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Tuesday, October 1, 2013
Malinda Allen's invitation is awaiting your response
Tuesday, September 24, 2013
Malinda Allen's invitation is awaiting your response
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Tuesday, September 17, 2013
Invitation to connect on LinkedIn
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Invitation to connect on LinkedIn
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Wednesday, June 8, 2011
My 1st Foray Into "Barefoot" Running
Here (more or less) is my email back to her:
Hey Baby, this article is perfect. It's the most balanced thing I've read on barefoot running. I read "Born to Run" on Monday, and while it says some very beautiful things, I couldn't help but feel that it veered more toward the evangelical than the journalistic. He talked a lot about the science, it's just that he obviously had a point to make...and it's probably ultimately a good thing that he went in that direction, or he wouldn't have popularized it so successfully, and we wouldn't have as much research on the topic in the first place.
So...about my run:
The Short Answer:
It was good. Looking forward to another one tomorrow.
The Long Answer:
It was very different, and pretty cool. I set out with the goal to run when I felt like running and walk when I felt like walking. My current running route is to the TD Bank on Prospect Park Suthwest. It's about a mile from my house. Okay, it's evidently 1.09 miles from my house. That makes it about 2.2 miles all told.
Anyway, I'd read about the technique, and it's pretty close to how I ran already when I was using my best long-distance form - shorter strides focusing on a midfoot landing. Except different. The easiest way to describe the experience would be to imagine that your feet were like feathers, and you were brushing them lightly along the ground with each step. There's a sound to it, and a pace. And a mantra: "light-light light-light light-light light-light". When I was running before, I called these "machine moments" where everything was effortless and efficient, when it all came together.
Sensually, it felt more muscular than running with big shoes. I definitely had to stretch my achilles starting out. I also started to get the cramp in my left inner thigh that I often get when running. It happens early in the run and starts later and later the further I get into training. Yesterday, I isolated its origin to the difference in the arches in my left and right foot. Left one's higher and stronger. Right one weaker and lower, and so the arch can dip, which torques my right hip forward - a sort of medial rotation and drop in the knee - in short, my right leg kind of sags. The muscle that cramps is called the Sartorius muscle and is responsible for flexing and laterally rotating the hip, while also bending the knee. I think that it's trying to compensate for the differential in my arches by realigning the hip and knee. That puts a lot of strain on that muscle and it cramps up. Gotta work on that right foot. I slowed to a plain walk when it cropped up, though I found that speed walking worked it out best. Then I went back to running.
I could definitely feel the ground in these shoes. I could take note of any small rocks, etc. without them actually hurting my feet. I even stopped a couple of times to give myself a foot massage on exposed tree roots. It was nice to have my feet feel so responsive. I always felt that big shoes were like braces. You couldn't get your ankles and feet to articulate. Also, these shoes weigh about 2 ounces, so I literally felt light on my feet. It was like driving a Maserati when you're used to an SUV.
The shin that had tortured me into stopping running before never made a peep. We'll stay tuned on that one.
By the end, I found myself wanting to pick up speed and go further. I sped up on the last leg, but decided to keep to my original distance to be prudent. It was interesting, because unlike before, when I sped up, I could feel my stride didn't really lengthen. I just picked up my RPM's. When I got home, I took the stairs.
My feet didn't hurt, in fact, they felt fine. They feel a little tired today. Like I've been doing a lot of foot exercises. Same with my calves, but not super sore. I definitely feel like I could go for another run today, but I'm going to take my time and let my body adapt.
It was very different, and pretty cool. I set out with the goal to run when I felt like running and walk when I felt like walking. My current running route is to the TD Bank on Prospect Park Suthwest. It's about a mile from my house. Okay, it's evidently 1.09 miles from my house. That makes it about 2.2 miles all told.
