Gil's Happy Birthday Video

Gil gets personal with this little video for his sister's 40th birthday, sharing a story, along with reassurances that they's lots of things 40+ years old that's doin' just fine. Nobody can say ol' Gil ain't got a soft heart under that tough exterior!

Chris K, since it's your birthday today as well (you only wish it was the big 4-0), consider this a birthday greeting to you, too! Ol' Gil's pretty generous that way.

Gil Relates The Story of His First Race

Ol' Gil called Brandon's podcast recently to relate the story of his first runnin' race. Fortunately, he survived...and actually won!

Manly Giveaway!

Been crazy here at Resurrected Runner headquarters, thus the lack of posts lately. There are some forthcoming...including our good buddy Gil.

Until then, I wanted to mention a pretty cool "Manly Giveaway" on Chris K's "BQ or Die" blog. Go leave a comment, grunt, and maybe let loose with a bodily noise. Fun stuff!

A Little Report On...What Else? Le Heele!

I've been talking about my injured heel for so long that it has become an entity all its own. I suppose I should name him (my youngest daughter is the perfect person for that task). He has a personality. Some days, he's cranky and irritable. Other days, he's chipper and ready for the day's challenges. Still others, it's a roller-coaster ride. I truly try to appease him and meet his every need, but I can only do so much. Personally, I think he needs to get out more.

After some soreness last week, he's been pretty agreeable the last few days. I'm still lifting weights 3x per week and riding my Schwinn Airdyne 3 days per week, so I haven't changed my routine. I hope there's an adaptation happening.

My next move, cardio-wise, will be to visit the pool. Upon visiting, I may actually consider getting in and swimming. We'll see. Also, when the doc says it's okay to bike outdoors (he doesn't want me pushing big gears or up hills, and there are many hills around here), I'll do that, too (brrrrrr). Hey, I bought a new helmet, so at least I'll look a little cooler than I did while wearing my 1948 bike helmet!

Finally, to all of you who just completed the Goofy Challenge (and associated races), congratulations! Sounds like it was great weather this time.

DOCTOR VISIT, HEEL UPDATE

I just returned for my monthly check-in with my sports med doc. Since I saw him last month, I've been doing 20 minute spins on my Schwinn Airdyne two to three times per week (along with weight training). The way my heel has felt after those rides varies. Some days it's fine. Other times, it aches for a couple of days. This is one of those days (I rode yesterday). The doctor didn't seem alarmed by that. He said that sometimes it takes time for the injured area to adapt to even light training. He was pleased with what he saw (no swelling), so the plan until next month's visit is to continue with my current approach, along with adding in a weekly swim (pushing lightly off the walls with my good foot). No walking on the treadmill yet.

We discussed the time table for this process and he said the key word was patience. He liked my analogy of how someone doesn't get fat overnight, and consequently don't lose the weight overnight. He said the fact that I've basically had this injury for 7 months and continued to run on it for a while means it's going to improve very gradually, assuming it does improve. If it's still about the same by next month, we'll stay in a holding pattern. If it does improve, we'll move to the next phase of his plan — strengthening (and stretching). If it gets worse (and if it bothers me even during daily activities), then we'll go the surgery route.

No matter the course, this is going to be a long-term rehab process. I guess it's a good thing I didn't make “RUN LIKE A MANIAC” my phrase for 2011. It looks like it could be quite some time before I run again. I will, though. Count on it.

And I promise I don't hate all of you while you're out running, pain-free, training for your goal races. I'll just pretend I'm looking at me as I see you running by (especially if you're running REALLY fast, with perfect form).

Balance, Cont'd

To follow up on yesterday's tease, Balance is the word I'm focusing on in 2011. I'm not a big resolution guy, but I always set goals for myself.

After putting all my eggs in the ‘running basket’ last year (until my injury, anyway), this year will be a transition year for me. I'll be focusing my athletic efforts over a wider spectrum. Basically, I'll be training more for general fitness and less as a hard-core runner. Cross-training will be de rigueur (aren't I fancy?) this year. I've been hitting the strength training pretty hard the last few months. Depending on whether I'll go under the knife for my heel or not, I'll continue with that (on a reduced level), along with more cycling, walking, hiking and swimming (maybe).

It's probably obvious why I'm going this route in 2011. I will always identify myself as a runner before any other athletic designation. I plan on being a runner the rest of my life, so being patient is more important than if I were training for one major event, then retiring. That said, I'm focusing my efforts this year on getting into, and staying in, good physical condition until I can transition back into being the runner I'd like to be.

When I started running again in 2009, I did a good deal of cycling that year (mostly because I was training for the bike leg of a triathlon). I didn't run a ton of miles, but I was injury free the entire year. When I'm cleared to do so, that will be my mindset this year. Loosely, my plan will be 2-3 days per week of cycling, 2-3 days per week of running, 2 days per week of strength training (not incl. daily bodyweight exercises), with any of these being substituted with hiking, swimming or other outdoor pursuits. Staying with a consistent routine will be the key.

If I end up having surgery, I'll just do what I can until my rehab is complete. I still plan on running some races this year. If and when I train for them, I'll probably base my training plan on the Furman First program, and continue to cross-train. No, I won't be a great runner this year, but I'm looking toward future years, after my body is healed and ready.

I'm also instituting the Balance philosophy in my personal life (less TV, more books, less computer, more family time, less processed sugar, more fruit & veggies, less politics, more drawing & painting, less stress, more music...you know, the standard stuff).

I'm excited to see what I can accomplish physically in 2011, even with limited running. Maybe 2012 will be a more running-centric year. We'll see.

