We're Moving: Av Piste!

After over a year of a silence on my part, please check out AvPiste, my new outdoor sports blog. Thank you all for the support the past couple years making this little project a success!

http://avPiste.blogspot.com/

New Years Runner

Recent happenings include:

1. A nice 20 mile bike ride down the Silver Comet Trail 2 days ago.  It's only my third outing with the bike and must say the off-street path is awesome for riding.  I wasn't really pushing hard, but trying to get a solid workout.  Funny how in my cheap-o shorts, cotton shirt, and standard pedals (not even a cage) I only got passed once by a small group of riders, but zipped around a bunch of other posers in full-on bike outfits and expensive rides.  I rode 84 minutes, avg 15mph (included stopping at intersections).  A lot of fun and much easier on the body than an 84 minute run.

2. Have been incorporating some Cross-Fit principled workouts the past few weeks.  What I really mean is, I have been doing push ups, sit ups, curls, squats, and dips.  I'm trying to a) get a stronger core to help with longer runs / injury protection and b)get my wimpy arms to firm up a bit to match my legs.  Also a little weight loss would be nice.

3. Santa brought me the Saucony Hurricane 10 last week.  Very nice shoe so far.  Did a single 6 miler with them so far.  Much more sleek than the Hurricane 8's.  Will write up a review after using them a bit more.

Happy New Year!

Review: Sof Sole premium inserts

Recently I had the opportunity to try out two different Sof Sole insert products: The Adapt and Stability.  I used them in place of my factory insoles in my Nike Air Equalion +2's and Saucony Hurricanes.
"Adapt" overall: 4.5 / 5 stars
The Adapt is a heat-moldable insert (225-degrees in oven for 2 minutes then wear in shoe for several minutes while cools) that provides a lot of cushion and support in the heel.  I really liked this one because it kept the toebox wide while really hugging my heel.  This really felt like a custom insert.  After doing a few 10K training runs with it I was very pleased to note that I never "noticed" my feet - exactly what we should be shooting for.  Impossible to say whether this heal support and cushion will pay off in the long run but it sure seems like it.  These inserts also good for just walking and standing a lot - I wore them several days to work and in the operating room.  Again, I did notice how they really support the heel, but absolutely no complaints.  Will plan on keeping these in until shoes are dead, and will likely buy them again after my next factory insoles start getting a bit flat.
"Stability" overall: 4 / 5 stars
These are ready-to-use out of box with no heat-moldable action.  I did notice they give a lot of medial foot/heel support to prevent pronation, and they work quite well to that end.  Similar to the Adapt, after running/walking/standing on these for several days I have no complaints.  They most certainly brought new life back to my 14-month old Saucony's.  When running I do tend to notice that anti-pronation support a bit more than the Adapt but this did not cause any problems during my 2-week trial.  I think these inserts are excellent premium replacements but personally I favored the Adapt a bit more.
For sizing both of these they come in a range of shoe sizes that then require trimming.  I simply used my factory insoles as a template to cut the Sof Sole inserts with heavy scissors.  I can see how messing up the trimming could botch these as they would either be too big and crowd in areas or too small and slip around. 
It is important to note that I wasn't really considering buying insoles, but was given these on a promotion to try.  I had thought of getting some for my older shoes to get more mileage out of them, but had gotten no further than the grocery store foot pharmacy in my quest.  At $30 a pair these are probably most valuable to the person with slightly worn shoes, rather than brand-new.  Of course for specific problems like over pronatation (despite a stability-class shoe) or heel issues these may be worth a look earlier.

Available at these retailers, among others:
Sports Authority
Rack Room Shoes
DSW Shoe Warehouse
Athlete's Foot
City Sports
Finish Line

Lazy Runner

Running Lately:

10.5 miles sunday afternoon (cool and clear).

last week did two 6-milers at 6am at Peidmont Park (yikes COLD!, around 25 and 30 degrees, add some wind).

 

was planning a medium length run tomorrow but looks like the rain will stop me...

Turkey Runs

A couple of chilly runs lately.  First was Thanksgiving morning in Florida with a cold high-30s run down some old dirt roads.  Ground was a bit damp still but that had the advantage of keeping dust out of the air.

