Saturday: Disrupted routine and snowy run

Saturday, January 14, 2012

I've read in other folks' blogs that disruptions in routine are tough. Today I found out that this is true for me as well.

I have my Saturday morning routine. Get up early, run, meet daughter at McDonald's at 9, pick up whatever groceries I need, go home for lunch. Today was a disruption in that routine. I wasn't meeting daughter at McD at 9, I was going downtown to help with tax training at 8:30.

I got up early, and didn't even think about running. Cleared the overnight snow from the driveway, got through a morning routine much like a work day, and headed off to tax training.

Tax training comes with free food. On Saturday mornings, that means bagels and donuts. I sampled a bit more than I should. When I got home and made my entries to the food tracker, it turned out to be about 900 calories. Even on 3000 calories per day, 900 calories of bagel and donuts affects the rest of the day.

If I'm going to continue to be able to eat 3000 calories per day, I'd better get my running in consistently. It was hard to get myself moving in that direction, with my Saturday routine disrupted. My natural inclination was to do stuff around the house and play on the internet, which would be the normal Saturday afternoon activities. But I didn't have my normal Saturday morning, so doing that would just barely get my 10K steps in.

What with one thing and another, it was past 3 by the time I hit the road for a run. It was 15° F (-9° C), but that's not a new temperature. The only question was what shoes to wear. I chose to wear the screw shoes and set out to run 5K or so around the neighborhood while checking out the condition of the roads.

There was packed snow and crunchy ice on the shoulders of my street. The roads I run on varied from ice to paced snow to wet pavement to a bit of dry pavement. I could have got by with my normal running shoes and being careful; since I was wearing the screws, I tried to keep to the packed snow to minimize wear on the screws.

I could feel myself running slower due to the surface conditions. At times, it hardly felt like running at all. Few of the sidwalks were totally clear. Some had been cleared yesterday and only had today's snow on them; that was fine. Some had been walked on yesterday and had a path broken; that was fine. Some had the full amount of snow from this storm still; those were tough, and got me to run in the street.

Takeaway: With snow on the ground, my normal sidewalk routes are out. I will need to run in the streets. Probably the shoulders going around the sections to the east or west of home would be best.

I did add one segment of up and down a small hill, partly to see what the hill was like and partly to get off the erratically cleared sidewalk. After adding that segment, I didn't know in real time what distance I was running. I also managed to run most of the route without looking at my watch.

It would have been a very nice run if I'd been 100%. As it was, the cold made my weak thigh ache, and the thigh never warmed up enough to stop bothering me. Got back to my driveway in 29:47. I did my walking cooldown along the shoulders of my street, and I could see my footprints from the start and end of the run.

My stride was shorter than normal, due to the surface conditions. At the end of the run, my stride was uneven, longer when stepping forward onto my right foot than onto my left. That's the bum thigh. Hmm. Have to think about that.

Got inside, and my hat and gloves weren't as sweat-soaked as I would have expected. Maybe it's really cold out there? Then I mapped out the run, to 3.45 miles. That's an average pace of 8:38 per mile. Heh. Part of the lack of sweat would be that I wasn't working very hard. My leg may have bothered me for the whole run, but I certainly didn't stretch the limits of my cardiovascular system.

I lost four screws off the right shoe. Three of them were from the same locations I lost screws last time, and the fourth was the extra screw I added after the first test. I now consider the initial screw shoe effort a failure; replacing screws every time they're used isn't terribly practical. I may try again with a different pair of shoes; I have an idea of doing something a little differently, but I think I need to start fresh to try it out properly.

The weather forecast is calling for a cold overnight, with a high of 20° F (-7° C) tomorrow. That means most of the snow on the roads will still be there tomorrow. I'll have to think about how I want to deal with running in these road conditions, given the situation with the shoes and my thigh.

