”? She was just crying. I got up, slowly put my clothes on and left – this woman called me that night to try and make a dinner date with me the next day – she called me the next day to try and make a date for later in the week – I never saw the woman again. What did I learn? No matter how well educated, accomplished and distinguished a person is in their life – they can still be so profoundly wounded, insecure with poor self-esteem - and driven to lie. This woman’s need to feel and be loved outweighed any personal sense of moral conscience and dignity in character. She did not give me an STD - although I am aware living with an STD is quite manageable - not the point in this matter - I saw first hand, up close and personal how and why these Stats are as they are. I don't want to bring anyone down here - just sharing an encounter & being real - have a great day!

To Run Like Kara: 32:02 @ 10K

Saturday was quite humid - got a late start and pushed 6 miles at about 1pm with the Heat Index @ about 100. Never recovered well for the 2nd run of the day - went out at about 7:30pm and could only manage about 3 miles before succumbing to the humidity plus I was dehydrated. I stopped in the middle of Central park. I'm about 6 .lbs overweight but I feel okay & on track for this Nov Marathon. Speaking of "track", wow, I saw a little history last night- that runner on the right is Queens, NY born U.S. distance runner Kara Goucher who on the track at the World Championships in Japan won a bronze medal in the women's 10,000-meter race. It was a performance of considerable historical weight -- just the fifth medal by a U.S. woman in a distance running event, and the first in 15 years in the 10K. There she is below happy as can be with her victory - as well she should be. Her coach is the famed Alberto Salazar - who you may recall 2 months ago nearly died from a massive heart attack. In speaking about that incident Salazar said, "For me, what happened two months ago was not a low...it really was a high. It reinforced for me that this'' -- here, [Salazar waved his arm at the empty track, bathed in bright, artificial light] -- "is all great. And I love this game. But it really is a small part of life. It's all just a trivial pursuit, a little thing. The more you can be relaxed about it, the better you can be. Realize how lucky you are and just enjoy it. It's just racing.'' Kara Goucher says, "My life has changed since Alberto's accident, for both Adam (her husband & also a professional runner coached by Salazar) and me. We've taken a different perspective on life and what's really important and even though we've been training really hard, it's just running.'' Women have run long distances in major global championships only since the marathon was introduced at the 1983 world championships. In that period, until Saturday night, U.S. women had won just four medals.....so what happened last night is really spectacular - and some random training info on Kara? Well up until '07 she was clocking 60 miles/week, this year she up'ed it to 75 miles/week & peaked at 90 miles/week. She has said, "I try not to get caught up on the mileage - hearing that so and so is running 90 or 100. I just want to try to continue the consistency for me and build on that a little bit. I guess I'm kind of different than most people because I just want to stay healthy". I saw her interviewed after the race - she used a sports psychologist to convince herself she was a "10K runner" (as opposed to a 1500m, 3000m, or 5K specialist). She said she tends to doubt herself a lot in the middle of races - but mentally refocuses and "go's for it". She said, "We've been training so hard in the heat," Goucher said. "With the pace so slow, I was thinking to myself that this is good for me. With two laps to go, I was thinking that fifth or sixth would be good, but then I thought about running in thesauna suit, and the 90-mile weeks, and the aqua jogging, and I said to myself, 'sprint.' Right On Kara! Wanna see day in, day out every day life for a husband & wife professional team? Check out this youtube video of Kara & Adam Goucher. It would be great to run like Kara - and I am getting there - taking it easy, not over-doing it - focusing on staying healthy & relaxed - and enjoying it. I hope you too are enjoying it, make it a great day - I'm going to push about 6.5 miles in Central Park.

Newton Running Shoe: $175....WTF?

I took it easy last night - did a 1 mile slow balls/toe strike training run. This is where I might try to mimic a gazelle or the like, prancing on the toes with long extended strides - after 1 mile was sweating up a storm. I took it easy because I knew in the morning I wanted to clock a solid 10 miler @ 80% which I plan to do after finishing this blog entry. Let me talk about another obscure shoe that I did not mention yesterday - the most expensive (non electronic technology infused) running shoe out there - the Newton Running shoe. Just so we're clear, the New Balance 2000 has an MSRP of $200 but you can buy it for less than $150 and it's made in the U.S.A. ( high production cost). The New Running shoe? It's $175, not a penny less and they make the shoe in China. These fluorescent shoes sport a raised, springy ridge toward the front that causes the shoe to bounce when it strikes the ground. The bounce can be explained by Sir Isaac Newton’s third law of motion — for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction — and it’s the inspiration for the company name Newton Running shoes. Here's there story by them: “Newton Active Membrane Technology allows you to land on your forefoot safely. Few shoes can come close to Newton’s impact rating in the forefoot. When your forefoot impacts first your foot has less of an opportunity to pronate or supinate as it would if you were heel striking, minimizing injuries. After the forefoot makes impact and the actuators are driven fully into their corresponding chambers (the action), then levering and propulsion come into play. As you push off and drive forward the lugs are released (the reaction) providing energy return that in comparison to traditional foam shoes feels alive and fast.”

Later on their website they go on to say, "This has not been an easy task to bring the Newton Running program to market. It has taken over 10 years to invent, design, test and now manufacture Newton Active Membrane Technology into lightweight performance running shoes. Our shoes have been granted seven U.S. Patents, with other U.S. and Foreign Patents Pending".

The problem with all this? Why are you telling me, "This has not been an easy task to tbring the Newton Running Program to market". Am I supposed to empathize with you? Wash your feet? Kiss your toes? Nominate you for the Noble Prize? Oh 'Brother, that line is straight out of the Rob Popeil "Veg-O-Matic" - Spray On Hair School of informercials. A $175 shoe should have its technology explained in detail with comparisons (charts & graphs) and or credible evaluations by biomechanic labs, dept.'s at Universities, etc. If you read this blog you saw last week the sock company that compared & tested their product across the competitors in its space? It is not difficult to demonstrate the physics of energy return (forefoot bounce) in a material and or shoe. For example, Spira Footwear unlike traditional shoe midsoles made primarily of foams, rubber compounds, or polymers, has their WaveSpring™ technology which they claim stores and disburses energy with every step. Testing performed by an independent source reports that 87% - 96% of the energy is returned from the WaveSpring™. This is the highest energy return score for any midsole material ever tested. Newton does not do this (assert engineering claims that can be fact checked & reproduced in a lab). If you take a look at Newton's website, they want to use language like, "

granted 7 U.S. Patents" as if that's a magic wand and the cosnumer need not further scrutinize or question the technology. I also am very suspect of the emphasis of this buzz phrase language called, "Newtonian Science". It's all over their website and emphasized more than the engineering of their own patented Active Membrane Technology. That's diversion. Newton seems to be focused on sweeping the consumer in to a story. That's salesmanship. Why? No one will counter or dispute Newtonian Science - it's their Active Membrane Technology that they don't place under the microscopic lens (other than referring to it with its number of patents). The other big problem with this shoe? It's spec'ed for 300 miles ya'll. A $175 shoe that's only good for 300 miles tops? Okay, hardcore running loons like me can slice and dice a shoe up 100 ways - and one of those ways is Cost/Mile. This shoe is $0.58/ Mile - that's outrageously expensive. Counter this for example a $90 shoe that gives you 400 miles? That's about $0.22/mile. I have high end elite shoes, trainers, I know all sorts of detail about shoes, their engineering, materials, and manufacture. This Newton running shoe? I see nothing unique on any level or parameter about the shoe. I see a lot of missing meaningful engineering info that could be communicated, I see a lot of salesmanship diversion tactic, I see an outrageous price for a Chinese made shoe, I see a shoe that can be matched if not surpassed by dozens of shoes priced from $60 - $90 easy. I DO NOT SEE $175. But of course I could be wrong - I doubt it though - Newton will read this blog - send me a pair, size 10 and I'll maybe eat my words - have a great day.

Da Vinci Code & The Industrial Running Shoe Complex

Clocked a 6.5 mile run last night at 75% - still taking it easy, looking to hit September healthy - there were a ton of runners in Central Park last night - I must have seen 500+ in 45 min or so at the 7pm hour. Going to hit the park this morning for an easy 4.5 - it's getting warm again & I am thinking about what shoe to wear. When I wear my Spira's, serious runners wonder what in the hell I have on. There are some obscure shoes out there that only the hardcore half-a-wingnut runners like me could recognize or even heard of. I'll share - that disaster on the left is the Z-coil shoe, it is not runner worthy - don't even think about it, I've seen it once in Central Park. Some runner worthy obscure shoes? Loco Running shoes, the small shoe company made up of runners in New Hampshire. Their big claim to fame as far as I know is they vow to keep your model of shoe essentially the same for at least 5 years - this in a world where the big shoe makers change the shoe with the seasons - however the thought of wearing the same brand & model for 5 years is kind of loco to me - perhaps thats how they came up with the name of the company. And did you know Finland makes a running shoe? -The Karhu Running Shoe. (on the right) claim to fame for starters is it's not a product of an assembly line, nope that's a handmade shoe - yup - I've actually seen this shoe 2 or 3 times on the road & at Marathon Expos. Ready for some grand conspiracies and exposure of the Industrial Running Shoe Complex? Buckle up - here we go! Meet Velocy, yes - the folks that say the big companies have been doing it all wrong- your supposed to put all the cushioning in the forefoot and not the heel. They have a master theme document called "Gravity Friend or Foe: - The Velocy Hypothesis". Wooooow, sounds like the Da Vinci Code, cool. But it does not end there - the conspiracy has numerous companies out to reveal the truth! Meet the Vitruvian Running Shoe Company and these good people are very serious about the Da Vinci Code unlocking and exposing running shoe secrets and the grand conspiracy of Asics/NewBalance/Asics/Nike, etc that a good running shoe need not cost $100. Almost everyone is familiar with the famous Vitruvian Man drawing. If the name doesn't ring a bell, the drawing certainly would. It was done by Leonardo da Vinci to celebrate the work of Marco Vitruvius, a Roman engineer and architect who lived from 90 B.C. to 20 B.C. Vitruvius wrote a book called De Architectural. In it is a passage called The Planning of Temples. It is here that Vitruvius describes the relative proportions and symmetry of the human body. This inspired Leonardo's famous artwork and it inspired our engineered performance running shoes, the Proportion and the Symmetr [so they say]. There you have it, they even offer a complete diagram of explanation of the simplicity in the shoe consistent with the De Architectural Code you might say as you see above - and prove it with their $30 and $60 running shoes. Have a great day!