 

Next was not until today back home in Atlanta when I agreed (stupidly) to a 5:45am Piedmont Park run.  Did about 6 miles via 3 progressively smaller loops (spiralling inward).  Took a full 2 miles to get "unchilled" in the mid-30s high-wind weather.

 

Winter is coming quickly.  Finding the time and weather to run gets difficult.  The Elliptical looks better and better by the degree...

The [Douchey] Doctors

Wow disturbed to catch on daytime TV yesterday a show called "The Doctors" hosted by that ER guy Stork who was on Bachelor a lifetime ago.

 

What a crappy show, but I guess speaks something about the stay-at-home moms still finding blonde young docs hot.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pEJMZ51vwuc

Second Review of Sole E35 Elliptical

Please refer to my first early review of my new elliptical machine.  I now write a brief followup to that review after about 6 months of use.

 

Price: $1299 at www.soletreadmills.com, includes shipping.

Pros: price, quiet, very sturdy/heavy duty feel, adjustable "pedal" angles, multiple workouts, remembers my weight/age

Cons: remote HR monitor requires a hairless chest and even then its iffy

Weird: The calorie calculator consistently reads about half the calories of a similar workout on a LifeFitness or Precor, the fan is so weak you can barely detect its on, there is audio input & small speakers & audio output (the output is pointless)

Sound bite: A durable high quality low-frills machine at a good price, much less than its competitors.

Would I buy again: YES!

 

I admit I haven't used it as much as I had hoped.  I used the machine quite a bit in the heat of summer to get a run in here or there, probably averaging twice a week.  We have sort-of built a little home-gym around the elliptical featuring a TV, iPod stereo, wood floors, some inspirational posters and a towel rack.

 

One place this has really helped is with my IT Band problems.  This elliptical does not quite take your knee through 30-degrees of motion (at least for me), so even when my knee is flaring up I can run on this with very little problem.

 

After using only this elliptical for a while then getting back on the LifeFitness at the gym I must say I like the Sole E35 a lot better.  It has a much smoother "running feel" with what seems like less "up and down".  I didn't think that would be true with a front-flywheel but it is definitely noticeable.

 

The near-silence of the machine is huge plus.  After a couple months I noticed a "rubbing" noise like there was some extra friction going on somewhere.  Turns out the plastic/rubber guides in the back were not really lubricated (I never lubed them).  I used the supplied "elliptical lube" and put a couple drops on the guides and voila! Silence.  Now when I work out my wife usually just hears my huffing and puffing and not the machine at all.

 

Our home gym is on the second story of our wood-framed home.  I was a little worried that using the elliptical would make the whole house shake or vibrate (like the washer does sometimes).  But no, no such problems.  Unless immediately below the elliptical downstairs you can't tell anything is going on at all.

 

One recommendation I definitely make is to put your machine on some kind of hard flooring.  Since this is my house and not the gym I definitely notice that I make a virtual sea of sweat when I work out more than 30 minutes.  It is disgusting to think that if this were on carpet all that sweat would get soaked in.  On the wood floors I just wipe it up with a towel (and of course do regular floor cleaning).  BTW I have the machine on top of a cheap WalMart 3/8" rubber mat; no damage or denting noted to the bamboo floors yet.

 

Anyway if you are thinking about a machine I think this is a great alternative to the high-prices Precor or LifeFitness, and far better than the department store cheap-o's.  You can try out some models in person at Dick's Sporting Goods, they are an authorized retailer but I went with the factory store to save money on sales tax.

Looking for a Place to Run

Wintertime blues.  Just when I'm feeling motivated and have a little break at work I see the race schedule for Atlanta in December is BLEAK.  I was hoping for a nice little wintertime 10K or maybe even 13.1 (I will be gone Thanksgiving) but only the Hillgrove Holiday Classic (a small race at a highschool with only 50 finishers last year).  What I see is a host of 5K's, and a Braselton 8K.  Is there anything I'm missing, or am I destined to do my long winter race alone?

 

December 08 Atlanta-area races:

ATC December Cross Country 5K Marietta 12/6

Mistletoe Run 5K Alpharetta 12/6

Run for Reading 8K Braselton 12/6

Run to the Star 5K Douglasville 12/6

WCA 5K Monroe 12/6
Hillgrove Holiday Classic 10K Powder Springs 12/6

Optimistic Flapjack Fun Run Jasper 12/6

Sleighbells on the Square 5K Marietta 12/13

Jingle Jog 5K Loganville 12/13

Jungle Jog 5K Atlanta 12/13

Viginia Highlands 5K Atlanta 12/20

Flashlight 5K Lawrenceville 12/31

No Sweat No Run 5K Kennesaw 1/1

Yikes the knee!