Anyway, I'd read about the technique, and it's pretty close to how I ran already when I was using my best long-distance form - shorter strides focusing on a midfoot landing. Except different. The easiest way to describe the experience would be to imagine that your feet were like feathers, and you were brushing them lightly along the ground with each step. There's a sound to it, and a pace. And a mantra: "light-light light-light light-light light-light". When I was running before, I called these "machine moments" where everything was effortless and efficient, when it all came together.
Sensually, it felt more muscular than running with big shoes. I definitely had to stretch my achilles starting out. I also started to get the cramp in my left inner thigh that I often get when running. It happens early in the run and starts later and later the further I get into training. Yesterday, I isolated its origin to the difference in the arches in my left and right foot. Left one's higher and stronger. Right one weaker and lower, and so the arch can dip, which torques my right hip forward - a sort of medial rotation and drop in the knee - in short, my right leg kind of sags. The muscle that cramps is called the Sartorius muscle and is responsible for flexing and laterally rotating the hip, while also bending the knee. I think that it's trying to compensate for the differential in my arches by realigning the hip and knee. That puts a lot of strain on that muscle and it cramps up. Gotta work on that right foot. I slowed to a plain walk when it cropped up, though I found that speed walking worked it out best. Then I went back to running.
I could definitely feel the ground in these shoes. I could take note of any small rocks, etc. without them actually hurting my feet. I even stopped a couple of times to give myself a foot massage on exposed tree roots. It was nice to have my feet feel so responsive. I always felt that big shoes were like braces. You couldn't get your ankles and feet to articulate. Also, these shoes weigh about 2 ounces, so I literally felt light on my feet. It was like driving a Maserati when you're used to an SUV.
The shin that had tortured me into stopping running before never made a peep. We'll stay tuned on that one.
By the end, I found myself wanting to pick up speed and go further. I sped up on the last leg, but decided to keep to my original distance to be prudent. It was interesting, because unlike before, when I sped up, I could feel my stride didn't really lengthen. I just picked up my RPM's. When I got home, I took the stairs.
My feet didn't hurt, in fact, they felt fine. They feel a little tired today. Like I've been doing a lot of foot exercises. Same with my calves, but not super sore. I definitely feel like I could go for another run today, but I'm going to take my time and let my body adapt.
So, that's all from the front lines. I know it's a lot of info for a single post, but it's been awhile. I'll try to cut some of the things mentioned above up into single topics in the next few weeks.
Unless I end up doing something else entirely.
Sunday, March 7, 2010
A Quick Vegetarian Pasta Dinner
All in all, this recipe should take the amount of time it takes to cook the pasta. A speedy, delicious, nutritious no-brainer.
Whole Wheat Pasta with White Beans and Spinach
Ingredients:
Whole Wheat PastaWhite beans (canned or homemade, if you have the time)
Spaghetti sauce (prepared or homemade - we're not snobs here)
Fresh Spinach (preferably baby)
Yummy yummy goat cheese
Olive oil to taste (extra virgin - because, evidently, you can never have too many virgins)
[To save time, cook the pasta and sauce at the same time]
Pasta:
cook the pasta until al dente - in salted water w/a little olive oil to keep it from sticking
drain and set aside
Sauce:
Heat spaghetti sauce and white beans together in a pot
Assemble:
Pour the spaghettie sauce bean mixture over the pasta
top with spinach leaves and toss it all together
garnish w/yummy yummy goat cheese and a drizzle of EV olive oil
enjoy. 
Hurdles
A dear friend of mine with a gift for language told me he feels like he's in a "hurdle forest" right now. I think anyone going through a lot of changes can see where he's coming from. Overcoming this, navigating that. He's traversing all these obstacles to make his life better, deeper, more meaningful in the long run, but in the short term, it's challenge after challenge.
I wrote back to him that sometimes obstacles are there to show us how much we want something. Every difficulty we work through confirms our desire. Strengthens it.
Now, I'm also thinking that hurdles serve to help us loosen up a little bit. They remind us that our dreams may not manifest in exactly the way that we envisioned them. That we have to be flexible along the path, and understand that these hurdles might even be our gateways to awesomeness.