Being a Visible Runner

Wednesday morning I had a solid morning 4.5 miles, in the early evening just before dark I got in a 5 miler easy, then this morning at the break of daylight turtled my way through 5 miles. Today we here in NYC have a decent chance of actually seeing the sun again - as we've not for 3 or 4 days now. Unfortunately my running thoughts of today are on the tragic side of this passion we all have. An elite runner training for the 2008 Olympic trials is in critical condition this morning after being hit by a car as the light changed. That runner is 39 year old Jenny Crain there on the left & right. Friends say she's in critical but stable condition and suffers from a broken jaw and fractured neck. Jenny missed the cut for the 2004 U.S. Olympic team, but has been setting personal bests during the past two years and training hard for this spring's trials. Crain left a corporate career six years ago to return to competitive running. At 39, her goal was to run the marathon in Beijing next summer, according to her coach, Mike DeWitt, and friends. So far no one has been cited for the accident because witnesses couldn't tell who had the right away because the light had just changed. She was just blocks from her home. News of the accident spread quickly among Wisconsin's running community, many of whom know Crain not only for her stellar racing career, but for her buoyant, upbeat personality. In online postings on two Web sites, friends and strangers expressed concern, prayers and hope that Crain would recover. Police said an investigation into the accident is ongoing. Accident reconstruction experts were called in to assist police, and investigators were trying to locate a number of people who witnessed the accident. No charges or citations have been issued against the driver, a police official said. Eric Hansen said he was standing at the intersection when he saw Crain stop at the corner, running in place. Hansen said Crain then looked and stepped into the street and she was hit by the car. "He (the driver) didn't have a chance to brake," Hansen said. Crain, was training hard for the U.S. national 20K championship, set for Labor Day in New Haven, Conn. In June, she finished 10th in the 10,000 meters in the U.S. Outdoor Championships. At the Boston Marathon, she finished in 2:45, a good time considering the wretched weather that day. I saw Jenny has been interviewed by NYRR site "Fast-Women". You can keep up with this situation at the WisconsinRunner site here. All the best to Jenny Crain for a full recovery. I read about this every single week all over America - runners-joggers getting hit by cars. There's nothing fun or uplifting in being the bearer of bad news - I just want to encourage and remind everyone to be very aware and alert if you run near cars, cross intersections, whatever. I myself run 3 miles twice a day on Lenox Avenue, a main New York City street. I doubt I would do this if I had a wife & child - in fact I am having second thoughts on street running. A lot of pedestrians are hit on NYC streets but I feel relatively safe on NYC streets because drivers (bus/car/taxi) are extremely conditioned to pedestrians on the street. When it's not daylight, I also wear a reflective running vest too, similar to that amphipod vest on the right & left. That vest on the right is one of my fancier vest but you can get reflective vest at cycle shops, sporting good stores, ebay has tons fo them. I also have the lighted hats, arm band lights, etc, that stuff is so-so ho hum. You need a full blown reflective vest ya'll. No matter where you run - it's pretty tough to be a runner & not have to negotiate an intersection. I gotta believe Jenny Crain is a seasoned & experienced runner in an environment of cars. Nonetheless accidents happen all the time - there's no guarantee any device or technology is going to prevent an accident - all you can do try and make yourself as visible as possible & hope for the best. Have a great day.

Some Daylight Running Please....

Ran 4.5 Miles last night - did not get a chance to hit Central Park until 8:30-ish, it was raining lightly, not too many runners at all it was in the 50's weatherwise, cold, dark, dank - I was not into it, was not enjoying it, and while running I went into a self-analysis mode to discern what's wrong - considered my diet, sleep, personal and professional matters nothing particularly stuck out as too troubling...and then presto!...it did not take me too long to note my last 3 outings for a run took place when it was very dark, cold relative to the Summer, and wet. Now I'm no hypochondriac but I could not help but wonder if I was having an acute SAD moment, it is possible. SAD, seasonal affective disorder due to the lack of light, the cold wet conditions. Got home and read studies have shown that people with seasonal affective disorder feel better after exposure to bright light. I read, "Replace lost sunlight with bright artificial light, and your mood improves. But it's actually far more complex. Alfred Lewy, MD, a seasonal affective disorder researcher at the Oregon Health & Science University, says it's not only a matter of getting light, but also getting it at the right time. "The most important time to get light is in the morning," he says. [end] He thinks seasonal affective disorder is due to a "phase-shift" of the circadian rhythm. The wall clock may tell you it's time to get up and at 'em, but your body's internal clock says you should be resting. Bright light in the morning resets your circadian clock. Lewy says. "The problem is waking up before dawn." Tom Wehr, researcher at the National Institute of Mental Health, has proposed a new explanation for seasonal affective disorder: It may stem from too much melatonin. When the brain's pineal gland starts pumping out melatonin, we get sleepy. During winter, animals secrete melatonin for longer periods than they do at other times of the year. Wehr discovered that people do, too -- but only those who suffer from seasonal affective disorder. Light therapy would still work if melatonin were the main culprit, because light controls melatonin levels. Researchers are also testing a drug called propranalol, which they hope will improve seasonal affective disorder symptoms by curtailing melatonin flow in the morning hours. Lewy is studying the effects of small melatonin doses given in the afternoon, hoping that they will adjust circadian rhythms. That on the left is a Madhubani (India) painting called, "Blessing of the Sun". The weather alone will affect your mood ya'll - I don't care who you are - and no, I don't think I have SAD - but I do sense the environmental conditions of my last 3 outings on a run have impacted my enjoyment of the run. At some point today I think I will run with a friend and or in some daylight and who knows - the sun may even come out and I can enjoy its blessings! Here's a great listing of Seasonal Affective Disorder Articles & Overviews , might be helpful to someone out there. Have a great day!

Running into a Big Dick Contest

Okay - Monday clocked 6 morning miles, later that night 5 evening miles, 11 miles for a Monday - I'll take it, achilles a little stiff but tolerable. This morning in the rain I pushed 6 miles in Central Park. For the first time in almost a year I was in Central Park before 6:00 a.m. Wow, saw the whole early morning running scene, it was dark when I entered the park but it seemingly lightened up by the minute, soon it was dawn, then morning. When you enter a local running route at a time that's new and different for you - you encounter a whole new running culture. As runners we become regulars on our scene - familiar fixtures and so forth. So today I was the new entity on the "pre-dawn / dawn" Northern Loop (Harlem Hills) running scene. Now some of the regulars recognized me from a year ago - and I recognized them. However as I was heading up one of the steep hills I noted a runner behind me breathing and running hard - seemingly trying to catch me before I got to the crest of the hill. I noted this just prior to the top and was too close to the crest for this runner to quite catch me - I was only going at about 75%. But as we crested I maintained my pace and this runner slowed up - seemingly content to stay slightly behind me - I then picked up the pace a bit, as did this runner. I slowed a tad and sure enough the runner did too - at that juncture I thought, "I'll be damn, this motherfather is shadowing me" I know when I am being shadowed, I know when a runner is pacing off me, I know I know I know! I could not believe it, here I am minding my own business, it's the crack of dawn, and a runner is using me to train off? My next thought? "It is too early for a big dick contest.....dude just pass me". However no matter how I altered my pace this runner would not pass - as we rounded the North end of the park the runner stayed a consistent 5' - 7' or so off my ass. Ya'll know about the big dick contest right? I think it's usually a male thing - when you're training on your running route and some other runner comes along, perhaps shadows right on your ass a bit, kind of is like using you to pace off before they make their move to blast your ass....soon you too are picking up the pace equally and before you know - you're racing...you know damn well what I am talking about! You had no intention on competing with them, it's not something you asked for, circumstances just fell into place and you ended up racing in your training run. That's the big dick contest. It's entirely juvenile, immature, is not something to entertain or engage in - however having said all that, I find myself in a big dick contest about 3 times a year. I don't ask for these challenges ya'll - they kind of just "arise" (pardon the pun). Running etiquette? never intentionally shadow, pace, or tail off another runner. Why? You could easily be invading their running groove, their running zone. Your breathing, the sound of your foot strike, just your shadow and presence could be a thorn in their side, get on their nerve. Now if you're coincidentally simply running at a similar pace - that's fine - but shadowing a runner is just not cool - and we as runners know when someone is shadowing us. So this morning some runner is on my jock & sizing me up - literally measuring me - my potential - deciding how they were going to blast me off the course - this is not uncommon to have happen when you're in a new & different running culture - again, it's 6:00 am and today I am the new runner on the scene - so today I was this 6:00 am Superstar's "mark", their prey, and this runner was just sorting out strategy - measuring exactly how they were going to whip my ass and in the process inflate their ego - have the bigger dick (that's how they do ya'll - in my youth I used to do it - that's how I know). I never turned around to look at this runner- I only listened to every sound they made 5 - 7 feet behind me and oh yeah - we were already racing for half-a-mile. I just thought "I'm not waiting for you to make the move pal, whoever you are - we rounded the North loop near 110th St. near Lasker Pool/Skating rink running clockwise and I decided to shift into a major speed gear and blaze up the hill at a sub 6:00 min/mile pace to see if this SOB could hang. When you do this - this is the clear unmistakable declaration of "it's on" I basically pulled out my dick and dug in pedal to the metal and the runner became an increasing fading sound behind me - not sure if they answered my declaration or not - never bothered to take note - I continued my run and then thought about how stupid that just was, especially with my recovering achilles. Never ever engage in a big dick contest ya'll - it means nothing, is purposeless, you can injure yourself in the process - and worse of all - you can lose the contest! Have a great day ya'll.

