bobev's Journal

windy Tuesday!
Dec 15 2009 10:31

172.5 up .5 this am. oh well.
Cold and windy this am, 28F, 17 wind chill. Dressed with 3 layers on top, heavier fitted under armour pants, heavier Lands End socks, neck warmer, ear muff band, fold back mittens. Didn't try to run in the Toms shoes. To cold to try it today. Run was a maf-10/hr=97 target after 1/2 mi warm up walk. Took a hillier route than usual just because it was, well hillier! Got quite a wind when I went past an open field former cattle ranch - made me glad I had the third layer wind breaker on! Overall got in 4.6 mi, 1:11:02, with overall ahr=93, mhr=103, 3.5 mi with ahr=97. It was a good run. The Mizuno's and socks did their respective jobs and I was dressed right. I'm happy with it.

Dinner at Jason's Deli with friends tonight. Hope work doesn't keep my late...

Kristen - do you run with a heart rate monitor? It might help you get the feel for being able to hold a steadier pace, at least on level ground. You might also try running at say, 180-age-5 or 10 (maf-5, or -10) and see how that feels.

walk/slow jog, then bf run
Dec 14 2009 11:18

172 this am, .5 less than Fri. Haven't lost over a weekend for quite some time!
Walk/slow jog this am, 3.4mi with target hr=87, maf-20. It was 50F with 100% humidity. I tried Adiddas workout pants instead of shorts for a change. Legs were ok, maybe a touch to warm near the end of the run. Got in .8 mi of barefoot running with socks on at the end. That felt good to, since the ground was warmer than the last time. We bought a pair of Toms Shoes at Wholefoods Fri and I wore them all day Sat & Sun. I noticed my calves were a little sore last night, like is supposed to happen when one has ben bf running. They are light weight and I was walking with mid foot strike, like when barefoot running. Made me feel like bf training. Am toying with idea of trying them for running. Heck their classical canvas we bought is only $44, cheaper than most stability shoes, and they give a pair of shoes to a needy child for every pair they sell! Might sneak them out of the house tomorrow morning for a test at the end of my planned maf-10/hr-97 run. When I got to work I had a twinge in my rt hamsting. Then it went away. Will have to watch that and be sure not to start over training even with this low hr stuff. Us old men can be fragile...:-)

warm feet; longest continuous run
Dec 13 2009 07:52

173 this am. Coming from Fri dinner gain... a good thing.

Not to cool yesterday and I tried the Head socks I bought at TJ Maxx Fri. They are heavier than my others. Squeezed into my END OTG shoes and  they worked great. Both the shoes and the socks!

Had a really fun long run yesterday. Longest continuous run yet. After warming up I ran continuously for 5mi @13:53 average pace. That's almost 70 minutes w/o a walk break and at a reasonable pace. Yesterday's pace with hr=97 is faster than it was a few weeks ago by over 30 sec! Showing aerobic improvement I think. Will see how another maf test turns out in a few weeks. I also add a longer warm up and cool down as recommended by Dr. Maffetone in his book, "Maffetone Method".

Had a good day yesterday. Home group bible study with lunch. Good fellowship, then home to relax, then out to Starbucks and Central Market for dinner. I had a stir fry vegetables with minimal soy sauce to reduce the sodium. Yummy. Only ate half of it and brought the rest home. We watched "Without Limits" the Prefontaine (runner) story, good movie.

Passed on walking this morning, am going to watch the Dallas White Rock Marathon run on TV and monitor some friends via text messages.

hope everyone had a good weekend!

cold feet
Dec 11 2009 08:58

Off Fri this morning. Went for a walk/jog very lhr training. 36F, gusts to 15mph, 29 wind chill. Got in almost 3 mi. Used the END OTG shoes which are very light. Feet felt cold to start with, then warmed up. Overall a good wog.

Its an off Fri but I am on call. Got a call just as we finished dinner at Joe's last night. Had to get home and work for 2+ hrs. When I got up this morning had an email from remote site saying they couldn't find the files I released. I screwed up and missed a process step, so hand jammed the files to them while I researched what went wrong. Discovered my error and corrected the release records to reflect it. We're on call thru the new year now except for 12/25 and 1/1 which should be interesting. I'll be dragging my co laptop with me all day today just in case I get a call and have to get online. Will head to nearest Starbucks if that happens and do my thing...

