Change of Address

I am now posting at chefcooke.com/runningthenumbers

Frozen Feet

At 7:52, I started a 23.08 mile bike ride, that lasted 1:34:51 (h:m:s), which puts me at an average speed of 14mph (or about a mile every 4 minutes). I was surprised, because I Google said the ride would take something over 2 hours. I imagined that with street traffic, Google would be right, so I was delighted with the end result. Another surprise was my being able to follow Google's directions from memory without getting significantly lost or having to backtrack from missing a turn.

It was freezing, from beginning to end. When my body finally did warm up internally, it was still surrounded in a shell of wind chill and numbness, that sucked the heat right out. There was an abridged ride home in the evening, who miles I didn't record, that was equally piercing to the core. Riding my bicycle doesn't always give me the free space to think, because I place so much attention to my surroundings, making sure I just finish the ride. The price of speed.

External Forces

At 16:33, I started a 4.12 mile run, which lasted 27:41 (m:s) for an average pace of 6:42. I also had a personal best mile of 5:44 for the final mile in the run. I normally prefer to run in the morning, but a combination of two things inspired me to run this evening. On my bike ride home, there was a beautiful sunset over Cambridge and I haven't run in a while! There were actually a number of compounding thoughts that went through my head to make the decision to run, those were the larger more significant ones though.

I would like to think that I am internally driven and not very effected by my environment. Even if that is the case some of the time, it was not the case today. I didn't get out of bed this morning because it felt so cold in the world beyond my sheets. I spent much of the day in an office, feeling unfocused, with overcast clouds looming outside. I finally broke free of the rut because of the external forces outside of my will. Now that I've recognized this play that exists between myself and the environment... what next?

The photo above is from a shot I took in New York last year, and has a similar feel to the Cambridge/Boston Sunset tonight.

Less

40 minutes of yoga that ended with my removing the desk from my room. Now I have less space to clutter, and more space to breathe.

Untitled 7

At about 14:30, I started 9 mile run that lasted 1:04 (h:m) for an average speed of 7:07 (m:s). Thoughts are too scattered to focus them into words. I started out in one place, and ended up in another. There was a point in the middle, where I was a certain amount of peace. Then I had to concentrate back on my goal, and things became muddled again.

Having a routine makes things clearer for me.

Rain

At 09:44, I started a 4.81 mile run that lasted 33:01 (m:s) for an average pace of 6:52 (m:s). It was in the rain, I dislike running in the rain very much, but I love running even more. Having a goal or a vision aids in overcoming obstacles, however small or large they be.

High

At 07:40, I started a 13 mile run that lasted 1:26 (h:m) for an average pace of 6:40 (m:s). That is close to a PR, which is pretty good considering it was just on the sidewalk with all the regular traffic that is part of that.

I feel as though I started the run about an hour before I actually put rubber to asphalt. I woke up at about 06:30 today, and remained in bed until almost ten or so minutes before that actual act of running. I did spend that time listening to music and just relaxing. Normally I sit in bed debating whether or not I should get up, that kind of debate was not happening in my head this time. Instead, I listened to music, and just relaxed my mind, similar to what I do when I'm on a run.

I probably only had two and half to three hours of sleep leading up to the run. I was on a high through out the entire run, start to finish. There are some situations, no matter how awesome, you probably just can't duplicate. There is just so much more to them than the aspects which we remember.

Afternoon Cycle

It was such a nice day on today, that I went for an evening ride far into the west. I logged at least 20 miles, but didn't keep track exactly. It was much farther than I planned, and interrupted other meetings I had scheduled. I need to re-evaluate my plans and how I stick to them.

Untitled 6

At 07:22, I started a 5.31 mile run, that lasted 38:34 (m:s) for an average pace of 7:15 (m:s).

The weather was warm, the sun was out, and the leaves were an explosion of oranges, yellows and reds. Generally, I felt good, I also felt a little clutzy, as though I was tripping over myself. Part of the goal of running, was to give my life some perspective and goals outside of work. Work is getting busier and busier, and pushing up more and more against the line I've tried to draw separating work and life. As I try to adjust, I feel as though I'm fumbling trying to balance them.

Untitled 5

At 09:00, I started a 5.23 mile run hat lasted 36:33 (m:s), for an average pace of 6:59 (m:s). It was much more humid than I anticipated. Whether it was the humidity or somethig else, the run felt like wading through a warm bowl of lentil soup. The run lasted a very long time, and no matter how many people I ran past, it only felt like I was going slower and slower.