Altering My Running Surfaces

Sunday I kind of took it easy and did something a little different - of the 5 miles I ran 3 were clocked on the dirt/gravel surface of the 1.58 mile reservoir running path of Central Park. That's what the path looks like on the right - the running path offers some of the best views of the mid-town & upper west side skyline like the example below, it's really spectacular. This is the very first jogging route of Central Park - I decided to run the path for a specific reason as I am rehab'ing my injured achilles. Studies have shown that when you run on a hard surface your Achilles tendon and foot work together to conserve energy by returning stored elastic energy into your next stride. When you run on soft surfaces, however, the re-utilization of stored elastic energy from your achilles tendon is reduced because the softer surface absorbs more of the energy. Biomechanist Liz Bradshaw, Ph.D (Human Movement & Exercise Science)., explains, "This difference in the action of the achilles tendon and calf muscles makes running on soft surfaces less specific to the requirements of road racing." I've beating my legs/feet up on the singular hard surface and that is the problem with running on concrete and asphalt all the time. It's difficult to run on this singular hard surface for long without consequences. Repetitive motion on the same surface is a recipe for eventual injury - you become strong in one way, but weak in all the others — and therefore vulnerable to injury. It pays to mix it up - change surfaces, etc. It's very likely when you're dealing with iliotibial band syndrome, shin splints, stress fractures, etc. likely a result from running on the same surface type - the slight adjustments from the varying surfaces all matter & benefit strengthening your lower body. To develop and maintain a well-rounded fitness, all of those leg-feet-ankle-calf-hip-knee reflexes and musculature need to be constantly stimulated and challenged! Ideally, everyone should run “cross-country.” Your run should be on hard and soft, constantly changing and unstable surfaces - grass, gravel, sand, etc - or in other words, a well balanced diet of running surfaces - so...going forward I am going to mix it up twice a week & clock some miles on dirt, gravel, grass, etc. - and so should you - have a great day!

Running By Central Park's Oldest Tree

Only ran once Saturday - mid-morning 5 miler at about an 8 min/mile pace - left achilles felt stiff, not too painful, but stiff - I over did it Friday night when I was ran 4.5 miles with some speed. Did my usual - ran down Lenox Ave. from 135th St. to Central Park and was greeted by a cool weather park. Wow, was it gorgeous - the first noticeable break / change in weather conditions for months - it actually felt very much like Autumn, complete with a breeze! Tons of runners in the park and everyone seemed to enjoy the weather tremendously - relief! For once we were not reminded how hot or humid or challenging the weather was on top of the running. Most North East runners concur, Autumn, with the cooling temperatures and ever changing scenery makes running best season of year to get out there and enjoy some miles. Saw and said hello to a lot of friends on the run and simply enjoyed Central Park taking particular note to a little fun fact that cropped up in my mind again as I ran by it - I'll share. At the northern tip of The Reservoir is Central Park's oldest tree. The above photo is of an old London planetree which is just east of the Tennis Courts and down the Reservoir jogging track. It is claimed to be the oldest tree in the park. The American sycamore or western planetree is North America's largest native broadleaf tree and is often planted in yards and parks. It's hybridized cousin, the London planetree, adapts very well to urban living. That's Russell Fredericks, Director of Horticulture and tree expert come measuring the tree diameter-at-breast height (DBH) of another old tree - these older trees of the designed Park originally planted in 1880 give or take 10 years. Trees of New York is a great website where if the spirit moves you, you can learn all about the trees in this metropolitan that is New York! I am only -planning on a morning 5 miler today - have a great day!

My Achilles Rehab Regime

Ran last night 4.5 miles in the rain - fantastic - some pain and stiffness in the achilles, got a little concerned when I felt acute heat sensation with a 80% running efforts - slowed down, no need to push it. How did I rehab myself? Well all runners should know the R.I.C.E. method for joint and muscle injuries. The RICE method is very helpful if you use it right away after an injury. Rest. For most injuries, rest the area until the pain decreases. For simple sore muscles, however, gentle stretching will reduce stiffness more quickly. Hold the stretch for 30 to 60 seconds, then rest and repeat five to 10 times. Do this several times a day. Ice. Ice is the most effective treatment for reducing inflammation, pain and swelling of injured muscles, joints and connective tissues—such as tendons, ligaments, and bursas. The cold helps keep blood and fluid from building up in the injured area, reducing pain and swelling. Apply ice as soon as possible after injury, even if you are going straight to the doctor. To speed recovery and ease pain, raise the injured area and apply ice for 20 minutes (10 to 15 minutes in children) every two to three hours while awake. For best results, place crushed ice in a plastic bag and wrap with a moist towel. Use an elastic bandage to hold the pack in place. During the first 48 to 72 hours, or as long as there is any swelling, do not apply heat to an injury. Heat increases blood flow to the affected area, which makes swelling and pain worse. Compress. Between icings, wrap the injured area with an elastic bandage to help control swelling and provide support. Begin wrapping at the farthest point away from the body and wrap toward the heart. For example, to wrap an ankle you would begin at the toes and wrap to the mid-calf. Don't sleep with the wrap on, unless told to do so by a doctor. And don't wrap too tightly! If the wrap begins to cause pain or numbness, or if toes become cool or white, remove the elastic bandage and wrap it more loosely. Elevate. Raising the injured area above your heart will allow gravity to help reduce swelling by draining excess fluid. At night, place a pillow under the area to support and raise it. Beyond this, the 2 things I did that are probably on the hardcore side?.... Kinesio Taping® when I ran while rehabing and even today - I'm taped up....this is based on the science of Kinesiology. The taping method and tape allow the body and muscles to move while assisting rehabilitation. The Kinesio Taping® method involves applying a specialized tape from origin to insertion, or insertion to origin over muscles to decrease pain and inflammation, reduce muscle fatigue and support muscles in movement 24 hours a day. This non-restrictive type of taping allows full range of motion. Kinesio Taping® is part of a complete patient assessment and rehabilitation program. That's what my ankle/achilles/leg looked like on the left from behind - I taped my ankle/achilles/calf (not my knee) once taped. But the big secret? Oxydrene. Q: What is Oxydrene? A: Oxydrene is a proprietary blend of 3 herbs (sedum crenulata, hippophae, and fructus lychii chinensis) clinically proven to accomplish one specific result: increased oxygen saturation in blood and tissue. Q: Why is blood and tissue oxygen saturation so important? A: Impaired or reduced blood and tissue oxygen levels limit your body's ability to build muscle, lose fat, and maintain energy, stamina, and endurance. Therefore, Oxydrene benefits virtually everybody for different reasons. Q: How long will it take for Oxydrene to work? A: You should feel the full power of Oxydrene within 3-4 days. Take the Oxydrene test! Select any exercise (push-ups, sit-ups, running, etc.) and do it until exhaustion. Write down the number of repetitions or elapsed time. After taking Oxydrene for 3 or 4 days, repeat the same activity. You will see a substantial increase in repetitions and/or elapsed time. Increased strength, stamina, and endurance! Q: Will Oxydrene make me nervous or give me "the jitters"? A: Oxydrene is not a central nervous system stimulant. Oxydrene increases blood and tissue oxygen saturation. Therefore, Oxydrene can increase strength, stamina, and endurance without causing nervousness Q: What is Oxydrene? A: Oxydrene is a proprietary blend of 3 herbs (sedum crenulata, hippophae, and fructus lychii chinensis) clinically proven to accomplish one specific result: increased oxygen saturation in blood and tissue.
Q: Why is blood and tissue oxygen saturation so important? A: Impaired or reduced blood and tissue oxygen levels limit your body's ability to build muscle, lose fat, and maintain energy, stamina, and endurance. Therefore, Oxydrene benefits virtually everybody for different reasons.
Q: How long will it take for Oxydrene to work? A: You should feel the full power of Oxydrene within 3-4 days. Take the Oxydrene test! Select any exercise (push-ups, sit-ups, running, etc.) and do it until exhaustion. Write down the number of repetitions or elapsed time. After taking Oxydrene for 3 or 4 days, repeat the same activity. You will see a substantial increase in repetitions and/or elapsed time. Increased strength, stamina, and endurance! Q: Will Oxydrene make me nervous or give me "the jitters"? A: Oxydrene is not a central nervous system stimulant. Oxydrene increases blood and tissue oxygen saturation. Therefore, Oxydrene can increase strength, stamina, and endurance without causing nervousness. I took Oxydrene to enhance oxygen flow through my ligaments/tendons. In sum, I did all I could to create an ideal environment for rapid healing. There you have it - I do some high risk things....while injured....but there is a foundation to it all. I'll be running easy this weekend. I should be 95% on Monday - heading out into Central Park now to clock 6 miles, have a great day everyone.

