Runner Mind

In the mid-1940s rocket and jet engine technology was brand new and aviators and aircraft designers were pushing the limits of speed and altitude, the main speed goal was to travel faster than the speed of sound.  The best test pilots in the country flew across the New Mexico skies trying to breach that sound barrier, they pushed the throttle forward and accelerated to higher and higher speeds that pushed their aircraft through air that was increasingly turbulent.  Many men got right up to the edge of that barrier and only to find their aircraft coming apart on them, or they lost control and ended up plowing a furrow across a dry lakebed.  The man who finally did it for the first time was named Chuck Yeager, an already accomplished fighter and test pilot who became a legend with his transonic flight, and through many other achievements afterward.  What's remarkable to me is that the day he broke the sound barrier and set a new speed record he reported a smooth flight.  There was the usual turbulence as he sped up to close to the speed of sound, but as he got right up to it, things smoothed right out.  It was what he was expecting at all, and seems sort of anticlimactic today.  His flight had rough patches, but at the moment he was expecting the most danger things suddenly went smoothly.  

I'm a distance runner, which means that over the years I've trained my body to be comfortable with running distances of more than 4 miles.  I don't know that I'd say that I'm good at it, but I know that if you challenge me to a 50 yard dash I'll probably lose, but a 10K I can power through and do OK.  A 5K (about 3 miles) is tougher for me, this distance is more about speed than persistence and when I'm 2-3 miles in I'm panting away and thinking that I'll never make it to 10 miles or whatever the distance is today.  But then suddenly after mile 3, things smooth out, my breathing evens out, I don't pant anymore, my legs have found they're stride, my gait is going well, and I don't feel like I'm sweating buckets anymore.  This becomes the middle part of a run for me, and it's the best part because I feel like I could do it forever.  In this stage of the run my body moves exactly how it should and it has become the vehicle for my awareness.  My mind is just being carried by my body and now acts as an almost passive observer to what's happening around it.  At this point I've entered the Runner Mind.  

If you ask, most distance runners won't be able to tell you what they think about while they run.  It takes you 3 hours to run 14.7 miles, they must be thinking of something.  They are, but in a way they're not, at least they're not thinking of anything that they can explain rationally later on.  While you're running little bits of information trickle from your senses into your mind and send you on strange journey's into memory.  The sound of a wind chime brings forward the image of a crystal resonating in time with nature, which brings to mind the image of beautiful lights dancing in the night sky, stars which in the time of Galileo were believed to be held on crystal spheres in the heavens that slid past each other creating beautiful tranquil music that filled the space around the Earth.  That music must've been very much like the wind chime I just ran past, or why else would I be thinking about them?  And what do 500 year old and outdated theories of astronomy have to do with making it up Heartbreak Hill?  

Nothing, I'm in the Runner Mind and the purpose of that is to distract your rational mind from the irrational activity that you're pushing your body into doing.  I mean really, for what rational reason are your running 14.7 miles today?  Oh right, so in two weeks it'll be easier to 16 miles.  Yeah, that makes sense.  

Its not always crystal spheres that I'm thinking of, but it's all random stream of consciousness type stuff.  If I could get it all on paper it would be as loosely connected as pages on the Wikipedia, but somehow it's interesting to me, and that's the point.  

Cold Midweek

So it has been very cold in Boston this week.  As I write this weather.com has a temp of -3º for Cambridge, which is lower that when I got home from my run last night by about 12º.  Something about cold runs must tire you out more because it was barely a 5-mile run and I still passed out on the couch until 3am.  Man that sleep felt good though!

Tuesday night was the first of the hill repeat training, which luckily saw a break in temps...it was up 33º!  Hill repeats are basically just what they sound like, a loop that takes us from FitCorp, down around the Boston Common and Public Garden, past the original Cheers, to the foot of Beacon Hill.  Then we run up and down Beacon Hill a bunch of times.  This week it was 5, next it will 6, and ascending for the rest of training.  Fun times.  There's a big crowd and since it's a repeat you never feel all that along which is nice.  It seemed very daunting the first time, but after the 5th repeat I felt surprisingly good.  I'm hopeful that this help me on the Woodland Run up Heartbreak tomorrow morning, which should see 7º temperatures. (cue ominous music...)

And off to ride my bike to work!

Running in a Microclimate

This weekend was an interesting run. The temperature when I got up was about 17 degrees, but the wind chill was registering it as more like 9. That is not awesome, but it’s not easy to tell how the wind chill is going to affect you when you’re running and I can say that I didn’t much notice the wind this time. It was a nice sunny day and conditions were such that sidewalks were mainly clear of ice except for random spots where people hadn’t shoveled enough. At FitCorp they told us that today was to be a 14.68 mile run – this was in opposition to the Liver Team schedule that had us doing 12 miles, which was much more in line with the training I’ve been doing. Jumping from 10.5 one week to nearly 15 the next wasn’t a great idea and my mid-week runs had only prepared me for the step to 12. Several other people mentioned the change in distance and several of us decided to only do the 12.