I've been having quite a few conversations lately about self discipline and what does that mean. It doesn't really work for me to write about that though. I find myself tailoring conversations to each individual person I talk to. Listening to what their thoughts and reactions, and responding in a manner appropriate to what I hear. Todays run started late from a lack if discipline earlier in the morning. It eventually did happen because this is what I want and love to do.

Untitled 4

At 08:50, I started a 5.15 mile run that lasted 37:36 (m:s), for an average pace of 7:17, and an estimated burn of 555 calories. I purchased the Nike+GPS App this morning, and tried it out. I like the in app simplicity and controls using the headphone remote. I turned off the mid-run voice feedback, which is one of the reasons I stopped using the original Nike+ a few years ago. The Nike+ website is a little less simple, so it appears for every plus, each running app I've encountered has various drawbacks. Strands was overly complicated inside the app, and had a GPS malfunction during one run that was just odd. Kinetic had a simple well designed in app interface, but had an odd pacing measurement. Run Keeper (free version) is the one I've had the most time with, and am used to. It is a "nice, but" design, which makes on par with Nike+GPS right now. I'll switch between those two over the next few weeks.

The run itself was chilly. I wore a long sleeve shirt and spandex leggings under my shorts. The run was manageable with this attire, though some gloves would go a long way. Mid way through the run, it felt as though my hands were the size of boxing gloves from the numbness. It was a pleasure to cros over the river, into the warmth of the sun.

The suddenness with which I purchased the Nike+GPS app in the morning and went for the run, later inspired me to head off to New York for the weekend. There will be no running there, but lots of walking, bakeries and museums.

Yoga

1 hour of yoga, early in the morning.

Newport Marathon

Today I ran the Newport Marathon, 3:35 (h:m), which was a personal best by about 15 minutes. The marathon was a mixture of Marathoners and Half-Marathoners, and I made the mistake of pacing with the Half-Marathoners for the first half of the marathon, for a time of about 1:23 (h:m), also a personal best. Because of this, I was in 4th place for the full marathon at the half way point and on to about mile 16.5. After that, it was a painful battle to keep pace after not having done so for the previous 16 miles.

I am very happy because I did get a personal best. I am now reminded of how important it is to pace myself, and going to put serious thought into how to pace myself better. Running smarter would do a lot to help me run faster. One thought on running smarter, writing out what times I should be hitting at each mile, and a watch/iPhone to see if I'm hitting those times, with the ability to adjust mid race.

It was a very beautiful day for a marathon, with clear skies, amazing foliage, and some running along the ocean. It was also miserably cold at the 08:00 start of the marathon. Standing around, waiting for it to start, I was shivering uncontrollably and imagining my muscles twisting around in my body to avoid being near the skin. As with one of my training runs, I started out very fast to warm my body up, and never really mellowed out to a more manageable pace. I told myself to relax many times during the first half, but now in hindsight, I didn't.  

There were not many lengthy thoughts that went through my head during the marathon. It was more of an emotional experience. If I was to recall this marathon in my head, it would be like an old relationship, that I look back on fondly, for its ups and downs. Filled with moments of warmth and unintentional coldness, a mid-point high that carried the relationship for a good portion after. Finally though, it ended in pain and heartache. I'm not sad about it though, because there were good times, and I want to do another one, because I think I'm wiser for the experience, and know a bit more what I can give and what I expect in return.

Yoga in the Dark

This morning I did Yoga in the dark. It was early morning and there wasn't enough light coming in from the window. I still only have the overhead light in my room which I really dislike using. So, I started stretching in the dark, and it was one of the most fulfilling sessions I've had while doing Yoga on my own.

I'm still having vivid dreams. They are occurring earlier and earlier. It seems that way because now I wake up at times such as 01:00 and 04:00 on my own without any alarm. This morning to do Yoga, I had risen and staid awake since 05:00.

Cold Run

At 07:22, I started a 4.68 mile run that lasted 30:34 (m:s), with an average pace of 6:53.