Running into Beer in Harlem

Last night I laced up my racing flats and clocked 2 miles at a 7:00/mile clip just to feel out my left achilles and feel some speed - remind myself what running is like, etc. Minimal pain, no swelling afterward. I walked home. After a successful trial balloon like this - I feel I am safely on the other side of the "eye" of the storm / Achilles injury. Perhaps in my Blog on Saturday I will in detail outline the therapy applied over the past week - I did some very specific things. I will go 3 easy this morning in about another hour - I am not pushing it - however on Monday I am back on track with 12 Mile days. Moving on, There's whole movement of distance running & drinking beer, did ya'll know that? It's true, lots of people are passionate about the two and make serious arguments based on nutritional value, etc. like here and here. In fact the legendary Runner Jim Fixx advocated beer drinking for distance runners......and then there are runners that take it to the NYC Marathon - like these guys on the right - don'tcha love the bibs with Homer Simpson? The 5 Beers in 5 Burroughs Race will take place within the NYC Marathon. The stages? They say, " Beer 1- (Staten Island) You pop open beer #1 on Staten Island right before the gun goes off. Beer 2- (Brooklyn) After the group has come together you will run your longest stretch between beers. The 2nd beer is taken around mile 10 at a bar in Brooklyn. In 2005 we ran into the bar to get beers and the owner almost didn't serve us because he thought we were crazy. He is now a proud sponsor and has the beers set up for us when we run in! Beer 3- (Queens) This beer is where things start to get going!! Taken around mile 14, beer #3 usually starts the onslaught of high 5's for all race spectators within reach. Beer 4- (Manhattan) Mile 17 is where this usually happens. This is a very packed area on the course and we have had a few spectators giving us concerned looks. I guess it's not normal for someone watching a marathon to see an entire group of runners stop and down a beer before heading back out on the course? Hydration? Beer 5- (Bronx) This is usually a brown bag affair. A crack group of supporters usually have our beers lined up outside a local "am/pm". After this last beer its usually every man for himself to the finish but most finish together. There are hugs all around for those observing this great spectacle and sometimes there is even some free-style rapping with local bands along the course. I believe 3:26 is the course record and we may be shooting for Lance (Armstrong, not me) this year!". I'll be reserving my beer drinking till after the finish line ya'll - then a cold beer will sound pretty good to me - but there's only 1 beer fitting for Harlem 26.2 ya'll (named after the Sugar Hill neighborhood of Harlem ) that's Sugar Hill Ale from the Harlem Brewing Company. Yes, Harlem has a micro brewery and I've met Celeste Beatty, the founder - can't say I know her - we have some common friends. But I do know she took her love and passion (beer) to Europe, Central America and Africa to study the regional brewing methods. Then, after a few false starts, she got the Harlem Brewing Company off and running. They've got a pretty cool commercial too, you can check it out here on youtube (directed by none other than another friend filmmaker Harlemite Nicole Franklin who's been mentioned here on Harlem 26.2 before). Also note it's a big weekend in Harlem ya'll with street fairs and all sorts of events geared around education, entertainment, health, culture, just way too much to list however click here to see the schedule and what's actually going to be happening. Lastly, it's started ya'll Just Click This Link to see they've already started making offers for NYC Marathon Bibs & Entry to the race, highest offer is at $400 at the moment. I've seen it hit $700. This is "black market" trade and I happen to know the NYRR make an effort to find out the names/identity/Bib #'s of those selling on Ebay & Craigslist to Cancel their Entry - they cannot stop offers though. I do not support this trade - but if you get injured and cannot race - contact the Top 4 or 5 hotels, tell'em $500 - you'll get a taker in 24 hours - yup, they want'em for their guest. Have a great day everyone.

Running with Working Mothers

Well on Wednesday morning I ventured out for 3 miles easy - got 2 in before the achilles pain set in - hobbled slowly home, no additional swelling. Later that night tried it again, made it 1.5 miles before the pain set in , walked home 1.5 miles. This morning managed 3 miles with minimal pain - no swelling I'm thinking there is light at the end of this tunnel, we'll see, this NYC Marathon & training schedule is on my mind and on that note - let me tell you about another NYC Marathon runner planning to lace up and race in November. New Haven Register (newspaper) writer Marissa Yaremich, profiled High School teacher Elizabeth Warren who with her husband have two children and she spends hours managing her career, training young girls for track meets or herself for the New York City Marathon. In Marissa's article Elizabeth said, "I see a lot of teachers with children and my assumption is we're going though the same thing," said Warren, 32, from inside her classroom where she soon will begin a new school year teaching English. Elizabeth Warren was such a prolific example of today's driven moms struggling to balance every iota of life she, her 6 & 3 year old made the cover of Working Mother magazine's August/September issue, that's them on the left. Working Mother provides career-oriented mothers with practical and entrepreneurial insight to achieve personal harmony. Marissa's reported Elizabeth's hectic days start as early as 5 a.m. during the school year and 6 a.m. in the summer. Even though Warren's school year schedule makes it a challenge to drop off and pick up her children at day care, Warren never hesitates to drive home some of her athletes after practice or stay after school to help her students. Harlem 26.2's got love for the mother/teacher/wife and soon to be New York City Marathon Runner Elizabeth Warren. And while I'm on a roll of giving love to some working mom runners, 3 cheers for Kathy Murdock who owns Kinetic Solutions, and also works as an Advisor for Allbusiness and operates the site, Today's BusinessMom! Kathy lives in Southern California with her husband and two daughters. Last month she said in her column, "Well readers, I have gone and done it. I've signed up to run my first marathon, but the farthest I have gone-once, a year and a half ago-was a half marathon. I remember that day clearly. I had no sleep the night before, woke up numerous times, stood at the starting line feeling woozy and thinking, This will never happen.... And it did. I made it. So here I am again, only this time I'm going to double my mileage. To say I'm nervous is not even to tell you half of it. I want to say I don't know if I can run 26.2 miles, but I know that if I do not think positively I will not be able to do it. You can do what you think you can do. Running is almost all mental anyway. Your body will do just about whatever you train it to do; it's your mind that strays and falters. When running a race, it's important to prepare not only your legs but your mind as well. I'll keep you posted on my marathon training progress, and if any of you are embarking on a marathon journey, please share! I'd love to correspond with others who are as crazy as I, and I'd love to hear your success stories when you cross that finish line". Kathy sounds like a real runner to me and I've no doubt she'll come through with flying colors! Working Moms are doing it ya'll! Kudos to all the working mothers out there, have a great day!

Running with a Foot Fetish

I've made it a whole 72 hours with no running, left achilles still about 20% thicker than normal - I may make it one more day - than I've gotta run ya'll - though it's not quite a fetish - one part of it is indeed....any sock freaks out there? The whole foot fetish thing does exist in the running world ya'll and you'll see it @ companies like The SockGuy and get this, "KillerSocks.com" Ever see the Drymax site? I have never seen a sock maker so exhaustively make their case & drive their point with research and testimony, charts, graphs, etc. They've just introduced a specific sock line with the unique Drymax fiber technology. Their claim? Drymax socks stay up to 25 times drier than other socks made with wicking fibers like Polyester, Acrylic, Nylon, Wool or Cotton. As you know, moisture on the skin creates a host of problems; in hot weather it causes blisters and fuels the growth of odor-causing bacteria as well as the uncomfortable fungal skin condition Athlete's Foot. In cold/freezing weather, moisture pulls heat away from skin 23 times faster than air, lowering skin temperature so rapidly that wet feet become painfully cold and much more susceptible to frostbite. Drymax supposedly has an advanced design that creates a self-contained Moisture Removal System keeping feet dry and comfortable in all types of footwear in cold, hot and even wet conditions. The industry typically uses 2D forms and only three sizes to cover all sizes of Women's & Men's feet which is not adequate. Drymax's five sock sizes fit because they were developed on special 3D shaped foot forms. Each sock includes a (S, M, L, XL, or XXL) color size mark for easy match-up after laundering. AIR CONDITIONING -- Most Drymax socks possess top and bottom mesh air vents designed to keep feet drier & cooler by working with the built-in vent systems in the newest generation of breathable shoes. Socks with mesh air vents? ANTI-BLISTER SYSTEM -- Several features work together as an anti-blister system to actively prevent the formation of blisters. 1) Exceptional 3D fit, 2) Five sock sizes, 3) Seamless insides, 4) An instep-hugging arch band, and 5) Because Drymax socks stay dry, the skin stays dry too; therefore blisters normally caused by sweat or sweat vapor are prevented. 7 Different types of running specific socks? 1) Hot Weather Running, 2) Lite-Mesh, 3)Running Lite-Mesh, 4) Running, 5)Trail Running, 6) Extreme Distance Running, 7) Cold Weather Running. Good gracious, I wonder if the sock is so advanced that it can put itself on your foot? Now that would be a smart sock! Now yes, I do but I am a running 'ho - however what's funny is most runners don't have shoes for these specific conditions - but now you can have a sock to dial precisely into your conditions. Look what we've come to in the world - that other kind of "sock"...? The Condom...Lubricated or non-lubricated - take your pick, that's it! - but running specific socks for your feet? 7 types in 5 different sizes with more research in them than NASA & the Space Shuttle....and it's that other sock where you need to really want blast off - we got it backwards ya'll. However I noticed Drymax did not compare their sock to Injini....hum???? Do ya'll know about Injiji? They make the sport toe & split toe sock -have a bit of a cult following & lots of cool video on their site. However none of this rambling applies to me - why? I have not had a date since forever and I don't wear running socks anyway - if you've ever seen me you know that & maybe that's what I'll blog about tomorrow. Have or great Wednesday or as they call it, "hump day" ( but be safe, you don't want any blisters!).