  

  Member Comments About This Blog Post:

RG_DFW 1/15/2012 8:15AM

I'm amazed at your tenacity but it's no wonder I live in the south :) Report Inappropriate Comment

ONEKIDSMOM 1/15/2012 6:30AM

What a difference in running conditions from our unusual ones here. You would have had a dry run in shorts here, likely yesterday. The sun was warm. We had to seek indoor ice! Good luck with round 2 of make 'em yourself snow running footwear. That's interesting about the effects of the thigh on your stride... Kriszta has a good suggestion there about maybe seeing someone who understands sports injuries about the thigh. Remember goal #1? First, don't get injured. Today will be my last planned jog with your nephew, as his schedule is about to become quite erratic, terminating in final goodbyes for the rest of the year sometime in March. Report Inappropriate Comment

KRISZTA11 1/15/2012 5:17AM

Sorry about your thigh still hurting! Maybe you should see a physician who has experience with runner's injuries. There are so many possible causes. Uneven snowy surface must be annoying... No wonder screws couldn't stand it. Report Inappropriate Comment

The Weather is Here

Friday, January 13, 2012

Winter had to put in an appearance some time, and that turned out to be today. I went to bed last night with a forecast for a steady temperature just above freezing today. I woke up to a temperature just below freezing and a forecast that it would stay there all day before dropping this evening.

Add precipitation, and those few degrees colder make a dramatic difference. I actually got 4 inches of snow in my driveway when the forecast had been for 2 to 4 inches! (Usually, I get half of the lower end of the forecast.)

As I noted the last time I saw winter weather, it's a big time suck. I knocked a half inch or so of snow off the driveway this morning. Then at noon the wind was so strong that I ended up not taking much of a walk. I counted it as 10 minutes for SP, though It was too cold to pull up my coat sleeve and look at my watch. The step count was a little low, but I figured to make it up going shopping after work.

Then there was the snow in the driveway. I've had more annoying snowfalls to clear, and no doubt I will again; I figure from a physical standpoint, this one about made up for the lunch walk being short. Not as many steps, but more effort in the steps that were there. Of course, it's still snowing; so I'll need to clear the driveway again tomorrow morning before I go off to tax training.

I've put some thought into running in this weather. I conclude that I don't want to run on the streets in the dark when the plows are still working. The plows won't be looking for runners, and neither will the vehicles following the cars. Time enough to run after the synoptic snow has been cleared and we're only dealing with a day or three of follow up lake effect snow.

I'd rather have snow on a day off work; but if it had to happen on a work day, at least it had the grace to appear on a planned non-running day. I'd resent giving up a planned run for this nonsense.

  

  Member Comments About This Blog Post:

TALVARADO6 1/14/2012 4:18PM

I know how you feel about the snow. It always seems to make life a little more complicated. Try to look at it as an opportunity to create some variety in your life. Things may take some more effort, but I'm sure you're better for it because of it! Report Inappropriate Comment

HEALTHIER_K 1/14/2012 10:17AM

I can't believe it took until January for winter to really get started here! Report Inappropriate Comment

HEALTHIERKEN 1/14/2012 12:44AM

SparkPeople fitness page has a tracker for calories burned shovelling snow--if you're monitoring that sort of thing. Report Inappropriate Comment

_LINDA 1/13/2012 9:07PM

Hmm, you are lucky. Better snow than dangerously icy streets and sidewalks. We get next to nothing in snow, then it flurries, making it even slicker. We actually need a good snowfall to make it safe to walk/run outside again. The number of people walking around with broken limbs is climbing. This is a freaky weather for us, above normal temperatures, very little precip. it actually RAINED here. In the frozen north of Canada. Shouldn't be happening in the middle of JANUARY. Has ANYONE been getting their normal weather? Survey of Spark buddies says no.. Snow shoveling is at least good exercise! Safest to find an indoor track to run on. Report Inappropriate Comment

ONEKIDSMOM 1/13/2012 7:57PM

I'm on a rest day, too... but without the snow. Only cold. It's acting more like January. Not a horrid January, mind you, but a January, nonetheless. Hope you can find enough daylight / lack of traffic to get your weekend run(s) in! Report Inappropriate Comment

Thursday Duh Moment

Thursday, January 12, 2012

Today my left thigh was bothering me most of the day. It was bad enough to affect my stride when I got out of bed, but got a bit better after I warmed up with my usual Turkish get-ups and kettlebell snatches.

At lunch, I felt the thigh through a 40 minute walk that timed out to a 17 minute pace per mile, much slower than I would walk under normal conditions.

At 9 PM, I realize that the thigh feels totally normal. I don't feel the ache at all when walking or jogging up and down my hallway. What happened?