I tried using a new application, Kinetic, to measure my run. The app has a cleaner design layout than RunKeeper. RunKeeper feels better in how it outputs the data, both the display of it and the numerical data. Specifically, it lets me know how fast I was going at any point in the run using pace (where Kinetic uses mph, which feels odd). I believe I'm set with RunKeeper. The most attractive feature of Kinetic was that it had a delayed start feature, which was nice, because I'm always fumbling with putting my iPhone in my pocket after starting RunKeeper, handicapping the first part of my run, it's not too big of a problem though.

It was really cold this morning. I was running quite fast at first to warm up, by about fifteen minutes into the run, I was finally at a good internal temperature. I enjoy the crisp air, and how it slightly dries out my mouth. I think I'm going to run a marathon this weekend.

Sleep

At 19:00, did 45 minutes of Yoga. Was able to stretch to lengths I haven't been able to in a while with ease. Probably has to do with muscles having so much time to recover since my last run. This has left me very calm and at ease, setting a great tone for the rest of the night.

I have been sleeping in lately. Getting a solid seven to eight hours of sleep each night. The last hour of sleep has been very important, as I've had some extremely vivid dreams. The content of the dreams is indiscernable static when trying to remember them now. What has stuck is the emotional impact and the characters in the dream. They have been filled with friends, some of who I have not seen in a long time. I'm reminded of the Directors commentary to Donnie Darko, where Richard Kelly talks about each character having their good-bye moment with Donnie. I don't feel as though my dream friends are saying good-byes, so much as reminders of our encounters and shared experiences. I wake up very relaxed because of it.

The following TED Talk is on the topic of sleep, so I think it appropriate to share now.

Ipswich

25 miles of bicycling with friends in New England. Wonderful weather, the beach, a maize maze and super chill night riding down Mass 1A. The air was so fresh and crisp, that I could practically take a bite out of it with my mouth. Also there was plenty of food; donuts, pizza, fresh apples, hot cider, warm soup and of course, ice-cream.

(B)icicle Forward

A beautiful fall day in Massachusetts begged me to go out and play. So I ended up going some 25 miles on my bicycle in about 2 and half hours. A lot of it was spent going down small side streets and backtracking, when I seemed to end up on streets not attractive to cycling. At the end of it though, I ended up in Salem, with an October/Fall Festival going on. The main walk way was full of people and stands selling cider, caramel apples and fried dough. Many of the witchcraft shops had long lines of people waiting to get in. And walking tours of Salem were being advertised left and right.

The day was filled with powerful gusts that made me feel as though my bike my blow over. At other times, they came straight on, and I felt as if I was bicycling in place. And finally, the wind squeezed my muscles into shivering tension as I walked around Salem.

There was a point somewhere in the middle of the ride, that I wanted to turn around, because the roads were so unfriendly. The problem was that friendly or not, turning around meant turning back into the very streets that were disorienting me. The best option was to continue going forward, to places I had not been before and the hope of sights with more potential than what I had come from.

The Wall

At 13:41, started a 7.96 mile run that lasted for 53:16 (m:s), for an average pace of 6:42. It was a beautiful day, so I decided to take off from work for an extended lunch to go for the run that I missed in the morning. Eating lunch before hand was not a good idea, as I spent some of the time during the run, keeping it down. A good portion of the later half of the run was telling myself that my mind and body were separate, so that I might push myself harder. I attempted to do this, because there were times during the run were it seemed to happen naturally. Getting so lost in thoughts, that it seemed as though the body were on autopilot.

It felt good to get out. The rain has been a difficult barrier to overcome. I feel as though my mind has been encountering many obstacles as well, and is in some way feeling trapped. The separation of mind and body was a surprising reminder of the possibilities outside of my current funk. I really didn't consider myself to be in a funk until I stopped to think about it, post the glimpse over the wall I was up against that the run temporarily broke through.

Overcast Yoga

This morning I did an hour of Yoga. Staying in a room and focusing on what my body is doing, rather than where it is going, allowed for space to focus my mind as well. The photo is where I was.

Calm and Cool

13 miles in 1:30 (h:m), thats about as good as the first half of the first marathon I ever ran. It was overcast and cool this morning, which was halting at first, then contributed to less overheating and an ability to maintain a smoother pace (6:55). It did make the walking warm down a little chilly though.

