After feeling that I needed to give my knees a rest in July I took more time off of running than I had predicted. Coming back after months of inactivity I knew it wasn’t going to be an easy return. My weight has increased a notch in the last months and extra weight means more stress on the joints as well as the muscles. Mindful of the importance of starting slow, I chose a short, familiar, and flat route: out … Read the rest
Today I didn’t feel like I had much time to spareI have a lot to get doneso I decided to take a short barefoot hill run rather than skipping the run altogether. Adding 1.3 miles to the log isn’t much, but zero would have brought the average down much more.
I managed to avoid all of the obstacles I saw on the sidewalk in front of me, including glass and nails, but still came away with a blister on … Read the rest
I would have liked to have gotten out the door before I started my workday, but there were things that were broken and had to be fixed first thing, and I didn’t get out the door until after 5 o’clock.
I took a basic loop out past the ballpark and back the other side, very similar to many of the ballpark runs I’ve done this year. The sun was hot and my knee doesn’t seem to be fully recovered but … Read the rest
Today’s race in Golden Gate Park went more slowly than I’d have liked. Slowing by sixteen seconds in the 5K between June 20th and July 4th didn’t bother me, but adding an additional minute and fifteen seconds to that time is a warning sign.
It’s easy to guess why I might be slowing. I had an entire week between races and I didn’t get out on the road once. I know I said that I had to cut … Read the rest
I couldn’t have asked for a nicer day for a race. The sun was shining but it wasn’t too hot, even considering the relatively late race start of 9:45 am. The race course takes advantage of the street closures for the Alameda Independence Day Parade and the runners start fifteen minutes before the parade follows.
Because we followed the parade course, the race had a big audience. People lined the streets the whole way, and the streets were … Read the rest
Seriously, that’s exactly what today’s short run was: a test. I wanted to know if I feel good enough to run a race tomorrow. Until yesterday I’d been planning on representing my neighborhood at the DSE Potrero Hill 4 Miler, a really fun course around my neighborhood and up San Francisco’s real twistiest (or at least most sinuous) street, Vermont Street. It’s a course that gets run only once a year and I’ve been looking forward to running it … Read the rest
It took a while to get warmed up today.
Some days are like this. I remember the first time I ever ran up Twin Peaks, the first mile was all flat and then it was all uphill. By the time I’d run the flat section I was discouraged and ready to quit. Not just quit by picking another route, but quit running and walk back home. It was difficult and my legs were screaming at me to quit. I felt like … Read the rest
On crankyfitness.com there is a post about good diet and exercise habits that stresses that perfectionism is the key enemy. There’s a very amusing dialogue between Crabby and her conscience about getting to the gym. It’s really true that the hardest part of running is (often) just getting out the door. That’s one of the reasons (perhaps the most important reason) for all the specialized gear: the running shoes, the Dri-Fit or CoolMax clothing, the GPS and heartrate monitor. If … Read the rest
I think I’m about done with these Grid Omni 5s from Saucony. I’m supposed to ease into running in the Kinvaras by running with them every other run or so, but I’m finding it uncomfortable to go back to the Omnis. At the very least, I’m finding it easy to blame a poor run on the shoes.
It’s not vanity at work, but wishful thinking. I’d love to believe that the pain I’m having in my knee will be magically … Read the rest
I think I have injured myself. Strangely enough, I seem to run fastest when I’m in pain.
I have top-of-the foot pain and knee pain, in my left foot and left knee. Sometimes I’m walking with a pronounced limp. This is not how it’s supposed to be, but here’s what I believe is the strange part: it doesn’t hurt when I run.
A few years back I ran a raceit was a 5K in Golden Gate Park like today’s racewhere I … Read the rest