Sometimes it's just good to take off the watch. Take off the heart rate monitor. Go off the grid + forget the GPS. Sometimes it's just good to run. With all the latest gadgets and workouts it's easy to analyze our runs. And sometimes it's just too much. Sometimes it's good to just run. Sam Chelanga said it best in the most recent Running Times when he said:
"It's not really about a different way. Americans train smart, but they analyze it a little more than Kenyans do. Kenyans just get out and run. They don't care about a lot of details. You'll never hear them talking about a workout or how it went. To them it's just about getting out there and running."
Sometimes it's just about getting out there and running.
Brent
Friday, October 29, 2010
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Garmin 405cx--the only downside is if the aliens can track me now
Went running this morning in the Garmin 405cx. It is pretty nifty. I am not a technology guru, and I've never been one to jump at the newest gadget, but I am impressed by the feedback the watch provides while running. I only ran about 30 minutes, but it gave me a good idea of how beneficial the watch could be when training, especially at longer distances, tempo runs, while running unfamiliar routes, or if you are just curious. If I had used the heart rate monitor with the watch, it would have provided even more detailed information. All of which, I'm sure, would confirm that I am a finely tuned athletic machine (ha!)
I had to tinker with the watch for a bit before I felt like I got a hang of how to control the functions and navigate the menu. The most common complaint I have heard at the store is that the watch is complicated and not entirely intuitvive. I think a lot of that comes with the watch using a touch sensitve bezel to select options and scroll through lists, as well as having so many different functions which you can choose. I had to learn when to press and hold parts of the bezel and when to just tap it. The good news in all of this is that Garmin offers training videos at Garmin Training that are really helpful for learning how to use it, and in the end it wasn't that hard to figure out.
The 405cx gave me real time feedback as I ran, information including current pace and cumulative pace (8:33/mile), predicted finish time of my 3 mile run, calories burned (357), and distance (3.12) The 405cx is also complemented by Garmin Connect,a website that you can wirelessly upload all of your training information to via your personal computer. The website maps the route that you ran whether on roads or trails, and breaks down the training information pairing heart rate and pace data with map locations.
Overall, I think the 405cx is pretty cool, and I may add more about it after I use the Garmin Connect website or HR monitor more. If you don't think you need all of the do dads the 405cx offers, check out the Garmin 110, a slimmed down, just the basics GPS-enabled watch. Check out these Watch Comparisons to get a better idea about the differences between the Garmin watches.
Off and running,
Michael
I had to tinker with the watch for a bit before I felt like I got a hang of how to control the functions and navigate the menu. The most common complaint I have heard at the store is that the watch is complicated and not entirely intuitvive. I think a lot of that comes with the watch using a touch sensitve bezel to select options and scroll through lists, as well as having so many different functions which you can choose. I had to learn when to press and hold parts of the bezel and when to just tap it. The good news in all of this is that Garmin offers training videos at Garmin Training that are really helpful for learning how to use it, and in the end it wasn't that hard to figure out.
The 405cx gave me real time feedback as I ran, information including current pace and cumulative pace (8:33/mile), predicted finish time of my 3 mile run, calories burned (357), and distance (3.12) The 405cx is also complemented by Garmin Connect,a website that you can wirelessly upload all of your training information to via your personal computer. The website maps the route that you ran whether on roads or trails, and breaks down the training information pairing heart rate and pace data with map locations.
Overall, I think the 405cx is pretty cool, and I may add more about it after I use the Garmin Connect website or HR monitor more. If you don't think you need all of the do dads the 405cx offers, check out the Garmin 110, a slimmed down, just the basics GPS-enabled watch. Check out these Watch Comparisons to get a better idea about the differences between the Garmin watches.
Off and running,
Michael
Friday, July 30, 2010
I ate cookies for breakfast this morning
Why are my muscles so tight? My hamstrings seem afraid I am going to leave them behind today. They grab at my legs as I put on my socks and shoes. It’s a feeling that I have known plenty of times in life. The feeling that comes with using muscles that had been forgotten for a while. It reminds me that getting back into running after a several month hiatus isn’t going to be as easy as I thought. I am going to have to take it slowly, and not treat my body like it belongs to Superman. I may even have to stretch this time. Foam roller here I come.
