Now the winter of my discontent ... is over

It has finally arrived.

No, not Cyber Monday. 

The conclusion of my three-week off-season from running.

This will have been the longest stretch of 'no exercise' since I started running seriously in mid-2010.  I've tried to schedule in some breaks over the past few years (and usually at this point on the calendar) but I've always cut it short, usually because I've felt like I didn't want to lose the physiological gains that had come through training all year round.

Really I've just guilted myself into prematurely launching myself back into the training cycle.

Well this time around I've been good.  Sort of.

Here are a few quick observations after having taken this time away from running:

1. It wasn't a full three week break - inasmuch as I was able to take an extended time of rest, I did sneak in an easy 4k run with my wife the week after the Hamilton Marathon ... so if you count that then I only got in 2-1/2 weeks of inactivity.
2. I enjoyed (sort of) sleeping in - my normal wake-up time on training days is around 5:15am and through these past few weeks I stretched that out to 6:15am.  My body really doesn't like flip-flopping in bed after more than 8 hours of sleep, and our second daughter likes to do this 'deep breathing' exercise at around 6:30am in our bed with my wife (meaning that I had to clear out of the way).
3. Oh yes, there were donuts - this is my promised reward/indulgence after big races and I always look forward to snacking out on a good Boston Creme.  Even though I visualize myself downing extravagant numbers of deep-fried goodness I wound up only eating the equivalent of three (averaged one each week), and had just a few extra snacks here and there.  Honestly my body didn't go into any kind of let-loose craving mode, so even though I eyed plenty of chocolate and candied treats I don't think that I ended up eating much more than I might normally would have during any given training week.
4. My weight did climb - and how do I know that?  Because I couldn't stop looking at the scale.  A definite weakness on my part; I weighed in every morning and evening, and watched the numbers climb to a maximum of about 8lbs over my 'training/racing weight'.  I would look in utter dismay at my reflection in the mirror as I saw myself (or at least my impression of myself) ballooning up in size ... this could very well be a borderline disorder for me, and I'm sure that it hearkens back to when I was a rotund, unathletic little fellow in my grade school days.
5. The knee pain subsided to a degree - I continue to wonder what kind of damage I might have done to the surrounding ligaments on the lateral side of my right knee.  Even with rest I found that my knee would provide ample feedback when it was fully extended and my quads were flexed.  It could be that my IT band simply remains tight and that I need to ask Santa for a foam roller this Christmas, or I did more of a number on it than I might have at first surmised.  So I'll be hitting the roads again tomorrow still not at 100%, but I think that if I don't get out there again my mental state will be more of a liability than my body.
6. I missed seeing my friends - yes, this introverted runner did miss getting out twice a week with the ever-lovin' RunNinjas, as well as cruising around on Friday mornings with my buddy Steve. 
7. My attention never really turned away from running - every day I took opportunities to watch running videos, to study the technique and form of some of my favourite distance runners (e.g. Ryan Hall, Yuki Kawauchi, Mo Farah), and read my daily digest of running blogs.

So there it is, in all of its stark reality and ugliness. 

Have you ever struggled to take time off from your favourite activity?  Do you have any tips to share to help me make the most of it the next around?  I'd love to receive your advice, wisdom and feedback - thanks for tracking with me!

Now the winter of my discontent ... is over

Pound for pound

Have you ever obsessed about weight as a runner?

Feel like if you could only get to that 'wafer-thin' status you would fly down racecourses like an elite-level marathoner?

I sure have.

Even now as I prep for another race this weekend (my first running of the GoodLife Fitness Toronto Marathon, albeit as a pacer for a friend) I'm wishing that I was just 3-4 lbs. lighter.  Perhaps I'll get there for my goal marathon in Ottawa at the end of May - and if I do then perhaps it'll be thanks to some of these tips and tricks for tweaking my bodyweight.  Enjoy, and please let me know what you think!