Admittedly I've been lazy since the marathon about running.  This morning I headed out for what I hoped would be a long run.  Atlanta was beautiful today - clear, 50-degrees and breezy.  Very nice for running.  At about mile 4 I felt my left, then my right, IT band acting up at my lateral knee.  I tried to be careful about my mechanics and stay on smooth asphalt but finally at about mile 5 I had to stop.  The pain was too much and I was worried I would hurt myself further.

Turns out my right IT band was the worser.  I walked the next mile-and-a-half home.  Defeated.

Being my hard-headed self I then went out to try my new Bike for a road test.  All I've really done so far is tool around the neighborhood getting used to the gearing and adjusting the seat.  Why should I let a bum knee hold me up?

So I headed for a ride over to Decatur (about 16 miles round trip).  The bike went great. I had to adjust the seat again, actually higher than I liked but made for better pedalling.  Only at about mile 15 did I start to get a twinge of the knee pain again.  It was actually quite funny to see how (relatively) fast I did this trip cycling as it seems like it takes forever to run it. :)  The other "funny" thing was to see my cheap-o Bell bicycle computer go flying off the handlebars at 20mph and skip into some bushes... Nowhere to be found.  It's only funny because I do actually have a sense of humor.

My knee now OK but will rest it some this week.  Will also try some stretches to get the IT band loosened up.

I thought about reinventing the wheel and devoting a blog to IT band treatments but there are plenty of other sites out there that do already.  Here's One.

Stretch on!

A Bike for a Runner

Today I picked up my new (cheap-o) road bike.  For the past couple months I've been thinking about doing some biking to mix up my workout routine as well as add a little bit of simple commuting here and there.  I wanted something I could do some good aerobic training with, would take a beating (at least wouldnt hurt so much in the wallet), and would let me commute a little.

Oh yeah, forgot to mention that I've never really been "into" biking so am quickly catching up on all the lingo and gear options out there.

I decided on a very lightly USED aluminum-frame noname bike with entry-level Shimano components.  New from discount online retailer this bike was $600.  I got for under $350 after just 50 miles use, and seller threw in $20 computer, clipless pedals and underseat bag.  I figure its a good cheap way to figure out exactly what I want for a serious bike one day OR its a cheaper way to figure out I'm not really a cycling kinda-guy.

I picked up a cheapo helmet, lock, and pump from Wal-mart after gawking around Performance Bicycle (a great store but will wait a bit before over-upgrading my hobby).  I zipped a few times around the block today, trying to figure out the gears and whatnot (my last bike was a 1997 Gary Fisher Marlin with gripshift shifters; not nearly as much education required). 

 

The specs:

Model: Mercier Orion AL (bikesdirect.com brand) 54cm

Front Fork: Kinesis carbon fiber

Crank: TH RPM 52/42/30T 165/170/172.5

Seatpost: Al / Carbon thing (?)

Shifters: Shimano Sora STI

Brakes: Tektro

Front Derailer: Shimano Sora

Rear Derailer: Shimano Tiagra

Rims: AlexRims D22

Tires: Michelin 700x23C

Pedals: cheap-o alloy

Weight: 20 lbs

 

I know the purists out there will hate that I got a "cheap" bike sold at an online discounter.  While a "starter bike" costing around $800-900 at a local bike shop wasn't totally unreasonable, I just dont see the expense being worthwhile right now.  If I keep riding then this basic setup will get turned over and upgraded soon enough, and the guys at the SoPo Bike Co-op will have great fare for a stylin' fixed gear.

Run on! (and ride a little)

This Man did it!

At just under five hours I finished my first marathon today. Chicago
was a bit warm, and sunny, leading many to jump ship and some to get
carted off. I can't say I'm super happy with my time but am
satisfied, and it certainly gives me something to improve upon.
The frst half went great - as planned - averaging a 9:30 pace.
Starting about mile 16 though things slowed down drastically. I
started hitting every water stop, walking through the stops. My run
became a shuffle and had to outright stop twice to stretch cramps out.
Finishing though was great, as was able to catch enough wind to finish
the last 1/4 strong. BTW have never felt so much muscle pain before.
What a blast! Now I'm preocupied looking for next year's.