Thought Log: I spent all of yesterday doing nothing, I should make today count. I'll run around the river twice, that will be half a marathon. What? More walk-a-thons, this will really interfere with my plans. I'll have to take an alternate route. Run out 7 or so miles, then come back. Don't check the clock, just run. Going through neighborhoods feels faster than running next to the river. This is the decision I've made, I'll just have to stick with it. Jay-walk, check both ways, clear, go. Red light, run down the side street and go come back when opposing light turns yellow. I've been here before, with someone other than who initially came to my mind. Keep going. Running shop and a bike store, I should come back to this area. I recognize this place, just not from this angle. Turn around, I still feel like I have a lot of energy left. Another group of people, I don't recognize them though. Different than the walkers, they're running. I'm running faster. Speed up, catch that light. Coming back to where the walk-a-thoners are, should cross and run on the opposing street. Friends come to my mind. I should invite people to run with me in March. I should take a pole or something and find out who would be interested. Check the clock now, I should be close to thirteen miles. Only 4/10 of a mile left! Go go go! That was one of the easiest runs I've had in a long time. Have courage on your half-marathon Spring, today seems like a very good day to run. I need to read Murakami. It's chilly. What the?! of all things, why does my shoulder hurt? Take the quieter back road. The day is only beginning, I'm looking forward to the rest of it.

Dreaming

Thoughts during running are like dreams during sleep. Unless I commit them to paper immediately afterwards, there is little chance of remember what was going through my head. The emotional power of the thoughts are equally hard to relate the farther I get from the finish of a run. I started off today thinking about imagination as I watched clouds flow through the morning sky over Boston. And now, only an hour or two away from the finish, I can't remember what I was imagining. I know it felt uplifting though.

06:41, 7.47 miles in 54:52 (m:s) for an average pace of 7:21.

Good Pace

At 17:56, I ran 3.91 miles in 26 minutes, averaging 6:39 pace. This was a remnant of running with my roommate this past weekend and realizing how fast we could go. It was challenging in the beginning to keep the pace, and got slightly easier towards the middle of the run. As soon as I stopped and had a minute or so to recover, I felt ready to go again. The last half mile was spent just telling myself to just keep pushing. First mentally, then under my breath verbally. I passed a rollerblader in the the last mile, and when I stopped running, and started to warm down, he passed by me and complimented me on my pace. It felt good to hear that.

Thoughts during the run? This is pretty good weather. This is harder than I thought. It's hot. The sun is in my eyes. Can't stop to take a picture. This is getting easier all of a sudden. If I speed up just slightly, I can pass this person before that oncoming runner gets to us. My shoes match my shirt. Run faster up this ramp. If I see someone drowning in the water, remove keys and phone and ask someone to watch them, tell someone my name, and jump in, arms across my chest feet first. Would be a good idea to remove shoes as well. I wonder if matching shoes and shirt has a positive effect on my speed? Last stretch. Last stretch. Last stretch. Sorry mind, I was lying, this is actually the last stretch, keep going.

Triple Double Single Large

4.85 mile run in 44 minutes, though there were a number of long stop lights in there. I ran with my roommate, and at the end we were pushing 5:59 pace (not for the whole mile, but part of it which counts for something). I also biked something like 50 miles. And swam about 500 yards, in Walden Pond.

The biking distance was aided by a side trip out to Kimball Farms Ice-Cream stand. Where in windy overcast, water drop filled air, I got a large (which was about a quart of) chocolate and cookies 'n' cream in a waffle cone. My lips were numb from eating fast, my internal body temperature dropped to shivering, and it was worth it. I spent the next 10 miles pounding down on the largest gear of my bike to work up some internal heat again.

Prior to that episode, I went to Walden Pond, with a copy of Henry David Thoreau's writings. It was already overcast by the time I arrived. I parked my bicycle and walked around to find a spot to swim in. When I finally did, I tested the water and found it to be quite cold. So I sat on a rock at the edge, and debated whether or not to go all in. I was good with the situation just sitting at the edge of water. I was afraid to go in the pond because it would change things. I knew the water was cold, but I didn't know how everything else was. I finally took the plunge, and immediately realized how great it was to be swimming around in fresh water. It tasted great and I didn't want to get out.

Patience

16 + miles in 2 something hours, had another device error, hence the approximations. Now I'm not sure if its me or the machine. Was keeping a pace between 7:13 and 7:24 per mile. Slower at the end, but still felt good. Was able to recover, pretty quickly, and am realizing that I'm not really sticking to my training plan. I am enjoying myself though, which just might be more important.