Somewhere between the car and the gym I had lost my tight running hat that makes me look a bit like a henchmen for a James Bond villain so I ended up wearing my Harpoon baseball hat instead. I felt pretty unsure about this as it doesn’t cover my ears and I knew they’d be quite cold in the 16-degree weather, but I didn’t have much choice. We started off and straight out in front of the State House we cross the brick line in the sidewalk that is the Freedom Trail, which is a line that connects important historical sites in the city, but today it was also effective at concealing a random ice chunk that was loose on the sidewalk. I hit the chunk of ice right on and turned my left ankle on it which hurt like a mother. Turning an ankle is the kind of thing that can end your run abruptly, but fortunately this time it just hurt and I could run through it, so I ran on down the hill.

Runners become very aware of climate on a micro level; we try to keep in mind which side of the street will be shady or on which part of a loop the wind will be at our backs. We run along the North side of Beacon Street the whole time as it’s more likely to keep us in the sunlight and out of the shade of the buildings on the south side of the street (which incidentally have lower property values because of being in the shade). I got to about Dartmouth Street when I realized that my right ear was ice cold while my left ear was in the sun and much warmer. Somehow though, the cold ear and the turned ankle didn’t hamper me at all, I kept right on to Cleveland Circle at a good pace and with nothing to really complain about. I downed a goo pack (remind me to write more about them in another posting) at the 3 mile mark and its extra energy boost kept me going almost all the way back to the gym.

The intended 15-mile course took us down Beacon Street like normal and out to Cleveland Circle, where we were to head off the course and do a long loop around Boston College and then back in to FitCorp the way we had come. They gave this nice little had drawn map that was not at all to scale to tell us what the course was, and once I got Cleveland Circle I checked it to see where 6 miles which was where I wanted to turn around. 6 miles was marked as being next to “BC Dorms”. Now, there’s a lot of BC Dorms and I had now way of knowing which one to turn. Just across Cleveland Circle is the Chestnut Hill Reservoir and when I got to there I was struck by how tranquil and still it was, and so rather than just run to some arbitrary point and turn around I decided to loop around the reservoir instead. It was great, very quiet, not much traffic around and once I got about halfway I could see the tall buildings of downtown Boston in the distance – a sight that is both exciting and disheartening. I was impressed that the path along the reservoir was plowed most of the way around, and where it wasn’t I could run on the sidewalk in Evergreen Cemetery. The only places that I came across ice were the areas of the sidewalk that were at times in the shadow of the thin lines of trees spaced out along the road. I’m always impressed that the difference between an icy and a dry surface is defined by such vague line as the shadow of leafless trees.

Something was working right in my head for this run and I didn’t have to spend much time keeping myself psyched up and so the remainder of the trip went on without incident. I got back to the gym ahead of the runners doing the 15 mile loop and it felt really weird that all of these people who are stronger, faster runners came in after me, but we all have to run our own race. They ran what they needed to do and so did I. In the end I did only 11.5 miles, and I wish I had known at the time so I could’ve worked in another half mile, but I’m still happy with my run.

Afterwards during stretching I had some fun conversations with the other runners and I wanted to mention how utterly insane I think Mara is. Every Saturday she runs the 2 miles from her house to the gym before whatever our long run is, and then runs home afterwards. So Saturday she ran 2 miles to the gym, 12 miles on the course, and then 2 miles home. That’s 16 miles on what’s meant to be a 12-14 mile day! She says she does it because it’s easier than parking.

Man, runners just aren’t right are they?

Settling into the week.

So it's Wednesday and I've gotten two of this weeks three runs in before the 12-miler on Saturday, and boy have they been special ones.  As some of you might know we've had some winter weather here in the Hub.  When Bec knocked on the front window Monday at 6:30 in the AM there was a nice layer of ice over every horizontal surface; I don't quite know how she made it down the hill from her house, but the important thing is that she did and so there was no turning back.  We headed out on our usual course the to river, hoping with every treacherous step that we'd hit a patch of sidewalk that where someone had had the foresight to lay out some salt.  We weren't that lucky, even Harvard hadn't thought about that.  We did make it to the river and decided not to attempt crossing the bridge ("Bridges Freeze Before Road", anyone seen that sign?) so we headed along the river on the Cambridge side.  There was a lot of running on the grass next to the sidewalk and stopping to make very deliberate steps, but in the end we made it home the better for having been out in the ice.  