Yeah, I said it.
"GATEWAYS TO AWESOMENESS"
Personal growth. Deeper understanding. The whole nine.
Have a great Sunday.
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Ssssh!
Ssssh!
No timer. No distance. Just feet.
This is a secret just now. No promises on whether I'll start training for the M word again. Just thought I'd share...
Sunday, June 7, 2009
The First Time I Saw the Sea
The first time I saw the ocean up close was in Wales, in a little town on the western tip called Rhossili. I went there one fall with my best friend. There were sheep there and horses and lots of cliffs. A steep stairway cut out of the rocks led down to the beach. It was grey and misty and cool. The edges of everything were softened by the mist. You felt like you were there and not there at the same time - like you were living in two worlds that overlapped, but didn't quite line up. You could feel the air on your face, like walking through moist tissues or spiderwebs covered in dew. The inn where we stayed served full English breakfasts and tea with scones and berries and clotted cream. There was an old shipwreck on the beach. Half submerged, it looked like a dinosaur, or a sea monster.
Monday, August 4, 2008
A Quick Look at Acai
Just got a reminder about acai berries from RealAge.com
Acai, which tastes like a curious blend of chocolate and berries, has the highest level of cancer crushing antioxidants of any fruit. Brazilians eat it pureed as a sauce or in a bowl with granola, etc. It doesn't hold up well to shipping fresh, so Americans can only get it frozen, or in liquid or powder form.
I've mostly been consuming frozen acai in morning smoothies that I make for myself, or that my beloved roommates make for me. Now I'm thinking about more adventurous recipes - maybe acai-mint sorbet, or fruit soup. I'll get back to you with my findings and recipes and some good sources for finding acai in your area. Stay tuned.
Sunday, August 3, 2008
Ultimate Fitness in a Pill?
Talk about better living through chemistry...
TThis article in the New York Times states that science really is getting closer to providing people with that "magic pill" they can take to make their fitness dreams come true.
Scientists researching two drugs - Aicar and GW1516 - found that both dramatically increase muscular endurance. GW1516 does it with exercise, and Aicar does it (slightly less efffectively) without you moving a muscle. In trials using mice, both drugs tricked muscles into thinking they've been working out. Since, muscles' natural response to exercise is to become healthier and more efficient - resulting in increased endurance. According to Dr. Ronald Evans, the leader of the research team at the Salk Institute, humans and mice have similar mechanisms controlling these responses, so the drugs are likely to work on us as well.
My Take?
I'm torn.
As an advocate of exercise for fitness, self-awareness, and stress relief, it goes against my nature to recommend popping a pill that will take away all your problems. Especially when there's no information on the drugs long term effects.
On the other hand, the drug can be an important breakthrough for people with diabetes, muscle wasting conditions, etc. I can't help thinking that there are people in my family who I love very much who could benefit from something like this. I've seen firsthand what a huge obstacle it can be to go from being extremely out of shape to building a regular health and fitness practice. It's rarely as simple as telling people to get up and run.
With all that saide, I feel I should admit that it just sounds cool. In a science-fiction, "We can build him stronger." kind of way, it feels like the dawn of some kind of Super Humanity. And that makes me want to get myself a tub of popcorn - with just a touch of butter, and maybe some brewer's yeast for the B vitamins - and watch this thing work itself out.
No doubt, these drugs will ultimately offer a lot of hope to a lot of people, while also ushering in a whole new world of problems. We'll hear stories of amazing personal transformation, as well as tales of abuse and possible fatality. Let's hope we have the wisdom to a better job with this new technology than we have in the past.
Until then, I gotta run.
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
The Long Weekend - Detroit to Philly and back to Brooklyn
Went to Detroit for my sister Faith's theology Ph.D commencement. Saw my beloved and hilarious family. Then to Philly for my best friend's birthday. Here're the running related aspects of the trip:
Detroit
I've become one of those people who "packs their running shoes". You know. The type that marries their high school sweetheart and always flosses before bed.
