Naproxen and Rest

Knee still hurting last night.

Didn't run this morning, but will take some Aleve and go for it this evening.

Good thing there is not football during the week or I might not ever run after work.

Case of the Monday's

Well, the morning run didn't happen, but I squeezed it in before Monday Night Football. 2 interesting developments in my running routine on Monday's run. While it was a typical, easy week 30 minute run at a moderate pace, here were the deviations:

1) My ipod was out of batteries. I discovered this as I rode the elevator down to the lobby. I had no choice but to put the earphones in my mailbox (which were missing this morning, but that is a whole other story) and head out with no music. This was not the first time that I have run without music, but it was the first time in a long while. There was something very invigorating about it. The obvious point is that I could hear myself think. But I felt as though I actually smelled and felt things a bit more as well. I was in touch with my senses more than I usually am, and it was pretty nice. I may try this out for awhile.

2) I stopped halfway through my run and did a short workout. As I have mentioned before, I don't feel like I know what I am doing when I run. I was recently reading Running magazine (which is fairly useless, as I don't understand most of the terminology used), and a former olympic marathoner said he does an ab workout after every run, along with stretching. Well, I don't have any grass by my apartment, so I stopped halfway through and worked the ol' mid-section. It was amazing. It was kind of like taking a normal run, and adding a little spice to it. Probably won't do it every time, but I could get used to it every now and then.

So, 21st to 14th street on Irving Place. Irving Place to Ave D on 14th Street. Back up to the FDR. Down to the soccer field. Workout on the soccer field. Back up to 20th street, and west to my apartment.

I felt my left knee hurting yesterday. I kept running, but it hurt a bit more this morning at the gym. If it is not feeling better tomorrow I will not risk it, and I might be missing my Wed. run.

Persevere

If the old thought pattern of 'exercise gives you more energy' holds true, then there is probably good reason for me not exercising this weekend.

My hypothesis is based on the fact that if there is a cause for something, then there must be an inverse factor on the same action. In my case, unfortunately, when it comes to exercise, the biggest factor keeping me from being motivated is my own unhealthy lifestyle.

I was supposed to run on Saturday. However, 2 straight nights of drinking at a wedding, a combined 8 hours of sleep over a 48 hour period, and the first cigarettes I had smoked in months (combined with 95 degree Texas temperatures) kept me off the road. That, of course, leads to not waking up on Monday morning because I have worked my way into the gutter.

I tend to ponder this fact almost every week, because while I enjoy running in the mornings, most of my Monday runs come after work. This is no strange coincidence. as they say... garbage in, garbage out.

Hills in Manhattan... I don't think so

I am traveling this weekend. I packed my shoes and shorts, but I am kind of dreading the fact that I will have to run.

I will be in Austin. Austin is in the "Hill Country". I live in Manhattan. An island next to the ocean. Needless to say, I am not in any condition to be running on hills.

I guess I will have to look back at my last post before I head out to run.

4 minute mile

what motivates us?

what is the difference between a 5 mile run and a 5 1/2 mile run?

how do we know we can't shave off just one more second?

roger banister broke the "unbreakable" barrier of the 4 minute mile in 1954. no person had ever done this and it was thought to be impossible. in the 2 years following this feat 10 other men finished below 4 minutes. now, you won't even qualify for a professional race if you aren't well under that.

where do guts like that come from? it is obviously mind over matter to some extent. Physical evolution does not take place within a matter of 50 years. does technology really help us that much? new training techniques?

or is it simply that mankind was unaware of the human body's potential. was it the fact that all it took was one man to push himself to the brink of death for everyone else to realize that it was possible... and follow suit?

how far can i push myself? what is this body capable of? do i have the guts to go there?

Simple yet Complex

One of the things I love about running is the unbelievable simplicity. It has to be the most basic athletic endeavor that we know of.

I have always loved the Summer Olympics because I can imagine how it all started. A bunch of Greek dudes were sitting around and one of them said to the other, "I bet I can throw this stick farther than you." Hence... Javelin. Carry this line of thinking out over the basic Track and Field events and you have rock throwing, wall jumping, wall jumping with a stick, moat leaping, and of course... running. The best of all is running because it is simply a result of one man (or woman now) looking at the others and saying, "I bet I can run from here... to there... faster than you can."

I love all kinds of activities, but when I am running, and I mean really running, I like to think it takes me back to that original mindset. Just me and the Greeks contemplating athletic supremacy.

Marathon bound?

Nothing exciting about today's run. 40 minutes. Slow pace. East River.

I find that even though my longest run I have ever completed is just over 10 miles, I almost always have the thought of marathons when I run. In fact, I am not sure if there has been a run in the past 9 months (when I started running again) that I have not had, at some point in my run, the following thoughts:

- I wonder what my mile split time is.

- I wonder if I could keep this pace up for 26.2 miles.

- I wonder what that marathon time would be.

I haven't even seriously considered training for a marathon... or a half marathon for that matter. At this rate, I am going to have to run a marathon just so I don't go crazy.