--
Sent from my mobile device

Here we go: Chicago 26.2

Just got dropped off at the airport and in a few minutes will be
departing for the windy city. Admittedly I'm feeling a bit anxious,
nostly worried about the possibility of failure.
In less than two days we will know.
After a night out with old college friends tonight will spend a day in
recovery and preparation.
Goodluck everyone.

--
Sent from my mobile device

Chicago Marathon: The taper begins

Hopefully I'm not too little too late.  My attenuated training has left me hitting only 16 miles (today) as my maximum distance.  In less than 14 whole days I will be trying a race 10 miles longer.

 

The good news is my exhausting 16-miler today came on the heels of a tough week for running: a PR 10K 8 days ago, 3 days of running since with 8 miles yesterday, and less-than-race-quality nutritional status (multiple Mohitos and Cuba Libres last night).  I'm hoping that correcting those factors (plus the fact Chicago is FLAT) will get me the additional 10 miles.

 

The [revised last minute] Plan:

1. Only short elliptical workouts for the next 9 days or so.  Will keep doing nautilus / abs to keep in shape, but will stop that too 5 days or so beforehand.  My best races have come after 2-3 weeks off totally.

2. A salad every day starting tomorrow.

3. Limit red meat and fatty meat.  Replace with fish.

4. Day/Night before: No alcohol, no fat, carb-load, in bed early.

5. Morning-of: Power bars x 2, coffee x 1, water at least 1 hour before running.

6. During race: Will hit probably every-other water/Gatorade stop, alternating between the two.  Will walk 30sec or so during drink stops.  Will bring spare dry socks.  Will do a Gel at 12 miles, then the one provided at 18 miles.  No iPod.

New 10K PR

Something about this week brought about my best couple of runs lately.  After getting beat up in Hitlon Head last weekend doing an 8-miler in the humidity and just a few hours after seafood dinner, I redeemed myself with a good run around the neighborhood thursday.

 

And today at the Four Seasons Run for Research 10K in Atlanta I heartily beat my old 10K PR with a 50:10 time.  Looking back I left a little bit on the field and probably could've beat 50:00 if I planned a little better.

 

The course was a tow-lap midtown Atlanta course that didn't enter Atlantic Station (thank God for the change of scenery).  The hills were slow rolling, and only about 2 hills (times 2 laps) with lots of gentle downhill and flat.  Aside from a run along the river, it's as flat as Atlanta gets.  There was music, a DJ, and Falcons cheerleaders to root us on.  Best of all it is a Peachtree Qualifier.  In all it is a really great run with good sponsorship but oddly pretty low runner numbers (maybe a couple hundred in the 10K).

 

Headed out to Chicago tomorrow for some conference action and related festivities.  Going to do my best to get in a little pre-marathon warm up while in town.

New PR @ Grant Park Shade Festival 5K

http://gpconservancy.org/node/15

 

I have raced the Grant Park Summer Shade Festival 5K the past three years.  While I wasn't explicitly trying for a new PR I did think I stood a chance as lately I've been keeping a pretty quick pace with my training.  The course however is a bit hilly, and I've discovered that near the end of a race I just can't run downhill fast enough to make up for a slow uphill.

 

I did the first mile at a 7:16 split.  I think a little too fast as I had to recover some for the second mile.  I was able to pick up the third a little and have a strong finish - some 4 seconds faster than my previous PR.

 

Next up: Run for Research 10K Sep 20.

New Distance PR 13.9 mi

The past few days I have been working fairly hard on medium distance, doing "fast" 5 milers on the treadmill at work Thursday and Friday evenings.  Saturday I did a 6 mile Galloway run in the fastest pace group (I was a guest of one of the group leaders).  Last night I felt so beat I had to go to bed early.

The rain overnight started me afresh though.

I wanted a change of "pace" so I drove up to the Freedom Partk PATH in an attempt to follow it for a few miles.  The portion of the path through the park was a nobrainer but when the path emptied onto the streets there is practically no marking.  I quickly fell off the path and just did a scenic run to Decatur.  Thanks to the Forerunner I was able to pick my way back through the neighborhoods to get back home (took a different route back).