Ready to run.
Michael
Ready to run.
Michael
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Escape
I wake up before my alarm today, my mind already churning as I plan out the next couple of hours of my day. I'm excited to run today. Or at least my mind is energized. My body is still a little stiff and sleepy from the night's rest it's trying to emerge from. After coffee, face washing, teeth brushing, and contact lenses, I slip my iPod on my arm and grab Kingsley's leash as I head out the door to greet the morning. Kingsley eyes me expectantly from the deck and comes bounding for the gate as soon as he realizes we're heading out on a run. I click the leash onto his collar, turn on my iPod, and we're off. Kingsley and I start off slow, letting my body warm up. The first five minutes are always the hardest. I know this now...something I have not always known. I used to dread morning runs. My body was always so sluggish at that hour. But I've learned...yes, learned, that with a little coaxing, my muscles will wake up and come to life.
Today is a great morning. Cool, or I should say cooler, than it's been in weeks. North Carolina summers don't know what cool is, not even in the wee hours of the morning after a nights reprieve from the sun's rays. Kingsley and I make our usual loop around the neighborhood before I drop him off at home and continue on my own. This morning in particular is peaceful, quiet, calm. I'm out earlier than usual...that 20 minutes makes a difference. I head toward State's campus and burrow into my usual route. Running on campus reminds me of home...the good parts of Bozeman...I always had my runs to keep me grounded. So many trees here though...I feel buried beneath all of them. I miss trodding up the side of Pete's Hill or the face of the M to see the entire valley splayed in front of me. Not here...the trees are like a net...sometimes offering comfort and security, while other times inspiring the animal-like urge to rip through the netting and claw your way to the top...escape.
But actually, I don't really notice the trees today. My mind bounces between planning out the rest of my day and replaying scenes from yesterday. Sometimes I smile, even laugh out loud, when warm memories come to the surface. Other times I shake my head, wonder, wtf, and want to scream or punch someone as I replay a memory I know I should let be. I don't let things be, though. I'm trying to get better at this. I suppose I should be present during my run...that's what Oprah and all the psychologists of today would say, right? I am present for the audiobook playing on my iPod, but don't really want to be present for some of the pain my body is sludging through as I run. That's the joy of running for me...it let's me escape to my own little world. And it's an escape that I earn...I don't have to feel guilty for it. I'm exercising my body and my mind gets to wander. This is probably the closest I am during my waking hours to the dream world I enter at night. Sometimes my dreams really are better than reality. This bothers me, but it's true.
Pretty soon, I'm staring up into the sun and I realize I'm already on the home stretch...more than halfway through my run. I see the sun today...not just glimpse it, but actually see it. It's already quite high above the hoizon...seems too early to be so high, like I've already missed out on so much of the morning without even knowing it. But then, back into the trees. Most days I rejoice in the shade those towering trees offer, but today it's not that hot and the sun is still a pleasure at this early hour, not yet a menace making each step more sweaty than the last.
My muscles are tired today. I remind myself I need to take a rest day...I always feel better after I do. But as I write this, I am already anticipating tomorrow's run and don't want to skip the peace and calm the early morning hours offer me. Morning is my favorite time...or I should say, morning is my favorite alone time. I don't want anyone around in the morning...just me. And mornings are still pregnant with the buzz and anticipation of what lies ahead as the day unfolds, minute by minute, hour by hour.
And then I'm home...Kingsley waits for me at the top of the stairs and I smile. I did it. And now, let the day unfold...elegantly, I hope.
-Elise
Today is a great morning. Cool, or I should say cooler, than it's been in weeks. North Carolina summers don't know what cool is, not even in the wee hours of the morning after a nights reprieve from the sun's rays. Kingsley and I make our usual loop around the neighborhood before I drop him off at home and continue on my own. This morning in particular is peaceful, quiet, calm. I'm out earlier than usual...that 20 minutes makes a difference. I head toward State's campus and burrow into my usual route. Running on campus reminds me of home...the good parts of Bozeman...I always had my runs to keep me grounded. So many trees here though...I feel buried beneath all of them. I miss trodding up the side of Pete's Hill or the face of the M to see the entire valley splayed in front of me. Not here...the trees are like a net...sometimes offering comfort and security, while other times inspiring the animal-like urge to rip through the netting and claw your way to the top...escape.