E and I will be running around all day, then to Shabbat dinner with a Chanukah party with the usual suspects.

Will tyr to bbl to read journals

cold morning maf test
Dec 10 2009 11:08

173.0! Scale moved in the right direction.
Good run - 5.1 max aerobic func (maf) test (hr=107) this am. 23F, lt wind, wind chill 16F! loved it. Actually overdressed and felt a bit to warm in mi 4 & 5. Wore compression shorts, Under Armour fitted pants, sht slv compression shirt, lng slv Layer 8 1/4 zipr mock turtle, Bolle 1/4 zipr wind brkr (a Golf jacket), wool cap, flip back mittens, neck warmer.

maf run was 1mi warm up, 5 min walk then bring hr up to 97 and hold, then when gps auto lapped picked up pace to hr=107 and hold for 3mi, then slow jog to bring hr under 100, then walk for 4 or 5 min. Idea is to examine how pace changes during the maf runs. A large slow down is an indication of poor aerobic function. maf pace changes versus time show should show increase in pace for fixe hr. I held avg hr=107 well for 3 maf mi's. Pace was 12:49, 12:48, 13:06 - not bad, shows (I think) good aerobic function. Minor slowing of pace could also have been impacted by the fiddling around I did with clothing - see below.

A kind of malfunction junction kind of run. First my mp3 quit at about 2.5 mi and I finished the run in silence, well I could hear my noisy feet! Tried to run more quietly but when I did hr went up a beat or two. Have to figure out how to be lighter on my feet with that happening. Then when I got to warm in mi 4 I tried to unzip the Layer 8 - had already had wind brkr unzipped for over a mi. I fumbled with the zipr, even with mittens flipped back, thumb was still covered, so it was a challenge while trying to maintain pace, then it got stuck then the teeth opened up under the zipr. I was pissed, saw hr dropping and said %&*&&*%$^ and left it like that. During mi 5 cool down I decided to open it all the way, then pull from the top and got the zipr back to the bottom.

Crazy time at work. Could be a late night trying to get a baseline and release to occur so others can work the weekend, followed by being on call for off Fri, with more on Monday. We've also been tasked with a 7 day week thru the holidays, with only 12/25 and 1/1 as off days. The $ will be good but its annoying that this has happened on every test program I have been involved with for the last 40 years! Its like holidays are black holes that suck the work into them! Oh well, just a few more years and I'll chuck it in, but then I am also learning a new aspect of engineering I hadn't worked in and possibly an additional area for consulting after retirement. gotta love it!

Kristen - I don't how many push ups I can do now that I stopped the boot camps and cross training. Dr Maffetone says that is anerobic exercise that negatively impacts building up aerobic function. I was doing over 50 push ups, but then I always had muscle soreness. Since I stopped I have had not muscle soreness from running or anything else. And my quads are looser and my heels can touch my butt - which I couldn't do before. I still do light "angle" push ups off sink or counters in hopes I can maintain some of the conditioning. Not to many since I want to keep hr low.

annual physical w/new Dr.
Dec 09 2009 12:31

173.5! Scale moved in the right direction.
No run this morning, or even a walk, annual physical with fasting blood test. Slept until 0530! After the physical I didn't get to my car until almot 9:30 and had a banana while I drove to work. I was happy I controled my eating once at work and didn't really have a breakfast. Hope the scale continues downward tomorrow morning.

My bp was up a bit this morning. I'm a morning spiker, and it had been under control b4. The upward drift could be because of increase in weight (10lbs) and re-intriduction of caffienated coffee. So we increased one of my nightime meds - one that will not effect hr! I also want to cutback the caffien - again, and lose the 10-15 lbs - again!

The new Dr is a runner recovering from PF so he understands. My prostate is still enlarged and we decided to start Avodart and stop the Flomax next year when my supply runs out. It might help me reduce further how often I get up to urinate at night. Its gotten better but still 3-5x/nt.

Am thinking about a maf test (couple of mi with hr=107) tomorrow morning. Temp will be in the low 20'sF, not supposed to be as windy as this morning.

easy 4.6 run
Dec 08 2009 14:54

175! gotta get on the ball.
Ran an easy 4.6mi this am, 38F, 100% humidity, raw, no wind in my area. Time 1:11:17, ahr=93, mhr=105, finished with no ill effects, no muscle soreness, so objective is being obtained, a no stress run. Focus was ahr=97 which I maintained for almost 4 of the mi. The total includes walking Zoe, 5 min warm up walk, and cool down walk.