I intended really to just do another medium distance run at pace, but quickly discovered running hard was not in the works today.  However, I felt great jogging at about a 10:00 pace (slowing some to average 10:30) so I just went with it.

In all, it felt great but should've looked up some waterfountains or brought a drink.  Wound up drinking from two different water hoses at various construction sites.

I will take a day or two off but need to keep my training strong for the final ~5 weeks or so before marathon taper.

Running Hot

The past two weeks have brought the heat down in the ATL.  I've been doing a lot of running indoors, including the treadmill and elliptical.  I (barely) completed a 10 miler sunday, mostly limited I think by a tanked-up stomach and some leg cramping (lets hope anyway).  I ran strong on the treadmill today, averaging a 8:20 pace or so with 2% incline... and NOTHING on TV.

 

Leading up to the Chicago Marathon are the Grant Park 5K, the US 10K Classic and the Buckhead Sizzler 10K.  I also just learned of another 10K (officially certified) to support research at Grady.  All these 10K's hopefully will help keep my pace-training on track.

 

I'm also approaching the marathon with a little weight loss in mind.  Hopefully I can dump about 10-15 lbs the next 6 weeks to make the run all the easier... we'll see...

Democracy, human rights a backburner issue in Beijing

The 2008 Olympic Summer Games had what most would agree was the most awe-inspiring Opening Ceremonies.  Truly a gargantuan assemblage of human capital and technology to make it fly and it went off without a hitch.  Some would even say it was intimidating to Americans to see such a demonstration of national ability and pride by another country, and a red country nonetheless.

 

However a story that quickly fell of the radar to Page 6 news seems to overshadow the whole affair: Joey Cheek (2006 Winter Olympic Gold Medalist in 500m speedskating) was denied his travel visa to China just hours before his trip.  Also refused for travel include Kendra Zanotto (2004 USA Synchronized Swimming Team), Chris Boyles (decathalon and soccer), and Brad Greiner (Water Polo turned model turned activist co-founder of TeamDarfur.org).  From what everyone can tell, and what is public information, it looks like the only reason for the visa revokation was the three's involvement in TeamDarfur.org, a human rights website promoting awareness and peace in Darfur.  The Website was founded by Cheek and Greiner, among others.  It has a following of over 400 registered world-class athletes who have signed up in support.

 

The Chinese Government has taken heat for multi billion-dollar investments in Sudan (mostly for oil) while ignoring the humanitarian crisis, many say they are enablers of the genocide.  China denies wrongdoing of course.  It is a huge hypocrisy to host the Olympic Games and disallow peaceful activism.  Somehow this made news on the TV networks for about an hour then I never heard anything more.  I almost assumed it had been resolved.  I feel like the world media outlets have a greater responsibility to the people to carry this story a little further.  NBC I am disappointed.

 

 

 

 

Decatur Run

This morning did a nice 9-miler to Decatur from the house, ending at Sweet Melissa's for a great omlette.  Was fairly warm and humid out, and despite the dry-cool socks I was wearing still got soaking wet feet.  Additionally felt a little heavy and slow all morning, probably from the humidity and my crappy diet the past 3 days (eating out nearly every meal).  If you check my MotionBased record of the run (left pane) you'll see I had a few long pauses for water and even a short walking spell.

 

I've got a long way to go for the marathon.

Running Behind

Almost from day 1 of my "marathon training schedule" I have been behind.  My schdule calls for me running three runs a week, two mid week medium distance and one long weekender.  So far I have been doing pretty poorly at keeping up.

 

I've been able lately to get in some midweek 6, 7, or 8-milers but long weekend runs just aren't happening.  My goals for the Chicago Marathon are getting reevaluated.  I've adjusted downward to a "strong finish", hopefully averaging a 10 minute pace.

 

In other news, a week after the Peachtree Roadrace I did the Southeastern Brain Tumor Foundation 5K , a fun charity run hosted out of Atlanta Station.  I was impressed at the attendance here (several hundred runners).  The course was the Atlantic Station "back loop" 5K looping westward around Hemphill and 17th streets rather than Midtown.  All in all a good race with a near PR time.

 

Goals for August:

  1. Run more.

  2. Blog more.