Monday, December 27, 2010

Plantar Fasciitis-What has worked for me.


I have been suffering from Plantar Fasciitis to some degree for a year or so and I believe I may have been healed as I have not had any pain or discomfort in the last two weeks. I have continued to run during the entire period and have continued to run in the same shoes-Asics Gel Fortitude 3 & 4.
Here is what I have been doing for relief from Plantar Fasciitis;
1) Keep mileage record on my shoes and stop running in them after 350 to 500 miles.
2) Use ice after runs.
3) Trace the alphabet with the toe of each foot every day.
4) Cross knee foot stretch.
5) Stair stretch.
6) Pick up marbles with my toes.
7) Put a 2x4 under the foot of the bed.
8) Stand for 10 minutes on a slanted board to stretch my calves.
9) Wear socks to bed to keep my feet warm and blood circulating.
10) Use a foam roller and the Stick on my calves.
11) Massage the bottom of my foot.
12) Daily Tai Chi, first thing in the morning as a gentle stretch.
13) Stretch feet before getting out of bed.
14) Roll golf ball on the bottom of my feet.
15) 10 minute warm up before running.
16) Discontinue use of any shoes that gave me any discomfort.
Even though I feel fine now I am doing the above activities as a preventative action. If anyone needs an explanation on any of the exercises let me know and I will go into more detail. If you are having any problem with Plantar Fasciitis I hope this post can help you.

Friday, December 17, 2010

Morning walk

Went for a 30 minute walk at 06:00 today, it was 18 degrees F.(11 degrees with the wind chill).

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

26º windchill

Just got back from a chilly run. 33 minutes using the Karvonen method. I am slowly teaching myself to run slower i e 65 to 75% of my maximum heart rate.

Saturday, December 4, 2010

Walk,exercise.

Today I walked 30 minutes at daybreak around Lake Muhlenberg. After visiting my mother and mother-in-law I did my 30 minute exercise routine. I am planning on running tomorrow morning. Yesterday I walked 30 minutes in the morning, did a 30 minute bicycle ride to the parkway and in the evening I rode the Power Rider for 20 minutes. I did not run on Thursday because I hurt my left quadricep muscle stretching, so instead I did 30 minutes on the power rider.

Friday, November 26, 2010

Non running day workout

Walked 30 minutes this morning at 06:00. Now (11:30) 5 minute warm up on the power rider then 5 sets of 5 each push ups and sit ups, 25 arm curls, quadracept routine and 30 minutes stretch. Later today I am walking about 3 miles roundtrip to visit a friend.

Thursday, November 25, 2010

Local hazard alert, nice run.

I just got back from a nice, easy neighborhood run. I left before sunrise because the weather forecast is calling for rain/sleet soon. So I walked down to Lake Muhlenberg and as I was coming up to the west end of the lake I saw that a new bridge was installed which is good because the old one was washed out from a flood and that meant I had to run a few hundred yards over rough ground to the next bridge. So I ran over the new bridge and something looked odd so I stopped at the end and it was just getting light enough to see a big drop off the south end which would not be a good landing for my foot. I then saw someone removed the orange netting the workers put across the bridge so it would not be used until the work is finished. So, to the gazillion local runners that read this blog-use caution on the bridge!

Friday, November 5, 2010

Polar heart rate monitor






Last Sunday I decided to establish my maximum heart rate so I began by walking down to Lake Muhlenberg and doing a ten minute warm up. As I continued around the lake for my warm up I decided to go off to the side and do a few push ups and sit ups on the lawn but I saw a new sign there that prohibited me from completing my warm up :(



I thought this was odd, but then I found out there was a high school marching band competition going on and the city did not want the bands to walk on the grass.


After warming up I went to the bottom of this hill next to the football stadium and ran to the top(which took about two minutes), walked down and repeated three times. I had a maximum heart rate of 166 beats per minute so now I can calculate the rates I want to train and race at.

Friday, October 22, 2010

Lehigh Valley Running Scene

I recently won a bunch of stuff at the Lehigh Valley Running Scene lvrunningscene.com and Jill included a sticker-I put it on my car window. Lehigh Valley Running Scene has a lot of good info you should check it out.

I also went to the minimalist running shoe clinic at the Finish Line this week. I am considering trying something like the Nike Free as a once a week tool to strengthen my feet and maybe keep a recurrence of plantar fasciitis at bay, more on this later.

I am currently running three days/week using the run/walk method as I recover from a pulled calf muscle (minimalist shoe opportunity?) and I signed up for the St. Luke's Half Marathon next spring.