The kind of person who's pious pretty much just to make other people look bad.
I.am.so.sorry.
Okay, that said...running in Detroit is a trip. It's a city that definitely needs a little love. Crazy wealth disparities and so much unrebuilt architecture. One block would be all mansions, and the next would be like a war zone. Of course, I didn't exactly see all this on foot because:
1. This whole rehab thing is taking its sweet time. The process of upping my mileage is going to be mega-gradual. (More on what that means for Hawaii later), and
2. Detroit's not a place where you run around in neighborhoods you don't know.
Case in Point: Someone tried to steal my sister's car awhile ago. From the church parking lot. While she was in church. Giving a sermon. Because she's the Pastor. And the would-be criminals knew this. Which indicates some deep deep criminality, because I'm fairly certain a stunt like that will send you directly to Hell. Do not pass go. Do not collect $200.
Instead, I did a few laps around Russell Woods Park just off Livernois, and took my cautious brown self home.
The next morning I was up cross-training at 4am, so that I could be ready to get on the bus to Dayton by 6:30am. I'm glad I squeezed in the extra activity, as the bus trip between Detroit and Dayton is 3 hours each way, so any extra blood flow was definitely a good thing.
Also, during the trip, I ate an entire side of beef by myself, and washed it down with a bathtub full of potato salad and some ginger ale. No joke, my sister's church members were delivering food on an hourly basis. One sister dropped off 20lbs of beef rib tips, a bucket of potato salad, and some seafood salad with pasta. Another brought fried green tomatoes, succotash, a vat of collard greens, and a second bucket of potato salad.
Actually, just typing about it makes me want to lie down for a minute, so I'll stop here.
Philly
smoked fish of many sorts - whole mackerel, trout?, salmon caviar, ceviche, zucchini chocolate cake, and in the midst of that, I packed my shoes. Didn't get to run on that short short trip, though. Man, they take up a lot of space in your bag...
Detroit
I've become one of those people who "packs their running shoes". You know. The type that marries their high school sweetheart and always flosses before bed.
The kind of person who's pious pretty much just to make other people look bad.
I.am.so.sorry.
Okay, that said...running in Detroit is a trip. It's a city that definitely needs a little love. Crazy wealth disparities and so much unrebuilt architecture. One block would be all mansions, and the next would be like a war zone. Of course, I didn't exactly see all this on foot because:
1. This whole rehab thing is taking its sweet time. The process of upping my mileage is going to be mega-gradual. (More on what that means for Hawaii later), and
2. Detroit's not a place where you run around in neighborhoods you don't know.
Case in Point: Someone tried to steal my sister's car awhile ago. From the church parking lot. While she was in church. Giving a sermon. Because she's the Pastor. And the would-be criminals knew this. Which indicates some deep deep criminality, because I'm fairly certain a stunt like that will send you directly to Hell. Do not pass go. Do not collect $200.
Instead, I did a few laps around Russell Woods Park just off Livernois, and took my cautious brown self home.
The next morning I was up cross-training at 4am, so that I could be ready to get on the bus to Dayton by 6:30am. I'm glad I squeezed in the extra activity, as the bus trip between Detroit and Dayton is 3 hours each way, so any extra blood flow was definitely a good thing.
Also, during the trip, I ate an entire side of beef by myself, and washed it down with a bathtub full of potato salad and some ginger ale. No joke, my sister's church members were delivering food on an hourly basis. One sister dropped off 20lbs of beef rib tips, a bucket of potato salad, and some seafood salad with pasta. Another brought fried green tomatoes, succotash, a vat of collard greens, and a second bucket of potato salad.
Actually, just typing about it makes me want to lie down for a minute, so I'll stop here.