I took 2 ibuprofen. At 4 PM. After intending to take them before work, and when I got to work, and after the lunch walk, and . . . you get the idea. At 4 PM I couldn't remember whether I'd taken the ibuprofen or just thought about it. Took the cap off the bottle of ibuprofen in my desk, and it still had the factory seal on it.

Sometimes I miss the obvious. I bet this thigh would get better faster if I'd give it a little help now and then. Maybe if I take a second day off from running tomorrow, *AND* use some more ibuprofen, the leg might feel good enough for a long run on the weekend.

  

  Member Comments About This Blog Post:

ONEKIDSMOM 1/13/2012 7:02AM

Somehow, with our upbringing, it does not surprise me to find you "forgetting" your intention to medicate. Duh! I'm all for the helping healing... not so much for masking injury so running injured. You're a smart guy. You'll be careful with that first run back! My "duh" moment yesterday was in heading back to the locker room after my workout, thinking I must not have worked out very hard... I wasn't dripping in sweat. Then I took off the high-tech material sweat band I'd been wearing (something from Megan's collection)... and found it was drenched. Duh! Guess we're both seniors now. Report Inappropriate Comment

KRISZTA11 1/13/2012 4:55AM

Ibuprofen is working! Take it easy and get well soon! Report Inappropriate Comment

FROGGGY13 1/13/2012 1:17AM

Good that you took it - it helps with the pain, but also with healing ( unless you overdo it while the ibuprofen is acting). Report Inappropriate Comment

MSLZZY 1/12/2012 10:31PM

Is this called senioritis? Take care or sis will find out and you'll be in trouble! Report Inappropriate Comment

Wednesday Reflections

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

I've been reading blogs this evening, and I've seen some interesting thoughts. Consistency, accountability, attitude, zen mode . . . the concepts swirl around in my head.

Today was supposed to be a long day. Off to work, run on the lunch hour, help with tax training after work, rush home and try to get to bed by 10:30. It didn't quite go that way.

Got up this morning, and my left thigh still bothered me. But it wasn't as bad as yesterday, which I took to be a good sign. So I put my pre-packed gym bag in the car, and got a run in at lunch today. It was almost a twin of yesterday's (non-blogged) run. Yesterday, 3.56 miles in 25:04 for a 7:02 pace per mile. Today, 3.55 miles in 25:13 for a 7:06 pace per mile. In both cases, I played with some short sprints mid-run. This is a training concept, but I didn't sprint as far as the training systems I've looked at recommend.

I was more interested in paying attention to how I felt, both physically and mentally. 25 minutes isn't very long for getting into zen mode, but I came close. I really enjoyed the runs, and I enjoyed the sprints. I'm thinking that this is the key to being consistent with the running.

Let's not think about training for a while. For now, let's just concentrate on having fun.

Enjoying the run, preferably with large segments in zen mode, will increase the probability of my being consistent. I want that consistency, and I want to have fun on these runs.

After work, I hustled over to help with tax training. They will feed me there, so I've saved a bunch of calories. It turned out that the pizza was delayed for 45 minutes. Okay, I can deal with that. Then it turned out that an instructor was MIA. Two classes were combined, and we had an excess of assistants. I took stock of the situation, and grabbed the opportunity to leave early.

Pizza, especially free pizza, is a potential binge for me. I got out of there before the pizza arrived. Came home and made myself a salad and a BBQ chicken wrap. I'll finish the day comfortably in my calorie and macronutrient ranges. I was planning to be accountable to myself in spite of the pizza, but that accountability is a lot easier if I avoid the pizza entirely.

Besides avoiding the pizza, getting home early lets me get to bed early. I've been commenting on some blogs about how nice it is to get enough sleep. It *is* nice, and I don't want to give it up. 10:30 is the goal, but I don't want to push close to that. 9:30 would be better.

Wow, that's a real change in attitude from a year ago.

So . . . my Spark life is going pretty well right now. I'm being consistent, I'm accountable to myself, I've got the zen thing going with running, and my attitude is pushing me to do good things. Life is good. Never mind the thigh that will probably take a long time to become totally right; I can deal with that. Never mind work, which has insane requirements this year, both externally imposed and internal bureaucratic nonsense. I can deal with that, too.

It's amazing how little stress I feel when I have the consistency, accountability, and attitude right for taking care of myself.