Today we had some warning that conditions would be less than ideal, in fact schools started closing yesterday afternoon even though the snow wasn't meant to start until midnight.  Dawn brought with it about an inch or two of wet snow on the ground, Bec was a little worried about sleet but went out on the porch and decided that it was a great day for a run and texted her to get moving.  It was right around 32 degrees which is a great running temperature, and it was also the perfect opportunity to try out our YakTrax  which are basically like chains for your shoes.  It wasn't sleeting when we left but by the time we hit the river it was coming down pretty well; not ideal for wearing glasses.  We looped around the river and when we hit the Eliot Bridge and the turn towards home I felt good enough to keep going another bridge - an uncommon experience even in the summer - and so we went on to the Weeks footbridge.  Today ended up being a 4.4 mile run with a brisk sidewalk shoveling afterwards.  Nice.

I know they say that you shouldn't run in conditions like this, and I fully admit to the danger, but there's something really fun about it too.  We ran the same courses that we've been running all year (2008 that is) but they were more interesting and fun than normal.  I've always loved being out in the snow and running is just another fun way to experience it.  Also though, I'm in training for a marathon in April, the only way that I can have fairweather training is if I move to someplace warmer, and as appealing as that might be some days, it's not in the cards.  This means that I can't be too choosy with the weather that I run in.  Plus I don't have treadmill or gym membership so I don't have that to fall back on it.  I've made a commitment to the marathon and that means some days I've got to run in sleet, or "sneet" as I've heard the mix called, then so be it.  

First '09 Long Run...and it felt it.

Saturday was not a particularly good day for me running-wise.  Turns out it's not a great idea to skip 2 weeks of long runs, eat holiday foods, and then try to run Heartbreak Hill for the first time.  You'd think I'd be smart enough to know that, but I guess there's some things you need to learn by doing.....

This was the first of our "Woodland" runs, which are going to become a pretty standard routine for my training.  Basically we do the usual meet at FitCorp at 8am, and then get on the D-Branch of the Green Line T train and head out to the Woodland Stop and from there we run back to FitCorp.  Seems kinda backwards to go all that way only to run back to where you started early on a saturday morning, but hey, it's what we do.  

Woodland is near to mile 17 on the marathon course and starts you on what is basically a slight downhill, I'll have to learn to enjoy that as it's the last time I'll be seeing a slight downhill on this 10.5 mile run.  

Within a quarter mile you make a right turn onto Commonwealth Avenue (Comm Ave to the locals) past the Newton Fire Station, and bam! you're climbing a hill.  I'm not sure what the actual boundaries of Heartbreak Hill are, but I think it actually is comprised of 4 smaller hills that rise up and level off a bit only to rise up again.  It's the sort of thing that always seems to be almost over - but then isn't.  Hills aside, the run up Comm Ave is very pretty and scenic, which offers something to take your mind off the hills.  This part also has what I've heard called a "Carriage Road" which is basically a third lane for local traffic on the other side of a grass (snow covered) median and made for a great place to run since the traffic was light and one-way.  This area is frequented by a lot of runner's who live in Newton, and you can tell them apart from the marathon trainers by their high-tech and expensive running gear and the lack of a look of terror or exhaustion on their faces.  Kevin O'Connor, the host of This Old House, ran part of this stretch for segment on the show once.  If you've seen it and you're a Boston runner you'll find it pretty amusing.

Anyway, the hills aren't easy, but eventually I get past them and hit Cleveland Circle and realize that I only have half of last weeks long run to go, 6 miles.  Later on in training that'll be a good thing, right now it still seems like a far way to go.  It is, but I make it without too much fuss.  I'm the second to last person to get back to the gym, except for Nhu who stayed out too late the night before and so was 20 minutes late starting the run.  He wasn't that far behind me when I got back.  

I don't like the feeling that I had when the run was over.  It was a hard run but I can only blame the hills for part of it.  For most of it I have to blame myself for not training harder over the holidays.  There's still plenty of time to get ready for the marathon, but I'm still disappointed that I'm not further along.  I have to keep pushing myself so that I can work out of this low point.  

Brief Hiatus

As you may have noticed, I haven't updated in a few weeks.  Don't worry, that doesn't mean that I haven't been neglecting my training (much).  Truth is, a lot has happened since the last post, but most of it is somewhat mundane.  

I've missed the last two long runs.  3 weeks ago the run was cancelled due to the world ending in Boston.  Or at least what passes for world ending around here.  Starting the Friday afternoon before the run we got about 12" of snow, the threat of which is enough to close schools across the region, and yes that meant Molly had a half-day.  It also meant that I had a break from running in all that stuff too.  Sadly that "break" extended into the next week since we got a second round of snow the following Monday.  

After that was the chaos of family and travel that is the week of Christmas.  Between the two of us we had all the planes, trains and automobiles that either of us could want.  Rochester had at least twice the snow that Boston had, and when it wasn't cold and snowy it was raining.  That week was a bust as far as running goes.  Plus there was eating, sweet sweet eating.  

I've run twice this week and I think I'm ready for tomorrow's 10.5 miles.  I better be since we're running a big chunk of the course for the first time.  A chunk including Heartbreak Hill.  Dun-dun-dun!