Philly
smoked fish of many sorts - whole mackerel, trout?, salmon caviar, ceviche, zucchini chocolate cake, and in the midst of that, I packed my shoes. Didn't get to run on that short short trip, though. Man, they take up a lot of space in your bag...
Friday, May 2, 2008
I love the smell of coffee in the morning...
It smells like...my new race!
The Kona Marathon
June 29th, 2008
I figured out that recuperation has set me back about a month, so I was looking for races at the end of June. This one comes at the perfect time. And I can't help that it's in Hawaii. And that part of it's the same as the Iron Man marathon route. And it's in Hawaii. So, all of this means that this will be the coolest.first.marathon.ever.
Yeah...that'sa niiice....
I'm psyched. Just have to work out the (fairly exorbitant) cost of getting there, hotels, etc. Trying to convince my mother to come out too. Life is short, and she's a hoot to travel with.
Wish me luck. Woot!
The Kona Marathon
June 29th, 2008
I figured out that recuperation has set me back about a month, so I was looking for races at the end of June. This one comes at the perfect time. And I can't help that it's in Hawaii. And that part of it's the same as the Iron Man marathon route. And it's in Hawaii. So, all of this means that this will be the coolest.first.marathon.ever.
Yeah...that'sa niiice....
I'm psyched. Just have to work out the (fairly exorbitant) cost of getting there, hotels, etc. Trying to convince my mother to come out too. Life is short, and she's a hoot to travel with.
Wish me luck. Woot!
I love a good run in the morning...
Smells like...victory.
Tried a quick run today. Just dipping my toes back in the water.
15 - 20 minutes - felt very good. shin was fine, and my body felt really...happy...to be running again - no better way to describe it. It's like my blood was pleased to be pumping along in just such a way as only running could provide. I felt an energy surge very quickly. Optimism. Euphoria. All without the searing jolts of pain down the front of my leg.
Coolidge.
Next thing to do is to take these bones out tomorrow and see how the setback has affected my conditioning. Will definitely keep you up to date.
Tried a quick run today. Just dipping my toes back in the water.
15 - 20 minutes - felt very good. shin was fine, and my body felt really...happy...to be running again - no better way to describe it. It's like my blood was pleased to be pumping along in just such a way as only running could provide. I felt an energy surge very quickly. Optimism. Euphoria. All without the searing jolts of pain down the front of my leg.
Coolidge.
Next thing to do is to take these bones out tomorrow and see how the setback has affected my conditioning. Will definitely keep you up to date.
Jog. Or not?
As I go briefly to bed, I ponder the future of my running career. The shin splints tripped my mojo for a bit, but ice, massage, and chiropractic laser are bringing me back. There was a moment when I wavered, figured no one would blame me if I just let this one go. Besides, a 12 mile run is nothing to sneeze at. Then I thought:
Wait, I take that back.
The Joggernaut is not going out like that.
See you on the tarmac. I'm taking myself out for a little spin tomorrow morning. Then, we're getting back on track.
Check me.
Failure can kiss my ass.
Wait, I take that back.
Failure can kiss my black ass.
The Joggernaut is not going out like that.
See you on the tarmac. I'm taking myself out for a little spin tomorrow morning. Then, we're getting back on track.
Check me.
Monday, March 31, 2008
The Walk..the walk..let yo' body talk...
The Infamous ShinPic from Gray's Anatomy
Less than halfway into the run, my shin exploded. Backward. It felt like a powerful force was pulling my left shin inward. A shin-plosion. The thing that's annoying about this is that I have no symptoms when I'm not running. I thought that all the resting I've been doing was plenty. Not so.
I'm icing and taking ibuprofen and reading up on shin splints and how to heal them. My friend, Kerry sent me an article about it to start me off. He's a good man. A mighty mighty good man.
Friday, March 28, 2008
An argument for not running though the pain
This article in the New York Times by Gina Kolata confirms the widely held, but previously unproven belief that endorphins are responsible for the fabled "runner's high" that some people experience after exercise.