Today was wrapped in thoughts about patience, persistance and pacing. Though running was not the focus of those topics at all points through the run. As an analogy though, running is a nice contained example where these things are easy to measure and maintain. When I go out on a run, there is start and stop point. If I spend the first half focusing on relaxing and taking it easy, I can go fairly fast, while leaving enough energy to focus on form in the later half of the run. Life is not so easy, because with many things the measuring posts do not exist to easily gauge how fast one should go, or what one should be focusing on at the time. Admittedly though, some of my best runs are the ones with little initial plan in which I go by feel. I do maintain some sense of how far I've gone, and how long I've been running though, so it is not as though I've thrown out every sense of reflection out. And maybe that's how life should be lived.

8 Mile Surprise

At 06:57, I started an 8.1 mile run, that lasted 58:14 (m:s), an average pace of 7:18, for an estimated burn of 929 calories. The surprise was that I did 8 miles in under an hour. I actually woke up at 05:40 this morning, laid in bed, contemplated life, checked and responded to email, and got up to eat some cereal (402 calories) because I was hungry.

When I finally started the run, I felt slow and stiff. Every step lasted twice as long as normal in my head. I saw the sun rise over Boston through a foggy haze that held on to the city with every single ray, like a parent sending a child off on their first day. It made the early morning start sweeter, and created a small longing that I should have started a little earlier. As I got closer and closer to the end of the run, I started to pick up my pace. Slowing down would only make things take longer, so might as well push harder and get it over with. As I was finishing the run, I noticed I was 7.5 miles and decided to keep going past 8. The reward was hitting 8, and then noticing it was under an hour of running.

After the run, I had a Blueberry Banana Smoothie, 323 calories, and Steel Cut Oatmeal with Flaxseed 840 calories. I never knew steel cut oats were so densely packed, it makes sense though.

Hungry

At 09:40, started a run of 4.3 miles, that lasted 32:40 (m:s). It was intended to be a casual run, possibly an extended warm down from yesterday. It started out painful and stiff. About a quarter of the way into the run though, I started feeling a lot better. Without realizing it, I descended all my miles from about 8:30 down to 5:40. As I continued to walk home after the run, I was delighted at how much better I felt after the run, rather than before it. Now, some odd ours later after stopping, sitting in a chair, I feel the need to lay out on a couch, and stare at the ceiling.

Last night, I went to bed full. I woke up hungry, and ate some cereal. I was still hungry, but went for the run anyway. I had a large breakfast afterwards, and was full to the point I could barley lift my head, and now, only an hour or two later, I'm starving again. Food has been on my mind a lot over the past few days. Constantly and incessantly. People often ask me some form of "what fuels/motivates me to run?" This recent barrage of hunger has me thinking about the answer to that, both physically and mentally. I'm sorting through the answer still.

Far and Alone

At 09:00, I started a run that was about 20 miles and took something like 2:50 (h:m). I'm not sure how long it actually was or took, because there was a user interface error somewhere in the middle, and I lost track of exactly how far I ran. When it did stop, my average pace was at 7:46/mile, though I feel the later miles pushed that closer to 8:00/miles. I did finish at a little after noon, and started to walk back home as part of my warm down.

This was a lesson in multiple errors. Aside from not getting the correct readout from my tracking device, I also failed to bring any food or water with me. By about mile 16, my mouth was parched and I was dying for water. When I finally did get to a water fountain in a park somewhere around mile 20, I was a little out of sorts. I had to mentally tell myself not to cross the street until the light turned green. And when the warm water from the fountain hit my mouth, relief rushed through my body as the water was absorbed.

I thought a lot about pancakes and smoothies at the end of the run. The thought of engorging myself on these two items at the end of the run kept me going for the last part of it.

Something that did work out for the run, was making a three hour plus playlist of mellow music, randomly interspaced with songs that were audible reminders to push a little harder, and make sure I was keeping good form. A phone call from a friend in the middle of the run had a similar effect as well. I might consider calling people during runs, it was more fun to have it as a surprise for me though.

Zig Zag

At 07:27 I ran 4.84 miles in 35:38 (h:m) for an average pace of 7:22 (m:s) and estimated burn of 529 calories. It was a casual start, that zig zagged around neighborhoods avoiding red lights and busy streets.