Aqua Running

Well I'm working on 48 hours of non-running, only stretched & did some very basic calf lifting exercises focused on my achilles. I did walk around a bit - no pain - I am hoping another 24 hours or 48 hours will do it - no more swelling however I do have a thickening of my left achilles tendon. This 3 - 5 days of pure rest might be a good thing as I head into serious marathon training. I'm looking to start 85 miles/week come next Monday and I don't think my cardio will suffer too much with 3 - 5 days rest - the drop off comes with 2+ weeks of no training. However I am lining up a "B plan" if I need to take off more than 5 days - if this happens I will turn to Aqua Running. Fortunately I have access to a couple of different local swimming pools. Look at that aqua runner on the left - complete with their land running shoes on while in the pool! Now that's hardcore! Injured runners turn to the water to keep leg turnover rates the same as when they were running outside & maintain cardio./ VO2 max levels...and there is no impact to worry about while you rehab your lower legs. The SwimOutlet is a good on-line retailer that sells the many different pieces of equipment that you can use to aqua run. This is a phenomenal rehab therapy for runners who are experiencing joint issues. Aqua Running is a way to maintain your current cardiovascular & strength training workout that saves the joints unnecessary pounding. Pregnant runners, here’s your way to keep running for all 9 months of your pregnancy. If you're really into this, there's great comprehensive study on topic like The Physiology of Deep Water Running as a Training Program that illustrates deep water running can be an extensively used training option for the rehabilitation of runners. The research presented suggest water-based running programs could be implemented in the short or long term as a substitution for land running while you recover. The New York Road Runners even have a so called, "aquarun expert", Doug Stern who I think holds a few seminars per year locally and here is more study on an Aquarunning training program & the benefits for runners in rehab. I've actually never tried this - hope I don't have to - but it is the B plan should I need to take more off than 5 days or so, we'll see - but I have linked 2 great reads on the topic if it interest you. Have a terrific day!

More Achilles Rehab

I ran 5 miles in Central Park - sore achilles all the way, I was hoping against hope my achilles would miraculously be fine - it wasn't. Now it's a matter of avoiding any degeneration and or thickening of the tendon - or in other words, worsening what seems as the onset of Achilles tendonitis My Achilles tendon is noticeably thickened and tender to the touch - sore and reddish in color like that photo of that peron's right achilles tendon. But pain is not present with walking just soreness when pushing off on the toes I am at the precipus of this you might say. The traditional treatments of icing, stretching, and other modalities are the mainstay of the treatment, however learned study shows progressive eccentric loading exercises are what will allow the athlete to return to competition. Initially exercises like in that diagram above on the right - concentric exercise is done by toe raises with progressive weights. The use of a raised step will allow me to do both strengthening and stretching exercises. So that's what I will do tonight as opposed to running, This was further noted as the proper course of treatment in the American Sports Journal of Medicine where it was documented heavy-load eccentric calf muscle training has a very good short-term effect on athletes in their early forties in the treatment of Achilles tendinosis. That's me! So I am just kind of hoping for the best - will take it easy over the next few days and see what happens - don't want to push this too much at this juncture - I have to be smart and sensible about this.... Would be great if a few days rest will do the trick, we'll see. If you're ever in need of rehabing your achiiles, check those links above! Have a great day.

Doing it Back 2 Back

There's a big race today in Massachusetts, the Falmouth Road Race 10,000 runners, the 35th edition of this Cape Cod Classic seaside 7-miler. My man & Olympian medalist, 2nd place NYC Marathoner Meb Keflezighi is running, as is superstar Catherine Ndereba, their on the left with her Boston Marathon Victory Cup - heck I just saw her and raced with her 7 days ago in the NYC Half Marathon. Look at the woman they call "Catherine The Great" - racing back to back weekends, just 6 days between 2 big time races? Oh my God - only a superstar can pull that off. And wow - also racing in Falmouth today is Claudia Camargo (on the right) who's been featured here before on Harlem 26.2, I met Claudia at the NYRR annual Ball, how amazing is Claudia? Get this - I saw & said "hola" to this 36 year old Argentinian super runner now living in Ct (territory of DawnB.!) last week as she ran the NYC Half Marathon as well. Well on Saturday Claudia ran the Deary Memorial five-mile race and captured the women's race in record time as she finished eighth overall in 29:04, 30 seconds better than the previous women's record. "I needed before the big race (Falmouth today) a little speed race (and this is) good for me," Camargo said. "Last year, I ran a 5K just before the New York (City) Marathon and finished 13th (among the women, 92nd overall)." "It was a good race but a little slow for me," Camargo said. "I don't know, I ran two days ago in the CIGNA race (in Manchester, N.H.), maybe I was a little tired." For those keeping score - Claudia raced the NYC Half on Sunday, the Cigna 5K on Thursday, the Deary 5 Miler on Saturday, and she's racing the Falmouth 7 miler today. Oh my God. Speaking of "back to back" racing - I myself got back-to-backed so to speak! Have you all seen the Brazilian classic film, "Dona Flor & Her Two Husbands"? Well not only have I seen it, I lived it, I learned on Saturday. Oh I clocked 5 morning miles as scheduled in my 992 - gel heel cup rehab shoe - but then later that evening was out with a woman- late - so late she told me to just stay over - we're "friends" - nothing's going to "go down" - ha ha ha - a little hesitant but then....went with the flow - and things just migrated to - not sleeping on the uncomfortable couch - I got invited to the bed - hey, we're "friends" - nothing's going to "go down". This has happend to me a few times - I can't say it's uncommon - and oddly enough it's been just that every time (sleeping) and nothing more.....but time out! I was not so "tipsy" to where I was not well aware what was about to possibly "go down" ya'll....fast forward - I'm in this woman's bed - and as soon as she gets in she says, " I hope I can sleep - I usually have trouble when a stranger is in my bed....I could not sleep at all last night". Whoa! Time Out! WTF? I am in this woman's bed ya'll - and say just that, "time out - some man was here with you last night?". She replied "yes, a friend was in town - visited and stayed with me, etc." With that clarification I then said, " Just so I am clear - this morning - a man, one of your friends was exactly where I am now, in this bed, with you....like....16 or so hours ago?" AFFIRMATIVE. Dayum! She just told me this straight up - like it's no big thing ya'll. Instantly I thought of "Catherine The Great" - racing back to back weekends, just 6 days between 2 big time races and how only a superstar can pull that off. This woman had 2 men in her bed - across the span of 16 hours?......and I am one of them? WTF? No no no no - I literally edged away while in the bed....and she said, "what's wrong"?...ha ha ha ha - not kidding one bit.... now I am liberal as hell, I'm from California after all....and hardly a prude.....but I looked at this woman realizing she's just accustomed to having men in her bed - now she has some "note" on the NYC scene - quite possible she rolls in this way and in this casual scene........she got me in her bed with not a whole lot of difficulty after all..... Still tripping off the wonderment (is that a word?) of all this I said, "Wow....ya know this is a City where women have their work cut out for them to find ONE man at all - over time....... and here, in the course of the same day, you've got TWO men.......... in your bed no less"? Suffice it to say NOTHING went down ya'll..... I have got to write a book about my single life in this City. Have a great day - I'm going to try and clock 6 miles.