  

  Member Comments About This Blog Post:

KRISZTA11 1/12/2012 3:05PM

I'm glad you had two such nice days in a row! Good you can run and enjoy the runs despite the injuries. I'm thinking doing less hills may be safer now. Pizza is a weak point for me too... Report Inappropriate Comment

TALVARADO6 1/12/2012 9:45AM

I'm glad that you are taking care of yourself and that your thigh is getting better! The best exercise is the kind you can do for fun! Report Inappropriate Comment

DEBRA0818 1/12/2012 8:26AM

You've created an amazing routine for yourself and, having become a person upon whom you can definitely count, you can deal! Good for you!!! Report Inappropriate Comment

ONEKIDSMOM 1/12/2012 6:59AM

Whoa! I can hear the zen in your writing! Great attitude adjustment, and one I've been going through the past couple of years... suddenly work isn't as vital or urgent... taking care of the engine that fuels the work (me) is! Exercise is fun. Nutrition that doesn't "weigh me down". Sleep that refreshes. Isn't second childhood a great place to live? Nothing that is truly important goes undone... we just don't stress over it! All about the attitude. Life is indeed good. Spark on. Report Inappropriate Comment

MICKEYMAX 1/11/2012 9:26PM

What an awesome blog! It hit all the right notes! I love to read blogs also. I try to limit myself to 3 random blogs off the community boards (besides folks I know) and I came across yours. So glad I did. Congrats on the good running, and way to skip the pizza! Report Inappropriate Comment

Busy Day Off

Monday, January 09, 2012

Today was a scheduled blood donation. I took the full day off work, with the idea being to get my exercise done in the morning, before the blood donation.

Got up early, and could feel the troublesome left thigh. It wasn't very bad, and I could have done a light run; but I decided to walk instead. Running, I would have got past feeling the thigh inside of a half mile. Walking, it took over 2 miles for the thigh to start feeling pretty good. But the aftermath of walking was better; but the rest of the day was better than yesterday after the run and bike ride. I'm thinking it was the right call to make today a non-running day. In addition to arguably being necessary for recovery, it puts me back on schedule to try a long run next Sunday, assuming the thigh issues are behind me by then.

I'd had in mind maybe riding my bike for exercise in the late morning, if it warmed up enough. Instead, I ended up running around to get my daughter's brakes fixed. Fire drills like this are part of life, and it's really nice when they happen on days that I have time to deal with them.

Got to the Red Cross early. There must be a note on my file, because there was no need to call a supervisor after I affirmed that the 48 pulse was because I'm a runner. For the first time in years, there was an issue with the blood flow stopping; but adjustments to the system got the donation completed. I have no idea what I might have done to cause this, or if it's just one of those things that can happen with a runner's metabolism.

After the blood donation, I hustled over to the broker for a financial checkup. Retirement is a mere 10 years away, and there are things to think about doing between now and then. I also got to name-drop the SP web address when the planner asked how I lost 30 lbs.

By the time I got home after that, it was just like getting home after work. Time flies when you're having fun!

  

  Member Comments About This Blog Post:

KANOE10 1/10/2012 7:47AM

Good idea on the walk instead of the run. Hope you feel better. Interesting about your pulse being low. You might check it again out of curiosity. Report Inappropriate Comment

FROGGGY13 1/10/2012 6:23AM

Like Barb, I also ended up bruised after a donation for a couple of weeks and could not complete it after the bloodflow stopped. Thank you for giving blood, in the name of all of us who needed it at some point! You should keep taking it easy with that thigh for a while, the recovery will be easier in the end. My runner husband swears by crepe bandages for injury-prone parts of his body, when running post-injury. Report Inappropriate Comment

KRISZTA11 1/10/2012 4:13AM

Walk was a good call. Get better soon! It's interesting, why blood flow stopped... You must have been well hydrated if you drink the SP recommended amount. Maybe the low pulse caused this but I cannot figure how. Report Inappropriate Comment

ONEKIDSMOM 1/9/2012 8:46PM

I've had that issue with the blood flow stopping mid-donation. Unfortunately, they have never got it properly adjusted for me to complete the donation. One time I ended up bruised for a couple of weeks. Sigh. Congrats on your success! And good for you taking it easy for that thigh issue. Gentle, moderate walking "fixes" a lot of things. One day, one decision at a time. Goal #1: don't get injured! Report Inappropriate Comment