Pound for pound

no time to waist!

four days ago i was at my wife's side of the family for christmas dinner.  as it was the end of a training week, i gave myself permission to enjoy the meal (and desserts) freely.

i also weighed in at the end of the evening - the scale read 143.2 lbs., which was the most that i'd weighed in probably about 8 months.

yesterday morning i weighed in after my run, and the scale read 137.2 lbs. 

yep, back down to pretty much racing weight, and six pounds shed in about 60 hours (without employing any unhealthy or dehydrating methods).

as this is the time of year that many of my runner friends begin to feel guilty about themselves - indulging in holiday goodies and perhaps choosing to forego the occasional workout due to weather conditions - i thought that it might be helpful to share a few quick suggestions and insights on the topic of food and weight management.
1.  the scale doesn't lie ... but it doesn't tell the whole story either

when you or i snack on those extra calories they will undoubtedly show up on the bathroom scale (acknowledging of course that there are day-to-day fluctuations and that it's better to look at a broader period - e.g. a week - at a whole).  the thing is that while raw weight measurements are among the most trackable of statistics they don't necessarily indicate whether or not you're actually healthy.  you are smart enough to know that people can carry very little weight and be extremely unhealthy for a variety of reasons.  conversely, just because your body type or proportion of muscle-to-fat tissue contributes to a higher weight reading that doesn't mean that you're not in your healthy zone.  remember that healthy is healthy, despite what the scale reading might be.

2.  water, water, everywhere!
i am a huge proponent of drinking water over just about any other kind of beverage.  in terms of purity and usefulness to your body's metabolism i don't think that you can beat a big glass of water.  on top of that though i make sure that i do a couple of other things with water to help navigate my way to a healthy weight:

• start the day with a big glass of water - as an early morning runner this is really my only pre-run nutrition six times out of seven.  it kick-starts my metabolism for the day and helps to get my hydration levels off to a good start.
• drink a full glass of water before every meal - this helps to ensure that i don't overeat (aka 'eating with my eyes') by filling up some of that empty stomach space with liquid.  with that glass of water i'm already on my way to satiating my appetite.

3.  breakfast is big ... or (in the words of captain jean-luc picard) make it so!

after a good night's sleep your body has been fasting for maybe seven or more hours - so make the first meal of the day count!  following a study group of one (yep - me!) indications are that the more substantial your meal is during the early third of your day the better fueled (and less hungry) you are throughout the remainder of the day.

4.  whassup with supper?
conversely, if you can make the final meal of the day the smallest one (given that you do not need to load up for the overnight period) you will serve yourself well.  there's an old saying that goes "eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a pauper" - and by and large it is a good guideline for anyone looking to effectively manage their energy levels and waistline.

5.  enough gas to get to the next stop
after a quick thumb-through of meb keflezighi's book Meb for Mortals i took note of the little eating tip that he offers to runners, which is to think of your body like a car and each meal like a gas-station stop.  you want to load up on enough fuel to get you over to the next station - this is a little mental reminder that i've also found to be helpful, especially since i tend to eat until i'm full instead of putting my fork down once i've had 'enough'.

6.  keep groovin'!
this is the 'easier-said-than-done' part.  i tend to be on the relentless side when it comes to my running, so i hope that it doesn't sound pedantic or condescending to say that if you want to manage your weight well that you should do everything you can to stick to your exercise regimen.  or at the very least do some of the little things that will help keep the ratio of calories consumed vs. calories burned from getting too out of whack.  for instance:

• choose a parking spot a good distance away from the door/entrance of your destination
• stand more than you sit
• leave the car at home for small, nearby errands whenever possible.

... so there are just a few suggestions - i'm sure that you can come up with some of your own if you really put your mind to it!

so buckle in, buckle down, and here's to a happy and healthy 2016 for us all!  

no time to waist!

the life-altering perils of running

this week i had the privilege of speaking to a group of runners gathered for a symposium at our local MEC store.  the event was called "A Celebration of Runners" and it was organized by my pal and running sensei jim and the team at MEC Barrie.  while i felt completely inadequate and underqualified to be addressing such a diverse and experienced tribe of athletes (including my friend keith, a sub-3 marathoner and prolific 100-mile racer who was sitting pretty much front row centre) i shared a little bit from my own running journey in the hopes of providing some nuggets that might be encouraging or helpful to others who share this same passion/madness called running.  and in the hopes that some of this might be interesting or beneficial to anyone else, i thought that i would publish the substance of my presentation here on the rendezvoo point.