Elite Runners in Central Park & Strategy

I made it 36 hours - had to run Friday morning - clocked 3 easy miles in my NB 992 & Gel Heel Cup combo rehab shoe - no achilles pain at all. Friday night went for a run in a pair of Saucony Fastswitch Racing flats - ouch! Mistake! Suffered through 3 miles. This Saturday morning I am going to try and put in 6 miles in Central Park in the re-hab shoe combo. A while ago I mentioned on this blog how I first met superstar & Olympic medal winner Meb Keflezighi in Central Park...I was running next to some random runner - recognized him...and we spoke for a minute....this was years ago.....What's a World Class Superstar look like training in Central Park? Like anyone else - often entirely anonymous if you don't recognize them by face - The NYT snapped that photo this week of that Central park runner on the left, that's Meb Keflezighi running in Central Park on the East Side right at the popular entry way to the reservoir. A lot of time when you see elites training in the park they are not running particularly fast at all - they do that elsewhere - in the Park? they're going through mental rehearsal, mapping every inch, incline and decline - sorting out their strategy with their strengths per the topology of the course, etc. They're collecting data. Meb was training in Central Park four days this week preparing for the Nov. 3, US Olympic Marathon Trials. Side bar: he's running in the direction I always run too ya'll - clockwise against the traffic. The course will spare the steepest climbs (and descents) at the north end of the park - the "Harlem Hills" but still as the NYT reported the course’s relentlessly rolling hills and frequent turns will make it challenging, particularly for rhythm runners who excel on long, flat stretches where they can settle into one pace. Per the NYT, “The course definitely favors strong runners that can handle surging,” said Mary Wittenberg, the chief executive of the New York Road Runners, the organizer of the Olympic trials. “There’s no easy stretch. The worst thing anybody could do would be to underestimate the course, and none of the athletes are doing that. They’re all coming in to see it.” Abdi Abdirahman, stayed in town to study the course this week after finishing second Sunday in the NYC Half-Marathon. “I don’t want to let out all my secrets, but I took a measurement of all the hills, to see which ones I’m going to attack, which ones to take easy,” said Abdirahman, 30, a two-time Olympian in the 10,000 meters. “Now I can find a similar course to Central Park when I get home.” The week was as much a mental training tool as a scouting mission for Abdirahman. By running a hard nine miles on the trials course Monday, the day after the half-marathon, he was able to experience the pain of pounding through Central Park on fatigued legs. “Running the course when I had done a hard 13 miles the day before gave me the feeling of the last couple of miles, when you’re tired,” Abdirahman said, referring to latter stages of a marathon. “That’s an advantage — just to know what the course can do to you when you’re hurting.” [end] Yup - 100% consistent with my training strategy if you've been reading this blog - Hanson Training Method. In that photo above that's Meb leading - and Abdi (as he's known) is just off of Meb's left shoulder. Central Park is an awesome place to run, elites consider it tough - and you're going to be seeing a lot of elites going over every inch - mentally & physically.....until November, just like us regular local runners do - have a great day wherever you are.

NYRR's Race Calendar, Be Careful!

I did not run on Thursday - wow, it's been a whole 36 hours of rest! Whoopee! I am sure people that know me are shocked I had the discipline to go 36 hours without running. Can I go 48 hours? I love to run in the rain and it's raining ya'll, I might have all of Central Park to myself! Like those two guys on the left did this week at 2am in the morning - that NYT photo is of 2 international measurement administrators for track and field’s world governing body, the IAAF. Last week I posted about the Jones Meter and how they measure these courses every single time, to the inch?...Well they did it again the other night for the US Olympic men’s marathon trials in New York on Nov. 3. Then at 3am they reported back to the NYRR HQ office, next week a map will be created. Speaking of the NYRR & my Achilles injury from over-use - want to see a recipe for disaster? Let's take a look at the September & October NYRR Racing schedules: Sept. 23 Queens Half Marathon, Sept 30 18 Mile Marathon Tune-Up Race, Oct. 6th Grete's Norwegian Festival Half Marathon = 34 Miles of Racing in 13 days? All a month before the NYC Marathon? Oh, if that's not enough Staten Island Half Marathon is Oct 21st, 2 weeks before the NYC Marathon. These are great training opportunities but you cannot race them if you're in the NYC Marathon. There's just no way, no time to train , taper, race, recover, & start the process all over again <-that cycle. I suspect a large number of runners are going to be drawn and lured out of the Marathon training programs and into competitively racing in these events - and summarily prevent themselves from "peaking" on Marathon Race day. Don't do it ya'll. In fact it's very tricky to maneuver through this calendar, stick to your marathon schedules however I am going to run them all - but I will probably only race Queens & go for a PR - the rest will be solid training runs in competitive environments. Competitive training is important and has its place - you want to have a sense of familiarity & comfort with runners on all sides of you on race day - training yourself to be disciplined and stay in your plan - and not get lured into another runner's pace and out of your game - or in other words - entering all these races is going to be great for the mental training side of this thing we do - running. I am big into sports psychology and could suggest books all day - however that might be a little much, here's a quick read of 10 tips for improving your mental game in running. It's brief but an excellent starting point that sums it all up! At that site take time to check out the links below the photo of that guy on the left. Have a great day.

Rehab'ing My Achilles

How in the heck did Brad Pitt make his way on Harlem 26.2? Well in Greek mythology, Achilles was a famed and skilled warrior who was immune to all forms of attacks, save for his heel. During the war against the Trojans, Achilles was shot fatally by an arrow in his vulnerable spot, which caused his demise. Since then the weak spot of tendons that covers the heel was called the Achilles heel, and the injury that can render anyone unable to walk or run properly is Achilles tendonitis. In that photo Brad is in the role of Achilles in the film Troy thereby angling his way onto Harlem 26.2 I've got a case of Achilles tendinitis, inflammation (swelling) of the tendon, which usually occurs as a result of overuse injury. It's only been 2 days - thus can't be called chronic (something of numerous weeks - like 4 weeks, etc.) Chronic tendinitis can result in a breakdown of the tendon, or tendinosis, which weakens the tendon and may cause a rupture. If you get tendonitis the recommended treatment for consists of icing, gentle stretching, and modifying or limiting activity. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications (NSAIDs), such as ibuprofen or aspirin, can reduce pain and swelling. Physical therapy and the use of an orthotic gel cup can also be helpful. For chronic cases where tendinosis is evident and other methods of treatment have failed, surgery may be recommended to remove and repair the damaged tissue. Last night I ran - 3 miles - it was a struggle, I stopped twice to stretch out my achilles tendon - which briefly alleviated the pain. I'm going to take 48 - 60 hours off from running & examine my swelling on my left achilles. That means I may run Friday Night - or more likely Saturday morning. I've ordered and will receive today a pair of New Balance 992 running shoes & gel heel cups. From my experience this is a possible path of rehab that might enable me to run will rehabing my achilles over a couples weeks. I am forgoing speed and placing strenuous demands on my achilles in favor of as ease on my achilles and a great ride. The 992 (replacing the 991) series of NB shoes are considered the very best running shoes ever made, this specific model has a devoted following in the running world that is on the order of 20 times greater than any other shoe. The basic engineering of the shoe has not changed in 15 years, this in a world where shoe makers change their shoes every 6 months. The 992 is also a shoe that is manufactured in the U.S.A. Ever seen this YouTube Video of New Balance Manufacturing in making a running shoe? Very few runners own a shoe made in America - but this fact, Made in the U.S.A. speaks to the craftsmanship demand in building this particular shoe. This is the shoe most Podiatrist will point to for runners and walkers alike of all ages. If there was 1 shoe I had to pick that assured a runner longevity, a lifetime of running? It would be the New Balance 992, they sell for $100 - $140 or so. Now the shoe has a great elevation angle for my heel, but I got the heel cups to further elevate the position & angle of my foot & specifically achilles nesting in the shoe thereby reducing stress, fatigue & demand on my achilles - which is also probably why Brad Pitt split with Jennifer Aniston in favor of Angelina Jolie, relief & comfort. Whenever I see Brad in the media he looks pretty damn happy to me, I'd love to be in his shoes - and I'm not talkin' 992's, I'd even wear a Gladiator uniform - which like my Achilles is not a stretch, I am Lancelot skilled Knight of The Roundtable! Have a super day!

Running into a Harlem Developer

Last night I tried to run - made it about a mile or to 119th & Lenox before I gave into the pain in my Achilles and stopped and got on the sidewalk. I leaned over in pain as a friend tapped me on the shoulder and said hi. I had not seen this person in a while, this person is a Harlem real estate developer and they gave me the inside dish on what's really going in terms of Harlem real estate, the Good, Bad, & the Ugly....and we both got a kick out of the ugly. Did you all know there is a listing of the ugliest buildings in New York City? Hoo-ray for Harlem! We have the new challenger and sure to be champion of the city's ugliest building. Meet the brand new condo development that will be done before the end of '07, The Kalahari on 116th right off of Lenox Ave. According to the developer "the facade is an interpretation of the vibrant cultural decorative traditions of Africa, inspired by the iconic designs of the Kalahari region's San Bushmen. The bold use of color, texture and pattern, inspired by the ways of survival through adaptations and a sense of self". Whatever you say! Okay, however me and my friend sum it up in one word, "Fugly". It's worse in real life, it makes you dizzy and you just cannot believe something this tacky got built. That on the right is an actual San Bushman home in the Kalahari, notice the resemblance? I understand the San Bushman are upset that this horrendous building is giving them a bad name. Anyway it was good seeing this friend, with a sore Achilles I simply walked a mile home then tried to find my friend's development on-line via google - I never did however I found my friend on that lady's website, that's Arriana Huffington of the Huffington Post. What happened is in trying to find their development, I found their political contributions to the 2008 Presidential Race @ Huffington Post's Fundrace 2008, I saw my friend's name & amount and candidate they're backing - but also the listing of all the people in this area of Harlem that have been contributing to the various candidates - wow, suddenly I am reading of other friends, people I know, quite a few of these people and it's kind of weird to see who they are backing and donating to, etc. I had no idea this was so public and accessible, did you? You can basically plug in any zip code or name and "boom" - you can see who is bankrolling the 2008 Presidential election on your street. Search by name or street address to see the cash donations and political leanings of your boss, neighbors, relatives, friends, etc. Kind of interesting to see which way Harlem money is flowing.....btw, tried to run this morning, made it 1 block, stopped and walked home - gotta rest this Achilles :( Have a terrific day!