The initial portion of the run was spent being surprised at how many runners I saw zipping around in my starting area. I normally only see one or two before I reach the river, but within my first few minutes, I counted at least four or five runners. A good portion of my thought went into coming up with haiku's, poems and song lyrics about how frustrated I am with UPS for shipping my bike back to the sending address two times now. I can understand the first error, but don't say you have it figured out, not even bother to ask me to confirm the address, and make the same mistake again. I could have rode the bike across the country in the time it has taken so far.

When I run faster, I think more about moving forward and less about everything else.

Stretch

One hour of Yoga. Spent in my room, with the blinds closed, patiently going through the positions I remember from memory. Remembering and reflection are almost complimentary. Searching through my mind for how I practiced before had the added benefit of focusing me very directly on what I was doing at the moment. Concentrating on my breathing and body movements, I tried to make sure I was stretching in a manner similar to the past. The best way to be sure of it was to feel it.

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At 06:31, I ran 7.72 miles in 56:13 (min:sec), for an average pace of 7:18 and an estimated burn of 885 calories.

It was one of my earliest starts, which I'm very happy with. It was also a very cold and overcast morning, which was tough at first, until the weather just faded into the background. I spent time drifting in and out of a problem in my mind. Considering emotional attachment and ethical responsibility. I've been working on a project, that I allowed myself to take a backseat in, and let everyone else fight the harder battles. It is about time that I start to invest more than my time into the project, or that I consider walking away. Those two  options represent extremes, and even if neither of them are the outcome I choose, it is about time that I stop occupying the middle ground.

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At 09:36, I start a run of 14.24 miles that lasted 1:51:40 (hour:min:sec), for an average pace of 7:51 and a caloric burn of 1,613. When I saw how much I burned, I wondered how I was going to eat enough food in the day to make up for it.

I would much prefer to start my runs earlier in the day. I'm thinking 06:00 start times rather than 0:90 start times. Getting to sleep earlier would help with getting up earlier. I didn't plan for today to be such a long run. When I started out, I thought it would be an easy five or six miles. The six miles did happen, at that point though, I was six miles straight out from home, not six miles in a loop.

I realized that a lot of my thoughts while I run are small random, fleeting dances of what is going on in my life. The provides a nice backdrop to think about them in a separate context, and then, most of the time, forget about them. Today I passed by a group of fire men lined up outside of their station, facing the flag pole, and I was reminded that it was September Eleventh. I jay-walked(ran) across the street towards a cemetery and thought that if I had mis-judged how far cars were away from the point I was crossing, I might be getting there sooner than desired. I passed by a number of small shops, and a classic American style dinner that might be worth visiting again. At the around the midpoint of the run, when I started to think about turning around, I thought about the scene in Forest Gump, when he says "I just felt like running."

White Lines

At 07:13, I started a 4.99 mile run, that lasted 36:22 (min:sec), that averages out to a pace of 7:19, with an estimated burn of 586 calories. I then went home and had a blueberry and banana smoothie, yogurt with cherries and 2 slices of rye bread, for a caloric gain of about 900, a little under one third of today's recommended count.

I hadn't reached more than a half mile from my house, when a car pulled out into the pedestrian cross walk zone of the street, almost striking me as I entered it. The driver hadn't bothered to slow down and stop at sign about 3 yards earlier. Luckily for her, I look both ways before entering the street, and stopped before she did. Had I not done so, she would not have been able to stop fast enough to prevent a collision.

I didn't really think about this too much for the rest of the run. I quickly shifted my mind to things like trying to catch up the cyclist in front of me, running down side streets to keep moving during stop lights, and considering how hard to push to catch up the the runner in front of me. A great deal of time on the run is spent sizing up other runners. "How hard does it look like she's running?" "What kind of mp3/earphone set-up does he have?" "What does her stride look like?" "At what area on the other side did I see these two, so how fast are they running?"

Rained In

I woke up at about 5am, and went back to sleep. When I awoke again at 7am, it was raining outside, and very quickly turned into a thunderstorm. I've run in the rain before, and yet didn't feel like it this time. I'm going to have to change that mindset. For now though, I've started some cross training, by doing about an hours worth of Yoga.

I originally started doing Yoga with a gentleman from India, while I was in Ghana. I was at a conference, and he did Yoga every morning, and offered to teach anyone who wanted to learn. I had never been interested in Yoga before, I decided to open up though. I didn't keep it up after the conference though. I then visited him in India a few months later, and again practiced Yoga with him, and again did not keep it up afterwards. I met up with him this past summer, and once again, practiced Yoga with him. This time though, I have practiced a few times since seeing him.

