Oops. My Bad.

I'm going to confess to a mistake I've made this year. It's one I've made before.

I got fat.
On purpose.

If you've tolerated, er, followed this blog for a while, you'll know that I have a tendency to go 180° away from running when I suffer a long-term injury. I guess it's a coping mechanism. I love running so much that I need to get away from that world when I'm unable to actively participate.

My "athletic" history includes both endurance activities (primarily running) and strength training; sometimes simultaneously, often not. When I shut down my running earlier this year (March 11th), I once again thought, "screw it. I'm going to 'bulk up' and get strong again." Well, I did. And now that I'm trying to get my endurance mojo back (cycling plus a little running), that decision has once again come back to bite me in the glutes.

Like most men (and many active people in general), I don't venture into things half way. I'm usually all-in. So, once I decided I was done with endurance activities, I hit the weights & food HARD. I put on 15 lbs. in no time flat. I pounded protein shakes mixed with whole milk, often a few per day. Sure, some of the weight gain was muscle, but some was also fat.

By most standards, I would STILL be considered a small-ish guy. At nearly 5' 11", I don't have a big frame. But as a distance runner, I'm a good 12-15 lbs. above my comfortable running weight. And my once prized abs are currently in hibernation (that will change.)

So I'm on a mission to reverse the damage. I haven't stopped the weight training, but I have refocused it to assist running and cycling rather than to merely see how much weight I can move and how big I can get my guns.

I've always been able to fairly easily manipulate my body weight & composition. I'm blessed with a high metabolism. However, at my current age (46), I'm noticing it's not quite as easy as it used to be. The next time I'm off the endurance bandwagon and get the bug to "get swole," remind me to go easy on the bulking up. Or, remind me to get on the bike or trainer & keep the cardio going instead.

And, misguided or not, I'm still hopeful about returning to running regularly—at least to the level I was at before my hamstring injury took me out. It'll be a long, slow process. It usually is. But there's always a little excitement and anticipation when I "start over." I just wish I didn't have to do it quite as often!

But I'm game. Let's do this.

Wheels Are Spinning...Finally

Three bike rides in the last three days? Why, yes! Well, the first one was a very slow ride with my sister that was cut short when her rear tire flatted and my patch job didn't hold. But yesterday and today were both legit rides (16 miles and 11 miles, respectively.) Still not very long, but I plan on easing my legs back into this whole endurance thing. It usually takes me a while to get "bike legs" anyway. My "running legs" usually come back a little faster, maybe because I've been primarily a runner for the last 30 years!

I've been riding on the Centennial Trail here in Spokane, along the Spokane River. The weather has been great, if not a tad warm. Tonight, I rode at sunset and paid for it by being sandblasted (bugblasted) by small, winged insects the entire ride. Within the first mile, I learned to ride with my mouth closed, even though my nose was a little plugged due to allergies.

Even though I may never be a hard-core cyclist, I'm enjoying some endurance training once again. I hope running will still be a significant part of my program, but while the weather is nice here, it won't hurt to get in several bike rides, especially since it doesn't seem to irritate my right calf and hamstring.

Two Wheels

We're slowly getting settled into our new home here in Spokane. As has been the case in a lot of the Northwest this summer, it's been hot and sunny nearly ever day since we've moved here. As we've driven around the area (and walked on the Centennial Trail next to the Spokane River,) I've noticed just how many serious cyclists there are in the area. Yes, there's a very strong cycling community in Western WA, but given the population of the Spokane area, it seems as if it's an even larger group here, per-capita, anyway. There are two or three cycling clubs, and most of the riders I've seen appear to be pretty hard-core. I've also noticed that there's a large number of middle-aged (i.e. gray haired) men in amazing shape riding expensive bikes.

Given my ongoing, and repeated, running injury episodes, and the inspiration of the many riders in my demographic, I think it's (past) time to once again dust off my trusty Fuji and start pedaling.

We live close to the Centennial Trail, so I have no logistical excuses (I still don't like sharing the road with cars,) and I desperately need to get some cardio fitness back. I have been faithfully lifting weights for several months, so my strength is good, but I've done little more than take frequent walks w/my wife and dog for my "endurance" activity. Yes, my guns are bigger...but so is my gut.