Running in Perspective

24 hours after my Sunday race I clocked 4.5 Monday morning miles - felt okay - last evening however as I went out for my run & my body pretty much shut down and said "rest" - after an attempt of running, I quit after 2 blocks - turned around & walked home. I listened to my body - for once! This morning? The goal was 4.5, settled on a 2 mile run - my left Achilles was tight and sore - I think I'll rest another 24 hours before trying to run. Yes I am mortal, I breakdown, I walk too. Speaking of mortals I saw yesterday someone commented, " I'm racing and am aiming for a PR- a 10:30 min/mile. I know it's slow, but not for me". I'm glad this person added that ".....but not for me". To run is to yearn to be active and it's silly to judge & characterize a runner's speed as you have no idea of that runner's personal circumstance(s), etc. I've been running for almost 30 years and have seen it all - Runner's who've withheld from me they've been in cancer treatment as we trained, raced & competed against each other, runner's who were in car accidents and were told the would never run again, hip replacement runners, stroke survivors, runners who can only train twice a week due to the job, school, and kids, etc. Real life circumstances & responsibilities make the attempt to judge & characterize a runner's race pace.....silly. For a myriad of reasons it's not a level playing field in racing - but that's Okay - we still race - suffice it to say I might see a runner running at half fast as me ...(or @ 12-13 Min/Mile).....but it's possible they are giving twice my effort due to circumstances and or conditions private to them. It is possible. All you really know is that a runner is choosing to be active and challenge themselves - gotta love that - just like the final finisher above, that 89 year old lady in that photo of the Freihofer's Run For Women 5K in Upstate NY rocked the race in 1:19:29! Now we can physically see her personal challenge - an 89 year old body - the point is people have all sorts of personal challenges - not all visibly apparent. I'll be happy to reach age 89 ya'll - much less race a 5K! Choosing to challenge yourself in a field of like minded people takes some courage, especially when you're a back of the pack runner. But a PR is a PR and that is something all runners can relate to, cheer, & celebrate! Nothing better than realizing a new plateau in life. I take in more from the every day mortals - regular runners than the superstar runners. One of my best $23 investments of 2006 was a great book about 26 runners ranging in age from 46 to 76 where they shared their secrets, motivations and experiences in running. These are Master Class runners, not the fastest - but active runners and many presently hold world age-class records. The book Running in the Zone isn’t about super achievement, it is about getting the most out the running experience regardless of age or even ability. This book is for anyone interested in running and running-related sports, whether they are elite age-class runners wanting to keep up performances or newcomers, considering taking up running in their middle or even advanced years. Many of the contributors didn’t start running until they were over 40 and some didn’t achieve their best personal performances until they were in their 50’s. You will meet men and women who have a life-long interest in running as well as those who took it up as personal challenges. All are inspiring in one way or another and have something valuable to teach, not necessarily about running, per se, but rather personal satisfaction, giving back through voluntarism and commitment to a goal or purpose. You can read the Forward and Introduction here. Have a great day!

New York?.... Watch Out!

The "Day After". In about 30 minutes I will be clocking 6 miles in Central Park, looking forward to getting back on my horse again. I like to make observations that are not immediately apparent to the novice, intermediate, and even advanced runner. Some observations on yesterday: On the right is a photo of the women leaders in yesterday's NYC Half Marathon presented by Nike. I've long said women are stronger runners than men and that's seen in women from around the world being able to run competitively with Ethiopians and Kenyans (the dominators of the sport). Here in a single photo of the leaders are women originating from New Zealand, Japan, Kenya, & Mexico. You do not see regional diversity like this in men's running -just something to appreciate & applaud! Haile Gebrselassie, arguably the greatest distance runner in history dominated, absolutely blew away his competition of incredible runners. Minutes before the race ya'll....all the runners were focused, serious, in their own world, not smiling, not even waving when they were introduced. Haile Geb? Or "Geb" as he's known? Geb was loose, smiling, laughing, having fun. He came out and was interacting and intermixing with those of use in the front in the first corral. His posture and demeanor just prior to his first race in the U.S. could not have been more joyful and "fun spirited" - he's got a ton of charisma and personality...the guy had us laughing as he was being playful with us "fans" just before this very serious race.....and as reported, "The 34-year-old Ethiopian broke the competition down on Seventh Ave., running alone for the final third of the race. His 0:59:24 was the second-fastest run on U.S. soil and was more than a minute better than runner-up Abdirahman (1:00.29) and World Marathon Majors leader Cheruiyot. "I was dreaming just to run in New York City," Gebrselassie said. "The dream has come true this morning." Also note the following - I generally run by "feel", yes I rabbit'ed yesterday but I usually do just fine running untraditionally and by "feel". Most advanced and 99% of a pro runners wear a runner's watch of some type - timing their pace, etc. In the front of most all NYRR races you will see most all the runners set their watch simultaneously with the start of the race. They "Click" their watch button in sync to the second with the race, take a look at that photo - look at all those runners with a free hand on their runners watch just at the very start. However every now and then you'll see a runner, a pro runner that marches to a beat of a different drummer - outside the box so to speak. That man in the center in the fluorescent green? That's "Geb", notice unlike all the other pro's.....he's not got his hand on his runner's watch, Geb does not have a runner's watch - he's running by "feel", not driven or guided by something outside and away from him..and the only other runner in that photo not conforming to the crowd is that woman on the right, "Kibet" in the red top and black tights, from Kenya - She too is not wearing a runner's watch. Hummmmm? There is no one singular "lore" or "convention" or "protocol" you must adhere to when you run ya'll despite what you read - it's about being relaxed & comfortable. By they way....who won the race yesterday? Geb & Kibet. Just sharing a little observation with everyone that you won't see noted elsewhere - and reaffirming my runner nerd cred....ha ha ha Have a great day!

Rabbit'ed the NYC Half Marathon - Nike Race

I prefer to start a middle distance race slightly faster (no more than 5 to 10 seconds per mile) than goal race pace for the first 1 to 2 miles and then settle into a steady pace. Many around the NYRR scene are familiar with Great New York Team Coach & running Guru Bob Glover - in the Competitive Runner's Handbook sums it up well, 'The primary source of energy during the early stage of a race will be the glycogen stored in the muscles. If the paces unusually fast in the first few minutes, the quantity of glycogen used will be markedly great and the muscle's stores will be seriously depleted. At the same time, the by-products of rapid glycogen breakdown may result in a large production of lactic acid, which increases the acidity of the muscle fibers. Proper pacing can minimize the threat of glycogen depletion and lesson the chance of premature exhaustion. Start too fast in a long race and you'll 'hit the Wall' due to glycogen depletion. In a long race, you'll suffer longer and may run so low on energy that you can't finish. Of course I know this Coach Glover, but I'm hard headed. I also was versed on this article and wisdom before the race: "Starting your half marathon too fast can kill your chances of running a personal best even before you reached the 5km marker" - here's the article where that wisdom cometh - a great article on the pitfalls of starting out too fast in a Half Marathon. Today's Half Marathon was exciting for me - there I was lined up at the start, about 5' behind the fastest runners in the history of the world - that is not an exaggeration. There was Haile Gebrselassie, Robert Cheruiyot, Catherine Ndereba. If you play Golf, this is like being out on the course with Tiger Woods. I was just way too excited - and summarily "rabbited" the race ya'll and in the process killed my chances of running a Personal Best before I even reached the 5km marker - and I should know better ya'll. Today I ripped the first mile at a Personal Best 5:56. I have no business running mile 1 at 5:56 - I've never ran that fast - not even in a 5K - 3.1 Mile race - and here I was going 13.1? When I saw the time clock I freaked - I thought, "crap - I'm rabbiting".....I knew I was flirting with disaster - tried to throttle down - hit mile 4 at 24:00 - 6:00 pace in the first 4 miles? I should have been at a 6:25- 6:27 pace - I was fried - toast - spent in Mile 5, rabbit'ed - parhaps too many carrots the day before ya'll. I never got comfortable or relaxed - too freaked over how fast I was running - I had a Gel @ Mile 5 but it was too late - I was done - seriously slowed down my pace - hit the 10K / 6.2Mile mark at about 41:25 or so but had no more energy, no gears, I tried to disparately find a place to simply cruise & maintain - or really "Hold On" to a 6:30 - 6:40 pace but I was done by the time we exited Central Park - knowing that - and how I screwed this one up - I thought about friends who wished me luck and reminded me to have fun. With that I stopped obsessing over my bodily gauges so to speak - and looked at my surrounding as I ran down midtown - the barricades were up, lots of people cheering on runners - I saw a group of kids from some sort of organization going crazy screaming but they were far away from the runner's path, so I kind of veered to the far left and screamed to them, "give me some high fives".....and as I ran I "high fived about 30 - 40 kids" - very fun, very cool....I removed my competitive cap - and just tried to enjoy the ride - but really ya'll, I was spent, done for sure @ mile 8. Mentally I thought continue giving total effort - but just take this thing home injury free - and turn the page with another lesson learned. I don't know my precise time, something like a 1:30:30 or thereabouts - wasn't total disaster and yes it was hot and got more humid that the morning progressed. But I run Halfs on tougher courses with no training in the Winter in the teens - temp wise @ 1:31:30, Yes, I still cracked a AG% of 70% - Hoo Ray! But I ran this race last year 2 minutes faster in no where near as strong a condition as I am today - it is this context and perspective that leaves me feeling very ho-hum about today. In life I've been very "smooth under fire" - however I also like to think I am not one to not be phased by my company, my surroundings, overly excited, and able to be drawn out of "me", my composure and sense of personal awareness - well, today I was - I gotta work on that - I am way too seasoned of a runner to be making the kind of errors I made today - It's not how you start off in anything in life - it's how you finish - kind of like the arc of lives - There's a rhythm to life & racing and I'm just trying to get it all in sync.....but as stated, I am turning the page, tomorrow is a new day - have a fantastic Sunday!