I'm very slow at remembering the poses and the breathing patterns. Some of the come back to me in flashes, as I'm doing one pose, my body will suddenly remember the next. For some reason, I am not as flexible as I was this past summer. I am wondering if it is because I am missing poses that stretched me out more before I got to a certain one, or if running has tightened me up (or maybe some as yet unthought of third option). 

My mind is very impatient when posing. It is a great counter to running, where my body is moving over the ground with a certain amount of speed. I find myself wanting to speed poses up, and get through the Yoga, but that is not the goal. So I wait, and I focus, and I try to go through at an even pace. It was pleasant to practice with a thunderstorm outside.

Untitled 1

At 9:19am, I start running 7.87 miles, which took me a total of 57:51 (minutes:seconds), that averages out to a 7:21 pace, with an estimated burn of 915 calories.

I was listening to the soundtrack from Friday Night Lights, by Explosions in the Sky. It is has a mellow tempo, that helped me to start off my run at a relaxed pace. There were a number of people out around the Charles River, running, relaxing and generally enjoying themselves on another beautiful day. Listening to soundtrack music was inspiring at times during the run, as it brought images of different scenes from the TV show (first season) to mind.

Timedora

At 9:15, I ran 4.72 miles in 32:53, which is an average pace of 6:58, with an estimated burn of 538 cal. It was a later start than I would have preferred, but it was such a beautiful and cool day out in Boston, that it was still a good time for a run. It will probably be a good day for a run the rest of the day as well. Maybe go for seconds this evening.

During the run, the weather was so good, that I didn't pay attention to what was going on internally. I mostly admired the scenery and sensation of being outside. There were few moments of introspective clarity.

A friend recently pointed me towards Cool Running from which I found an article at Active.com about runners stride, that I can't find a link to at the moment. I did find this article on the Perfect Training Week. The article on stride got me thinking about my stride 4 or 5 times throughout my run, to which I made a special emphasis towards the end of the run to maintain good stride, as the article recommended.

Looking at Active.com got me measuring my bodies statistics and calculating outputs (like optimal heartbeats per minute) and inputs (such as recommended caloric intake). I've started tracking my caloric intake, so soon I'll have more numbers to start talking about. Now, to just enjoy the beautiful day that is still going on outside.

Sunrise Squirrel

06:07, 7.48 mile run for 55:30 at an average pace of 7:25, with an estimated burn of 856 calories.

As I ran out to the street this morning, the sidewalk in front of me was littered with trash from the neighbors cleaning out what looked like old roommates items for the past ten years (mattresses, dressers, desks, multiple hefty bags one of which had a very funky smell). Upon continued running, I came across a squirrel, hopping along the street. It reminded me of previous conversations I've had with people about why squirrels are cute, while rats are repulsive. Some of the reasons discussed were that squirrels had fluffy tails, hopped around, and often live in trees (read above ground). This particular squirrel was standing in such a position that his front and back legs were close to each other and his body in an arch, mirroring the arch of his tail, all factors contributing to cuteness.

As I ran across the bridge near Harvard, and looked back over the river, I saw the sun rise through the haze over downtown Boston, with the coloring of salmon burnt sienna (wikipedia list of colors). I considered stopping to take a picture multiple times, but decided against it because I was having such a good time running. I should plan out some more casual runs so that I can stop to take photos along the way.

Un/Planned

Today started off at 06:53 (military time), with a 4.27 mile run for 30:49 (minutes:seconds), at an average pace of 7:13 (min/mi). Usually, I plan out my routes to see where I'm going and how far the distance is. This morning I awoke at 06:20, and stayed in bed checking email. By 06:40 I was making small adjustments to a music playlist then jumped out of bed and took off in a general direction. I didn't pay much attention to my pace this morning, and just enjoyed the run. As a result, I ended up discovering an alternate route to work that is more scenic.

Currently, I hold my phone in one hand, wrapped in a handkerchief so as to not get it sweaty, and my keys in the other hand, with one hand through the key ring for a better grip. I really don't like things bouncing around or jingling while I'm running. It might be a bit obsessive compulsive, but it disturbs me very much. I don't want to purchase an armband, because my arms are pretty small, and it feels a bit odd. So, I'm looking at purchasing a waist belt. Top contenders are the Nathan Shadow Pak, Nathan 5K, and SPI Belt. The Nathan brands are simply appealing because they are already branded with my name. I haven't made a final decision, but because of the brand name (vs brand name) I will probably get them, possibly both to see how they work, and they can always double for traveling abroad carrying passports and what not.

