Dealing With What You Have

Yesterday's post by my friend, George Zack, and often an answer in the podcasts with Lucho at Endurance Planet, got me to thinking about what I'm actually doing with my workouts...are they training or just an outing to the woods?  Yes, I would prefer to run like I did in the past, but I simply can't. However, this year I truly believe that I can consider myself a runner, once again.  It took a lot of dealing with my knee arthritis and meniscus issues and a lot of hiking but can now sustain some real miles, albeit slower than what I remember.

I find myself reminiscing way too often and am also jealous when I see a younger runner go by with such ease in his gait. But I have also come to enjoy my extra time in the out-of-doors and actually get into the "flow" as discussed by Andy Jones-Wilkins in his column at iRunFar.com.  So as Lucho would put it, I do what I can and don't worry about what I no longer have any control over.

 I also thought a lot about the message presented by Aron Rolston at the NIACC auditorium last night. Dealing with boulders in your life and opportunities to change perspective on what is most important to you.  It was a very good, inspirational, and motivating talk and I was glad I had the opportunity to be there and that NIACC is able to arrange for such high quality events in their annual series.

Today went very well as I used a run to the high school, to deliver a student ID that I had found yesterday, as a warmup then hit the trails for my finishing loop at a pretty good clip.  As mentioned yesterday, it is very dry out and the river is unusually low for this time of year. 

10 mile run in AM and additional hiking later.

Recovery Hiking

I planned on no more than hiking today.  This made it possible for me to check out a couple other sources for podcasts, both of which turned out to be boring and rather ridiculous.  It's hard to beat the information and energy that come from my prefered podcasts at Ultrarunnerpodcast.com and from Endurance Planet.

It was calm in the woods and still wet from overnight rain.  I'm continued to be amazed by the amount of trash that shows up within a day or two on these trails.  I spent a little extra time to be sure to pickup even little wrappers and of course, all the cans and bottles.

10 miles.

At the Heart of the Issue

The only time I remember checking my heart rate during training was when a coach of mine in the late 1960's had the cross country team check their pulses between intervals on the track.  As I continued to run through the 70's and 80's, I would check and record my morning pulse before getting out of bed each morning (I still have the log books!).  But training for me back then was, and has continued to be, by feel.

Oh, I read about heart rate monitors and training zones but never took the expense nor initiative to determine or use this equipment.  A couple years ago, a basic Polar  Beat was given to me.  I used it briefly to see how it worked but then put it in a drawer. Since last year, I've been reading Lucho's blog and his discussions in comments  with other readers and recently listening to his podcasts on Endurance Planet.  I have become most curious about what's going on with my heart rate and how accurate my perceived exertion has been.

While taking care of errands this morning, I had the battery replaced in my Polar and took to the trails as soon as I got home.  What an interesting run....I walked, then ran, then slowed down, then forced the pace, then slowed down, then walked...all the while paying close attention to what happened to my pulse rate and how I felt.  I hadn't had this much fun while running for quite some time and nearly forgot about any pain in my knees. 

I'm surprised how fast the pulse drops back below 100 when I switch from run to hike.  I was also encouraged by how relaxed it felt when holding the rate between 135 - 140.  I guess I should get out and use the monitor in a test situation to help determine my specific zones.  A good project for this weekend!

10 miles

Diverse Opinions

Back on track with the routine...download new podcasts, put on the screw shoes, and hit the trails.  Listening to a new recording from Trail Runner Nation and realize that there is currently a wide gamut of opinions regarding footwear and injury prevention.  This podcast states we need to avoid orthotics at all costs and stresses barefoot (or socks only) at work and home whenever possible. It further claims that stretching is for bozos.  What are we to believe?  The exact opposite has also been promoted.

I guess we need to listen to the "experts" but choose what works for each of us as an individual.  I am game, however, to continue to ween myself away from the orthotics I've used for ten years.  I've already stopped running with them and have begun to go barefoot at home more often.  I still use orthotics in my normal use shoes.

There was still snow covered ice out there today but, as I discovered last week, it's easier to run on the ice than it is to hike.  Not bad traction and the time went by rather quickly.

12 miles mostly running with a few short hikes.

Blessed With Diversity

I've tried to capture some of the character of the trails afforded by the routes at Lime Creek through the use of photos during those runs.  So far, this year, I've been on the bluff trails, in the upland woods, or around the quarry.  But in addition to the rocks and woods there are also the prairies and a different terrain available.

I was having a great day of "real" running so I tacked on all of the prairie loops for a longer mileage day.  This boded well for the shoes I chose today, a new pair of Salomon Comp 3's that have been on our basement shelf a couple of years just begging to break out.  I also gained first hand evidence of much of an advantage I had been obtaining from the "screw" shoes I'd been using for the trails this week.  Much of the woods trails were ice and, without the screw shoes, I was slipping at times today.  It was actually easier to keep up the running pace rather than try walking on that stuff...as long as I didn't need to stop or change direction the running was fine.

Took advantage of the time to catch the latest podcast with Lucho.

15 miles today for 55 for the week

Redux

I revisited my thoughts about why I started this blog and whether to continue.  The intent was to provide me with not only a personal log but also a means to record photos and general observations in a chronological fashion.  To that end, I think it's working out pretty good.  Unfortunately, I catch myself commenting a lot on weather, trail conditions and such...stuff that is often lost in my conventional training log.

I began my outing by first updating the stickers on the back of my Jeep.  I had received a newer version of Ultrarunnerpodcast and also received an  iRunfar  sticker from Bryon Powell.

I took time to check some of the deer trails today in hopes of possibly finding an antler shed.  Last year I found a couple but didn't start until late March.  The deer trails are much trickier to negotiate.  I spooked a  half dozen deer and they were either all does or the bucks among them have already shed their antlers.

Deer beginning to cross out of woods into the adjacent open field.

They're looking at me while I'm partially hidden in trees.

6 miles. Chose to make today an easier day due to all the roads yesterday.  I may attempt a bit of a walk later this afternoon or early evening.