I have no goals when it comes to speed, and I probably won't be seeking any club memberships anytime soon, but a few leisurely bike rides per week will definitely do me good.

Long Run: Confidence (and Blister) Builder

"Wed, Dec 23, 1987: 14 miles (4 x 3.5 mile loop) in 1:45:00 (7:30/mile pace)."

That was taken from my running log back in 1987. It was my longest run ever. It only took me 22 years to match that distance...because I did it today, albeit quite a bit slower (1:59:02 - 8:30 pace). I went out slow and ran a very manageable and steady pace, wearing my fuel belt. I drank Heed 3-4 times during the run and ate a couple of Shot Blocs at mile 7. The only negative to this run was the decision to wear my new shoes (Brooks Defyance 2, same as my previous pair) with new green Superfeet inserts. I wore that same combination for 350 miles previously without problems, but for some reason, these new inserts rubbed pretty bad blisters into the arches of both feet. Hopefully putting my old inserts into the new shoes will work. Don't want to miss any training leading up to my half due to this blunder. They're pretty sore and tender right now. I'll take tomorrow off and run short on Sunday and see how they feel. Aside from the blisters, this run was a good confidence builder, as my endurance was good and I know I could have run it at a faster pace.

Saturday Morning Long Run

This week's long run was shorter than last week's: 8 miles. Time was 1:06:47 (8:21/mile pace). I felt a little fatigued during this run. I didn't sleep well last night, and I think Thursday's speed session took more out of me than I expected. Still, I managed to log the miles today without any injuries or problems. Money in the bank, I guess.
Next week, I think I'll skip the speedwork and focus on an even longer run of either 11 or 12 miles. I feel the need to work more on my endurance at this point in my half marathon training. I'll likely do a hilly run early in the week, plus a couple of easy runs, then the long run on Friday.
Enjoy your weekend and run strong!

Weekly Long Run

Ran a nice 10-miler this morning. Time was 1:24:32 (8:27 per mile pace). It was an out-and-back course. I wanted to run negative splits and did: 43:13 out; 41:19 back. Took me a few miles to get into a groove. Got a little tired the last mile (which is a slight uphill), and I noticed that I need to work on stretching and strengthening my hip flexors, which got a bit sore and tired the last couple of miles. Afterward, I did some stretching and took an ice bath.

I was happy that the legs felt good enough to do a long run two days after my first interval workout in years. I guess I didn't overdo it on the track, fortunately.

I think 10 miles is about the max I want to run without carrying any fluid with me. Guess I better invest in some sort of hydration system pretty soon.

I'd like to build my long run up to an "overdistance" amount; i.e. over half-marathon distance. I want to have plenty of endurance built up for the race.

How Adaptable is the Body, Anyway?

I was digging thru a bunch of photos on my computer today and came up with four photos (left side of each split photo, above). I certainly don't post them here to try and impress anyone. These are from late 2005, when I wasn't running and was focusing on gaining weight and muscle mass. Thanks to a suggestion of a fellow runner on Twitter, I took some current shots as a comparison. Yikes! What an eye opener! I've lost a lot of mass and muscle thickness. As you might know, I started running in 1983. Even before that, I was a skinny kid. My body adapted well to distance running and I definitely had a "runner's physique". During the times when running and I "broke up", I often decided that I was tired of being scrawny, so I'd hit the weights pretty hard for several months. I'd put on 10-15 lbs and, for me, get fairly big. But I learned that my body doesn't want to be "big". When I'd start running again, it was like my body said "oh, I know this. Time to drop all this useless weight". The years of running have set my body up with a pretty high metabolism and I can drop 10 lbs pretty quickly when I'm getting back into "endurance mode". And that's exactly what has happened. I was 15 lbs. heaver in these photos than I am now, and for the most part, those muscles are gone. I do find it interesting, though, that the human body can change to that extent, even when it leans more toward a certain body type ("ectomorphic", in my case). For most people, and definitely for me, big muscles and endurance training cannot co-exist. And when I was bigger and stronger, I had no stamina. Yeah, I miss the muscles, but I love the endurance training and the feeling of being fit too much to give it up.