What really interested me came at the end of the article, which mentioned that Dr. Henning Boecker of the University of Bonn was doing a follow-up study on running's effect on pain perception.
Turns out that runners have higher pain thresholds. In the story, Dr. Boecker is quoted as saying that there are stories of people running on stress fractures or even after heart attacks.
This indicates to me an even better reason not to run through the pain, because:
If you experience pain early in the run, and keep going until it disappears ("running through the pain"), you might be in real trouble, but unaware of it due to some exercise effect that reduces pain perception.
I'm not arguing for hiding from all pain in your life, but it seems like a good idea to pay special attention to the messages your body gives you. Many people I know who are active tend to neglect recovery after exercise. I'm a big fan of the "Recovery Routine" after working out - especially if you have pre-existing injuries. I think most people avoid developing a recovery routine because they don't want to acknowledge that the injury is something they'll always have to monitor, or they don't feel like they have the time for any extra steps around training.
Rest and recovery should be considered an integral part of any physical activity - not just things it would be nice to do "if I had the time".
Aaah, there, I said it.
What really interested me came at the end of the article, which mentioned that Dr. Henning Boecker of the University of Bonn was doing a follow-up study on running's effect on pain perception.
Turns out that runners have higher pain thresholds. In the story, Dr. Boecker is quoted as saying that there are stories of people running on stress fractures or even after heart attacks.
This indicates to me an even better reason not to run through the pain, because:
If you experience pain early in the run, and keep going until it disappears ("running through the pain"), you might be in real trouble, but unaware of it due to some exercise effect that reduces pain perception.
I'm not arguing for hiding from all pain in your life, but it seems like a good idea to pay special attention to the messages your body gives you. Many people I know who are active tend to neglect recovery after exercise. I'm a big fan of the "Recovery Routine" after working out - especially if you have pre-existing injuries. I think most people avoid developing a recovery routine because they don't want to acknowledge that the injury is something they'll always have to monitor, or they don't feel like they have the time for any extra steps around training.
Rest and recovery should be considered an integral part of any physical activity - not just things it would be nice to do "if I had the time".
Aaah, there, I said it.
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Acts of Kindness
Yeah, I know this a running blog, and here I am getting all warm and fuzzy, but hey, I'm just doin' my thing.
Check out this site:
http://www.actsofkindnesschallenge.com/
Make sure to visit the comments section on the left side of the page. It's especially nice on those days when you wonder if there's any humanity left in the world. Turns out there is.
Better yet, join the challenge. They're aiming for 1,000 individual good deeds by April 12th.
Peace y'all,
M
Check out this site:
http://www.actsofkindnesschallenge.com/
Make sure to visit the comments section on the left side of the page. It's especially nice on those days when you wonder if there's any humanity left in the world. Turns out there is.
Better yet, join the challenge. They're aiming for 1,000 individual good deeds by April 12th.
Peace y'all,
M
The Long Run
"We should all do what,
in the long run,
gives us joy,
even if it is only picking grapes
or sorting the laundry."
in the long run,
gives us joy,
even if it is only picking grapes
or sorting the laundry."
- E. B. White
People ask me a lot how the running has changed my body, or affected my dancing. Do my legs look different? Does it cut into my energy? I think about it myself too.
At this point, I would say that the change that I see is primarily internal. Something I used to think of a purely a chore has begun to feel like a joy at times - more and more often as I train. And the sheer act of running for an hour or two straight - no ipod, no distractions - well, that's creating a change I feel too. I hesitate to name it now, but it's there.
Resting up the shin. Back to running tomorrow.
Enjoy the springtime.
At this point, I would say that the change that I see is primarily internal. Something I used to think of a purely a chore has begun to feel like a joy at times - more and more often as I train. And the sheer act of running for an hour or two straight - no ipod, no distractions - well, that's creating a change I feel too. I hesitate to name it now, but it's there.
Resting up the shin. Back to running tomorrow.
Enjoy the springtime.
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