- - - - - -

i dislike running. really.

what i like is sleeping in.  i like KFC.  i like digging into a tub of ice cream and bowls of doritos after 10pm. i like not having to do the laundry every other day.  but since 2009 one of things that i've discovered about myself is that i was born to run – and more importantly, i like what my life has been like since i started running.

and yet it’s not without its perils.  i say that in all earnestness (ok, well mostly earnestness) because i think that as many of us here have discovered running is not just an activity.  it’s not something that you do, its something that has the potential to change your life.  some of the best stories about running are about people who have monumental turnarounds in their weight or health (physical and mental) as a result of taking up this sport.  yeah, it’s got that kind of impact factor.  it can and often does become so much more than just "going for a jog" or "lacing up the sneakers".  the best parts of it we can happily buy into and appreciate – and some of it can be like the force and have a dark side.

i want to share a quick list of  five things that i’ve discovered about what running has done to this human being with the hope that it might resonate with you – even if you haven’t found these to be true of your own running experience, i’m pretty confident that there are some takeaways that will benefit you in your own exploration and journey with running.

how i started into this running thing had everything to do with elvis.  i was cast in a community theatre production as an elvis impersonator, and specifically the version of elvis that appeared clad in black leather tip-to-toe in his 1968 comeback tv special.  the wardrobe person couldn't make the costume for me so she had to take my measurements and try to find the appropriate apparel items at the local thrift shops.  the leather pants that she found for me were definitely marked with the appropriate sizing tags but when i first tried them on they were practically painted on, and i pretty much had to have some fellow cast members help extricate me out of them.  but i was told that that was the best option available so it was my show outfit - and knowing that i had to not only don them performance after performance but also be able to dance around in them i determined that i had to lose some weight.

it was opportune then that my next-door neighbour should be trying to find a new home for his treadmill as he was in process of a downsizing move to a new house - i volunteered to lighten his load and put the treadmill in my basement in behind my computer workstation.  when i first started running i would throw a music video on YouTube and just try to last through the 3-4 minutes ... and as they say, that was the beginning of the end.

given that i started running to lose weight, it's been an issue that has taken up a bit too much of my attention during the past couple of years.  it's not often spoken about - at least not in circles involving the male of the species - but weight issues can be a bit of a struggle amongst focused runners (there are two great articles that i would recommend that can be found here and here).  i for one have found myself at times consumed with desire to lose weight in order to gain precious minutes in the marathon, having read that 1 lb. lost can equal 1 min. shaved off of a marathon performance.  but it's something that can be easily obsessed over - and while it may prompt healthier eating in terms of choices and plate portions, one of the things that i've come to realize and accept is that there are all sorts of different body types and that your ideal racing weight is the weight that you race and feel your best at, whatever it might be.  fuel and train smart and let the results speak for themselves - not the bathroom scale.

in the bible, specifically the old testament/hebrew scriptures, exodus 22:22 says "don't mistreat widows or orphans."  i don't know about your family situation, but my wife is a running widow and my kids running orphans.  don't get me wrong - i love what running does for me personally and the great community of people that i've been introduced to and the new friendships and bonds that i've struck up with others who take to the roads and trails alongside me.  it's just that we each have a set or primary/priority relationships to which we need to stay attentive.  one of the big reasons that i'm an early morning (i.e. pre-dawn) runner is so that i do not shirk my responsibilities at home, which may or may not include getting kids up and out of bed, helping with lunch bag prep and/or serving breakfast. 

i wish that my family shared my degree of investment in running - my wife will take to the treadmill on occasion and has been out for two short runs with me.  as for my kids, aside from participating in the girls on the run/move program at their schools they're not much for running ... so this year when they asked me what i wanted for my birthday i told them that i wanted to run a 5k MEC race with them this fall.  they've indulged me on this - now i just have to get them out the door and training so that they don't show up at the start line with the look that says "what am i supposed to do now?".