Running Relentlessly

Last posting until Monday, and about to have my last meal - from the Uptown Juice Bar - Their culinary style is a Carribean - Vegetarian mash-up. This place does more things with Soy than I've ever seen anywhere, it's on 125th St. in between Lenox & 5th, check the link for the reviews which are all great. All 100% vegan. There is an overwhelming variety of menu options - Generally I'll order a plate of something like Curried Chickpeas, Soy Chicken, Brown Spicey Rice, & Okra, maybe some type of tofu - Carbo rich - glycogen creating, etc. you got it! Great pre-race food to build up glycogen stores. Uptown Juice Bar is really quite amazing in that they turn "Soy" into their version of chicken, steak, fish, etc. and I guarantee you it is the best faux meat you've ever had, all sorts of wraps, salads, sandwiches, patties, and again, you'll be stunned with what they can do with soy. You get a ton of food for $10 and 2 people can split a plate - it's always been more than enough for me - might even get a Carrot Moss Shake while there too. In fact I think I'll get 3 or 4 Carrot Juice concoctions at the Juice bar and have them flip it 3 - 4 different ways - they're pretty good at that. They have fresh Wheatgrass, ginger, OJ, beets, lots of runners swear by good 'ol Carrot Juice! Heck I might even wear orange tomorrow in praise of the mighty carrot! They're expecting me over at the Juice Bar & have my dish ready. Yup, last food 22 hours before the race - I love to run on an empty stomach - which is not to be confused with a nutritionally depleted body. It was 72F with 90% humidity at 7am today 24 hours before the race - it may well be like this at race time - people will be falling out on that course if it's as warm and humid as this ya'll. Anyway for the rest of they day I will only consume liquids - likely lots of carrot juice mash-ups. That guy on the right is a runner I've met, mentioned on this blog before, that's Ryan Hall, the fastest American Half-Marathon runner ever. Ryan thinks one thought - has one motto 24 hours before his races, and that's "It's Time To Slay The Dragon". That's where I'm at, that's how I feel - I am ready for this - through the heat & humidity -. BIB # 593. If anyone's watching results. Like Ryan I have a singular thought I take into races - it is taken from a song called, "Poetry" and the words are, "it's like the grass that grows between the cracks of ghetto streets, relentless inspite of the neverlasting". That's how I plan to run - have a great day!

Beat the Race Calculator & Defy the Magic 8 Ball

I ran 4.5 miles @ 80% on Thursday morning, finished @ 9am, that was my final training run prior to the start of the NYC Nike Half Marathon. My legs felt fatigued later in the day - they feel slightly recovered this Friday morning. I am giving myself 70 hours of non-running prior to the start of the race. I trained aggressively right up through Thursday morning, no real taper. The goal is not experience any "de-training" - not "over train", but indeed "peak" on Sunday morning. It's all a calculated risk of knowing yourself and your body relative to the task at hand, in this case 13.1 in heat & humidity. The key here as is for every race is to run "relaxed". There's going to be a lot of excitement at the start and I can't caught up in it. I've mapped out the entire course in my mind & have a strategy, it's pretty simply, 1) race all out in Central Park @ 6:30 min/mile pace heat be damned and exit Central Park - the 7.5 mile portion of the course in 48 Minutes. 2) Recover & collect myself as the course flattens out for the next 1.5 miles and 10 Minutes. It would be a dream to hit mile 9 at 58 Minutes. Even with some cushion factored in, I've mentally prepared to hit mile 9 at 1 hour into the race. That gives me 27 minutes to rip 4.1 miles. Damn - this is going to be a tall order indeed. The problem with all this is the heat & humidity is not factored into the equation. Once I factor that into the equation. Real world ya'll? More times than not the better race calculators are on target, one of the best that I use is Runworks and they pegged me coming in at 1:29:28 or 6:49.5 per mile (weather conditions factored in). Their pace calculators allow for temperature, elevations changes, etc. (real world variables). It's a good thing I have a higher source and authority than the Runworks race calculator! When I really want an accurate predictor of the future I turn to my trusty "Magic 8 Ball". Everyone knows about the Magic 8 Ball, right? Not particularly pleased with this 1:29:28 number I went to the Magic 8 Ball and said, "Will I run sub 1:27:12 & PR despite the weather?" First reply was, "Concentrate and ask again". So I shook up the Magic 8 Ball again repeated the question and got the following reply, "Signs Point To Yes". Now that's what I'm talking about! Yeah Baby!! Gotta love the Magic 8 Ball. Hey, it's Friday, the weekend - while I'm on a roll let me tap into the Magic 8 Ball once again, "Will I have a date this weekend"? [Shaking the 8 Ball] Reply says, "My Sources Say No". What? That's not what I want to hear, give me something like, "Without a doubt" or "It Is Decidely So". Okay, so I have my weekend goals: 1) Beat the Race Calculator and 2) Defy the Magic 8 Ball. Have a wonderful day!

Running with High Turnover

Wednesday was hot! Ran 6 morning miles @ 80%, that night in about 82F clocked 4.5 more @ 80% all down Lenox Ave. & Central Park - a lot more miles than I had planned so close to race date but I was working on techniques and strategies. Since I am going for speed in my Half Marathon race on Sunday - I am trying to hone in on and up my "turnover" game. I'm an advanced runner - but the benefits of concentrating on "turnover" are even greater for beginners and intermediates. Wanna run faster? When running distance , shorter and quicker strides lead to faster running times. Plainly spoken - getting your feet back on the road surface to propel forward again - theoretically you want to be constantly propelling creating a "paddlewheel" effect you might say wherein paddles are constantly in the water propelling. That's the basic idea. Plus shorter strides require less force at push-off and reduce the need for vertical displacement (up and down movement). Don't confuse this with pulling the leg backward faster increasing both turnover and stride length. The result of this is such a high running speed that it will not be sustainable. That is sprinting, not efficient distance running. Again, don't confuse the two! A better strategy for learning higher turnover running is to concentrate on quick leg recovery. This increases turnover, but allows a slightly shorter stride. I've read that that you can decrease stride length by 15%, you increase turnover by 20% & run faster (and be able to sustain it). Make sure that there is no pause at the completion of the follow through and drive the knee forward quickly. Running with a higher turnover (stride rate) allows you to establish a slightly forward leaning body position, produce a footstrike position closer to the centre of your foot, use less energy per stride, rebound quicker off your ground-contact leg, decrease vertical oscillation, increase forward propulsion. This is the key for me to run fast on Sunday in my race and what I am dialing in on in the last training days. If you really are into "turnover", here's a great article on optimal turnover for efficient running. I'm going out to rip 6 miles in the morning heat - have a great day!

Measuring Up New York City

Tuesday nights run came 36 hours after my previous run - this is the most rest I had between runs in 7-8 weeks - wow did it feel good- in the heat I ran 6 miles at about a 6:45 min/mile pace or at about 95%. I treated the run as a "dress rehearsal" for Sunday's Half Marathon. The first 7.5 miles of that race are in Central Park so I want to exit that park no sooner than 47:45 into the race, no later than 48:15. That's a 30 second zone to hit - heat & humidity be damned! Course strategy is a factor! Last night in Central Park Jim Gerwek. Managing Editor of Running Times & one of these official IAAF and USATF course certifiers unloaded his bike to begin measuring the course for Sunday's race. Measuring the course is a very serious business ya'll. They do this for every race, every time, with something called a "Jones Counter". That's one on the left and right above, mounted on bicycles. Jim said, "The first seven miles in the park were relatively uneventful, save for racing the DOT work crews who were preparing to pave the southern section of the park roadway (we exited the park just as they were laying the first yards of hot asphalt). At that point we went across the street on Seventh Avenue and met our escort from the NYPD, who would provide us with some semblance of protection as we measured the final miles on city streets. As the three of us resumed riding, the police fell in behind, lights flashing, as we headed south to Times Square. Even at 11:30 on a Tuesday night, New York proved that it is definitely the City That Never Sleeps. The sidewalks were packed, and the traffic was as heavy as it is at rush hour. In the dark, the thousands of neon and LCD lights illuminated the scene with a light that was brighter than midday, yet eerily unnatural. Cutting the tangent across four lanes of traffic was an adventure, but our uniformed protectors were more than up to the challenge, and they continued to literally watch our backs the remaining miles. Fortunately, a NYRR vehicle was waiting at the finish to transport us and our bikes back to the park, where we recalibrated and made the final adjustments to the start location. So, if you're among the 10,000-plus runners who follow the route next Sunday, rest assured you're running 21,097.5 meters, and not a step less". Note "The Shortest Possible Path Concept is what's employed in this race and all "professional" races. This means you do not stay inside the double lines (recreation lane) whilst in Central Park, you shave all corners as close as possible as in the diagram above. GPS does not provide the accuracy of the good 'ol Jones Counter for this reason, the shortest possible path concept. But what is pretty cool is the gmap-pedometer. Using Google Maps, you can measure any route using either a standard map view or satellite pictures. You can save or print your route, switch between miles and kilometers, and see the elevation profile. It's nothing short of amazing to be able to obtain your exact running route distance with tremendous accuracy from the front door of wherever you live to whereever you run and back - everyone should be using this free tool! I'm off for a morning run - hope I measure up come Sunday! Have a terrific Wednesday!