Word for 2011

Balance.

Been a busy weekend. More elaboration later...

End-Of-Year Numbers Geekery

You may know I'm kind of a numbers geek. I keep track of nearly every aspect of every run, ride and exercise I do...not just for OC reasons, but because they usually teach me things about myself and what my body can and can't handle... although there may be an OC component as well (the other night, I was distraught because I couldn't find my detailed cycling records from 1999...a big cycling year for me. I survived, obviously).

So, to make your eyes glaze over, here are this year's numbers:

RUNS: 167
MILES: 1073.2 (PR)
AVG MI/RUN: 6.43 (PR)
MINUTES RUN: 9171.2
RUNS OVER 10 MI: 28
RACES: 8
RACE MILES: 87.2
JAN-JUNE MI: 852.4 (PR)
JUL-DEC MI: 220.8 (stinking injury!)
HIGH MONTH: 206.4 (April, PR)
HIGH WEEK: 52.3 (April, PR)

OUTDOOR BIKE RIDES: 5
OUTDOOR BIKE MILES: 78.7
OUTDOOR BIKE MINUTES: 351.8
BIKE TRAINER MINUTES: 235
AIRDYNE MINUTES: 244.1
SWIM MINUTES: 26.7
HIKE/WALK MINUTES: 351.9

PUSHUPS: 5111
MAX PUSHUPS: 52 (PR)
PULLUPS: 2213
MAX PULLUPS: 17 (missed goal of 20!)
SITUPS: 5123
MAX SITUPS: 70 (PR)
DIPS: 2968
MAX DIPS: 35 (PR)

BENCH PRESS VOLUME: 35,132 lbs.
BENCH PRESS HIGH: 188 lbs.
DEADLIFT VOLUME: 60,184 lbs.
DEADLIFT HIGH: 265 lbs.

LOWEST RESTING HEART RATE: 39 (Feb)

Oh, almost forgot:
FIRST MARATHON: MAY 15th

Okay, I think that's enough. There's plenty more minutiae in my spreadsheet, but this should suffice.

Tune in tomorrow to find out my "Word for 2011!"

Have a safe and Happy New Year's Eve, folks! Bring on 2011!

Art

To continue the “Non-Running Talk on a Running Blog” and risk losing everyone's interest, I thought I'd post a few entries from an old sketch book, along with an oil painting I did in 1991 (apologies for those of you who have seen them on Facebook).

I do all of my illustration work on the computer, but I used to draw and paint quite a bit. Finding these (while cleaning my office) has rekindled the urge to pick up the pencils and brushes again. Hopefully I'll follow through with that desire in 2011. Enjoy!

The Colin Hayes Story (or...A Bit Of Prose, Having NOTHING To Do With Running)

A few years ago, I recorded a solo instrumental CD to send to my clients. To accompany the CD & the artwork, I wrote up a [ahem] bio. I had forgotten about it until I unearthed it while cleaning my office. I hereby present it for your entertainment:

The blues were deeply entrenched in Colin Hayes’ soul from the day he arrived on the scene back in late November of 1950. Those first few chords of Need The Bottle So Bad rang true to the toddler more than even he knew at the time his momma played it for him. As a young boy in inner city Chicago, the smoky clubs sang to him as he leaned against the doorways on cold, windy nights, catching a stray note here and there as patrons came and went. After he learned to walk, a whole new world presented itself as he discovered there was more to blues than spilled cocktails and cool, hip shoes.

A few basses, guitars and funky shades later, he was well on his way to a life he had only dreamed of. The rise was precipitous. Gig followed gig at a dizzying pace. Ray Charles, BB King, Robert Johnson and a slew of other opening acts helped pave the way for those lofty heights that would seemingly never end.

Those were heady days for Hayes. From corner coffee houses all the way to one glorious night at Carnegie Hall, where he played for a packed audience that included President Nixon [side note — this was just before the Watergate scandal. Colin’s encore of Baby, That Tape Won’t Erase was never more fortuitous]. Needless to say, he brought down the house. And the administration.

Accolades, gifts, solicitations, advice, calls from his mother telling him to eat his vegetables, all swarmed him like fleas on an unwashed alley cat. Proposals of marriage from the British Royal Family were even rumored.

Then, as quickly as he could jam out a twelve-bar blues riff, everything came crashing down. The explanations and excuses soon followed. “He’s recharging his creative batteries,” claimed his publicist. Critics blamed a peculiarly experimental album he had just released, She So Mean, Got Me Scrubbin’ The Latrine as the cause of his demise. Others pointed to more personal reasons, such as “he has bad hair,” or “his nose is too pointed for my liking.” “He’s just too white” was yet another.

But just as success can inspire, so too can the depths of despair. The embodiment of the blues indeed stems from tough times such as those Colin Hayes was enduring. Living in a ’78 Buick LeSabre and scrawling out lyrics on old cocktail napkins from Chip’s Pub and Florist Haus, he slowly saw his way back to life — life on his terms — not those dictated to him by some stuffy suit behind the desk of a record company. Things started rolling — slowly, as one would expect — then things really did start rolling, as the parking brake on his Buick failed. But the gigs started coming. First, corner laundrymats came calling. Then, the big shows started to materialize. He knocked them dead at Barb’s Bingo Bonanza…literally, unfortunately, as four heart attacks and one stroke occurred during the concert. But, good or bad, he was once again on his way.

Which brings us to the present. A present filled with the promise of a brighter day. One forged by heights and hardships. The culmination of this amazing story you are now holding in your hands. Cherish this, dear listener, as we may never again experience elegant, emotional artistry such as this.

—Charles Cobenali