so in your efforts to go the distance with running make sure that you don't lose the relationships that matter most along the way.

as far as my running is concerned i like to have structure.  since i haven't yet discovered the pure joy of running, i'm motivated by races and PBs - and to be able to put out my best i rely on training plans.  i've used everything from your base-model plans easily found on the interweb to a customized plan crafted for me by my former running coach rick ball.  the benefits of a training plan is not only the structure that it offers but also that it will (if it is thoughtfully and purposefully designed) incorporate different workouts intended to stimulate various adaptations and systems, including but not limited to speed development, fat-metabolizing runs, hill training and recovery runs.

the dark side of training plans is that they can become cruel and unyielding taskmasters ... if you let them.

i remind myself frequently that the training plan is meant to serve the runner, and not the other way around.  it's easy to become 'enslaved' to a training plan, which is different than being committed to one.  commitment recognizes that training plans are useful for pushing you beyond your comfortable limits, and making you fitter, stronger and faster by extending your boundaries.  on the other hand enslavement happens when you or i look at the training plan and try to punch out each workout no matter what - the adverse/dangerous weather conditions, extenuating circumstances (e.g. sleepless night because of kids or special social events), accumulated stress, nagging/emerging injuries.  it's more important to be well attuned to what your body and life circumstances are trying to communicate to you than it is to be able to cross out a scheduled workout on the calendar.  

remember - the dog wags the tail.  the tail doesn't wag the dog.

i have a couple of running friends whom i would consider 'colleagues' in the sense that we started running in and around the same age, are similar in physical build and training habits and overall fitness (i.e. with respect to general activity and injuries).  however, a few of these colleagues of mine have turned in blazing fast times in distances from the 5k through the marathon - the kind that i could only wish for, and i'm left wondering at times 'what's wrong with me?' 

this characterizes a dangerous (and fruitless) pursuit that i'll affectionately term 'the barbie complex'.

you know barbie, right?  the doll from the 1950s/60s that has become iconic not only because of it's dress-up versatility and playability with girls of all ages but for the fact that if she were a real person her proportions would make it physically impossible for her to walk upright or keep her head from flopping over?

and yet she has somehow become an image of feminine perfection, and the object against which all others are compared.

the barbie complex is all about comparing yourself to those around you - which in a certain light can be helpful because we can help sharpen one another in terms of knowledge and execution.  we can and often do push one another to be better.  the thing is that there will always be someone faster than you, and almost assuredly there will be someone who is slower than you.  getting caught up in a game of comparison can be a vicious cycle because you are uniquely you whether in terms of genetics, running history, life circumstances and raw potential.  if you're going to compare yourself against anyone make it against the person that you were yesterday or last week or last month or last year.  a worthwhile goal is to be focused on becoming a better version of you than you were before ... and lay all of the other comparisons to rest.  you'll be happier and easier to get along with that way.

as a rabid introvert these ^^ are my favourite running companions.  that's why i love getting my workouts in before most people's alarm clocks ring, and having the opportunity to disappear out on some rural concessions.  since i live with five women (my wife and four daughters) there tends to be a bit of 'verbal activity' that happens around my place, so running affords me an arena where i can embrace the silence and engage the recharging process.

that doesn't mean that i'm out and out anti-social - in fact, one of the things that i've loved about becoming one of the barrie running ninjas and participating in the MEC group runs is the opportunity to generate new connections, build bonds of friendship with like-minded people and to learn from and be interwoven with intriguing life stories.  what i've discovered is that the running community is an extremely generous one - with most individuals willing to share their time, experiences, accumulated wisdom and even tangible resources with others.  in particular i've found that the MEC running groups encourage a culture of community and not competition - it's not about who can go the fastest or furthest, but about how we can nurture one another to be the best that we each can be ... and wholly enjoying the relational development along the way.  this is the kind of accountability that is attractive and that i will happily buy into ... even as a rabid introvert.

the life-altering perils of running