4.7 Miles

Today I ran 4.7 miles in 36 minutes. It averages to 7:40 miles, not as fast as the previous pace. This was timed more accurately, using the RunKeeper App on the iPhone.  I felt pressure to run faster than my previous time, but I didn't feel any faster. I used Nike+ a while back when it first came out, but stopped because of the effect measuring my times had on draining the fun out of running. I still have the shoes, they are in good shape, so I could try using it again as as an alternate to RunKeeper. It really doesn't matter which device I use, only that I learn to balance measuring performance with enjoying myself.

I didn't do all these calculations while running. I did spend most of my time wanting to look down at my pace though. Resisting because I knew that it would only slow me down and interrupt my flow. My mind was distracted during this run.

Having these minutes/mile times got me curious, what is a 3:10:00 (three hour ten minute) marathon pace? It is averaging 7:18 a mile, which doesn't leave much space for error. This doesn't seem like to tough of a pace to achieve in 3 months if I'm causally doing 7:40s right now. I shall see what I say about that 2 months from now. I'm optimistic that my optimism will remain, a small voice of practicality is in the back of my mind saying lets do some research to see what is possible.

5/40

Today I ran 5 miles in about 40 minutes (including the time waiting at stop lights). At about 4 to 6 minutes of waiting at stop lights in total, I estimate that when I was running, I averaged 7:00 minute miles. I'm looking into what kind of equipment I might purchase to more accurately assess my pace.

I started off the run thinking about my grocery list (eggs, butter, buttermilk, yogurt, oatmeal). About a mile into the run, I started going around the Charles River, joining many other runners and cyclists. There were a few moments when I was trying to catch up to people running in front of me as a mini-challenge. On one particularly beautiful straight away I was lucky enough to have no one in front of me. I just looked forward, closed my eyes, and had the wind in my face.

Somewhere in the middle of the run I started thinking about the trailer to the film I'm Still Here, about Joaquin Phoenix, directed by Casey Afflec. The trailer is clips of Joaquin with what sounds like a voice-over by Edward James Almos. I thought about what Edward was saying for a while during the run. I first thought about it, because I enjoy the sound of his voice, old and worn, and aged well like leather or wine. The quote goes something like this:

That's you, drops of water. And you're on top of the mountain, a success. But one day, you start sliding down the mountain, and you think, "wait a minute, I'm a mountain top water drop. I don't belong in this valley, this river, this little dark ocean, with all these drops of water." Then one day it gets hot, and you slowly evaporate into air. Way up, higher than any mountain top, all the way to the heavens. Then you understand that it was at your lowest that you were closest to god. Life's a journey that goes round and round, and the end is closest to the beginning. So if its change you need, relish the journey.

Sometimes it is very hard for me to start running. I know that once I start though, I'll enjoy myself. I can't think of one time that I've gone out running when I haven't. Sometimes I'll complain about how cold or hot it is, but really, I savor all of it.

Introduction

I am going to turn 29 next year, on the 29th of March. Seeing as my age and the date of my birthday aligned in twenty-eleven, I imagined that it called for something special. So, I’m going to run the numeric date, each day during the month of March until the 29th. For example, I will run 1 mile on the 1st, 2 miles on the 2nd… 15 on the 15th… and finally 29 miles on the 29th. This isn't completely new, I’ve been running my birthday since I was 20. This is just pushing myself a little further.

I’ve run about 8 official marathons in my life, 11 including my birthday’s since I was twenty-six.  My personal best is 3:50 in 2008. I have never trained for a marathon to my satisfaction. I have done a few without doing any running in the months leading up to it, including the personal best in 2008, though I was doing a lot of cycling at the time. This is something that is going to have to change if I am going to accomplish the task I have laid out before myself. So, in addition to the birthday run, I plan on qualifying for the Boston Marathon by December of twenty-ten. I’ve started planning a work-out routine of running and cross training, that still needs to be finalized.

This blog is for me to keep track of the efforts I make, and thoughts I have in preparation for the coming goals and milestones.