No run tomorrow. Annual physical with fasting blood test.

early morning run
Dec 05 2009 04:51

up early to run with a group for the first time. They call themselves the "Running Family" a couple that just celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary is the organizer. Its 24 deg, 8mph, wind chill 18!!! Glad I checked - that means I'll wear a neck warmer and cap instead of just the ear muffs. hope to bbl

It wasn't windy so I ran with ear muffs and running jacket not the heavier wind breaker and wool cap. the group I ran with ran 5 min, walked 1. I ran with them and kept my hr below maf except for a couple of peaks that got away from me. They had a water stop setup at a little over 3mi. Since they were running 10 that was my turn around point since I am rebuilding base and didn't want to go over 1 1/2 hrs of running. I tried to keep hr at maf=107 max most of the way back. For the first time, couldn't hold my "water". Fortunately there was a porta potty in a park we ran thru and I just barely made it with it coming out as I got my clothing out of the way - it was on the way ready or not at that point! Dang, I ran 10 mi of the Altanta Half and it didn't get that bad. It was 26 deg at the start, less wind than predicted. I was surprised to get a pace of 13:30 on the way back with walking only when hr climbed to high. Overall  Av hr=101, mx hr=110, 6.5 mi, 1:31hrs. Not bad for a first group run.

The end to a busy week.
Dec 04 2009 06:24

173.5 down a touch from yesterday. No grazing or other special events at work so that is helping get back on regular track again.

No run this am, or walk, slept in a bit. Rest day in prep for long run tomorrow morning with a running group. Am planning on 7 mi tomorrow morning with them. Then coffee at Panera's, home to shower and go to lunch at a friends. Should be a nice start to the weekend. Shabbat dinner tonight is always good.

As expected the week back from a holiday is crazy on test programs. This is no different. Gotten to many t-shirts! Will be glad when I retire and can just run and read and hang out with better half.

Edit: Lulu - I added a comment to yesterday's journal entry replying to your question

getting cold in North Tx
Dec 03 2009 13:39

174.5 down a touch from yesterday. Learned another thing yesterday about logging my runs on RunningAhead.com (RA) and having them automatically publish to Facebook - my wife reads them! Well she had a fit that I meantioned running barefoot! Have to watch that and use a code so I know how far I've gone barefoot. I just looked at what gets published to FB and I think I can use a bf in the lap details to show when I did bf running and she won't find it. Takes to many mouse clicks to uncover it. That's a good thing!

31 windy deg, wind chill 28, full moon. The cold air made it easy to get hr up, which of course, reduces pace. Once I warmed up was able to jog continuously, even slow jog up the hills and keep hr in range.

Wore the Mizuno's with trift's - no foot problems, just a hint of toe numbness near the end. These may become my long run and maybe 10k/half racing shoes.

I ran full barefoot, no socks, for .4 mi at end of the run. Interesting. The ground was cold soaked so I could feel it and the ball and heel got cold, maybe a little numb, but that could be from being moist with sweat. I could feel the moisture in my socks. Of course I can't let E know I did this...

I'm planning on running with a local Sat morning running group this week for the first time. Have been on the email list for 6 months and haven't been able to join them. Finally decided I had to make time. 0630 at a local Panera's. A bunch of folks run 7, 10, up to 18 mi! I'll probably do 7 because we have to be somewhere at 1130 and I'll need to get home, shower and drive 40 min to get there. Oh its a 20 min drive to get to where the run starts. Should be fun.

Oh, they are talking about snow tomorrow afternoon into the evening. Could be an inch accumulation with temps cold enough for it to stick and be there in the morning. Running the trails and streets could be interesting Sat morning.

Work is, well, typical of test programs. Been there, done that, gotten more than one t-shirt. The adrenalin can get habit forming, but I'd rather be with the grandkids running in a park!

Edit: should have mentioned that ~mi 3 when I was coming down a main street running in the bicycle lane I saw a critter down the block across the street. Thought it was a big cat or a small dog. As we closed on each other it started to cross to my side of the street, I went up on the side walk to give it room. It saw me and went to the far side of the street to stay away from me, then I realized it was a coyote. Could have been a fox tho. Definitely was not a dog or cat. First time I've seen one in the neighborhood. Probably picking up stray cats or all the rabbits that run wild...