But actually, I don't really notice the trees today. My mind bounces between planning out the rest of my day and replaying scenes from yesterday. Sometimes I smile, even laugh out loud, when warm memories come to the surface. Other times I shake my head, wonder, wtf, and want to scream or punch someone as I replay a memory I know I should let be. I don't let things be, though. I'm trying to get better at this. I suppose I should be present during my run...that's what Oprah and all the psychologists of today would say, right? I am present for the audiobook playing on my iPod, but don't really want to be present for some of the pain my body is sludging through as I run. That's the joy of running for me...it let's me escape to my own little world. And it's an escape that I earn...I don't have to feel guilty for it. I'm exercising my body and my mind gets to wander. This is probably the closest I am during my waking hours to the dream world I enter at night. Sometimes my dreams really are better than reality. This bothers me, but it's true.
Pretty soon, I'm staring up into the sun and I realize I'm already on the home stretch...more than halfway through my run. I see the sun today...not just glimpse it, but actually see it. It's already quite high above the hoizon...seems too early to be so high, like I've already missed out on so much of the morning without even knowing it. But then, back into the trees. Most days I rejoice in the shade those towering trees offer, but today it's not that hot and the sun is still a pleasure at this early hour, not yet a menace making each step more sweaty than the last.
My muscles are tired today. I remind myself I need to take a rest day...I always feel better after I do. But as I write this, I am already anticipating tomorrow's run and don't want to skip the peace and calm the early morning hours offer me. Morning is my favorite time...or I should say, morning is my favorite alone time. I don't want anyone around in the morning...just me. And mornings are still pregnant with the buzz and anticipation of what lies ahead as the day unfolds, minute by minute, hour by hour.
And then I'm home...Kingsley waits for me at the top of the stairs and I smile. I did it. And now, let the day unfold...elegantly, I hope.
-Elise
First run, first post
Eduardo and I went for a run together Tuesday night after work. It was the first run I had been on since deciding that I needed to take a break for my left knee’s sake. Unfortunately I had the poor judgement of participating in the limbo activity at the fun run tonight without loosening up in any way. If you don’t know Eduardo, you should get too. Super great guy, and an encyclopedia of running knowledge on how to avoid and treat running related injuries. Running with him reminded me that I really should try to stretch better after runs to help keep the stiffness away. I know it's coming.
The run was good, we ran for a little under thirty minutes at a pretty good clip. The rain earlier in the day had cooled the air down, but the night air was filled to the brim with the beautiful moisture that we know and love called humidity.
I enjoyed running with Eduardo even though running has always been my alone time, the time when I recharge my mind, when I zone out and allow myself to just get in the steady rhythm of a long run. I have always thought it kind of strange that I like running by myself with no music since I am normally such a social person. Maybe it makes sense though, my mind relishes the time it gets to spend with itself without the pressures of social interactions. When I run my mind gets to relax and process things, to sort memories, and reflect on life. I replay conversations in my head, remembering what was said, what could have been said, and what was left to be said. I even start new conversations within memories and see how they play out. It’s really kind of strange I guess, but maybe you do too.
-Michael
The run was good, we ran for a little under thirty minutes at a pretty good clip. The rain earlier in the day had cooled the air down, but the night air was filled to the brim with the beautiful moisture that we know and love called humidity.
I enjoyed running with Eduardo even though running has always been my alone time, the time when I recharge my mind, when I zone out and allow myself to just get in the steady rhythm of a long run. I have always thought it kind of strange that I like running by myself with no music since I am normally such a social person. Maybe it makes sense though, my mind relishes the time it gets to spend with itself without the pressures of social interactions. When I run my mind gets to relax and process things, to sort memories, and reflect on life. I replay conversations in my head, remembering what was said, what could have been said, and what was left to be said. I even start new conversations within memories and see how they play out. It’s really kind of strange I guess, but maybe you do too.
-Michael
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