Sunday, September 26, 2010

Comming back

I have not been blogging but I have been active. Near the end of August I had a little calf injury that would not go away so I switched to walking and bicycling. Today after a three week total absence from running I started to introduce some running into my walking again. I started with a good ten minute walk for a warm up and then ran for thirty seconds followed by four and a half minute walk repeated for the balance of thirty minutes. So, no calf pain, now what. Well I am going to proceed cautiously, next run/walk maybe Tuesday same interval as today, I will see how that goes and then make plans for the next run. I cannot make plans too far ahead or I tend to add mileage too fast and get injured again so I will proceed with caution.

Saturday, August 28, 2010

My new friend.


I have been away in Florida to visit my daughter and her husband. While in the "Sunshine State" (it rained most of the time we were there), I made a new friend-Spartacus. We had a good time seeing Steve and Jessica and meeting Sparty. Sparty is a great dog;did you ever meet a Lab that wasn't?

Saturday, August 14, 2010

New kicks


I just picked up a pair of Asics Gel -Fortitude 4. I have over 300 miles on my old pair (Gel-Fortitude 3). They feel the same to me as the previous model so I am hopeful of having the same success with the new ones. Why do the shoe manufacturers have to change the model so frequently? So you buy multiple pairs when you find a shoe that works for you-yes. So they can raise the price-yes! Anyway, I look at the cost of a few pairs of new shoes every year as much cheaper than doctor bills, so if good shoes can keep me running I will continue to buy them.

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Quick 1.3 mile at 85 strides per minute

I just did a quick 1.3 mile run at the Rose Garden using the metronome holding an 85 stride per minute pace. I am getting better at concentrating on my stride, breathing and maintaining a good form. Last Sunday I ran a 5k a little faster than I had been, could it be the intervals and shorter run days using the metronome improving my time for the 5k?

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Intervals at the track.


Today after work I headed out to the track at Muhlenberg College and did intervals. I ran one lap at 85 strides per minute then walked one lap. I did this for about a half hour. I bought a Seiko metronome from the Internet for $20.00. It is easy to set up and loud enough for me to hear while running. I read in Chi Running that you should try and run at 90 strides per minute which is tough for me to do so I am going to try to work up to that by doing intervals once a week.

Monday, July 19, 2010

Hot weather doldrums.

I have been doing Tai Chi and calisthenics indoors during this heatwave and limiting my outdoor activity to a few early morning runs and early evening bicycling. Waiting for the late summer early fall to ramp up the running for the 5k races and get ready for the spring half marathon.

Saturday, July 10, 2010

Running with the ducks.

Ran in the rain today at the Parkway, steady rain and 96% humidity. Good run.

Saturday, July 3, 2010

Hercules 3-speed brake cleanup.




I took the front brake off a 1969 Hercules that I picked up from the trash to see if I could clean it up. Here is a picture of the brakes before and after cleaning. I used 000 steel wool and a drop or two of oil and a little elbow grease to polish away the oxidation,grit and old oil that had built up over the (last 41)years!

Saturday, June 26, 2010

Rust cleanup.


I started to cleanup the rims on Hercules, which is a 1971 vintage. Using 0000 steel wool and a lot of elbow grease they are starting to look real good! I discovered that a drop or two of oil and/or liquid soap help to make the removal of the oxidation a bit easier. Here you can see the progress.

Friday, June 25, 2010

New Michelins for the Hercules.


Here is a picture of the new tire mounted on the front wheel.

Old tires on the Hercules.


Here is a picture of my Hercules with the old black wall tires. These tires were cracked and although they still held air they were unsafe. Moreover they only held 65PSI, the new Michelins hold up to 85 PSI and I can really feel the difference when riding, they also hold the road better.

New tires for the Hercules (or Tyres if you prefer the British variant).


I just got my new Michelin World Tour tires for my Hercules 3 speed bicycle and mounted them on the bike last night. Here is a picture of them showing the reflective side wall stripe. During the hot weather I do less running and more bicycling so I am getting the Hercules geared up for commuting to work. I rescued the bike from the junk yard five years ago and have been doing some restoration as I have time.

Sunday, June 20, 2010

Island bicycle.


Last week we went to Chincoteague and Asseteague island's. Here we are taking a break on the wildlife loop, it is closed to car traffic until 3:30 PM every day. The area behind us is a salt marsh that is a stop over for many different birds. We enjoyed watching a family of bald eagles going about their daily routine every day. We also saw a large turtle(shell was about 2 1/2 feet long), which I believe was a snapping turtle, in the canal. The islands are very bicycle friendly with bicycle lanes marked and 15MPH speed limit which is strictly enforced by the police. JoAnne did some running, I did not as I am still giving my foot a break. I am doing more bicycling but I still get a few 5k's in each week.

Monday, June 7, 2010

When was the last time you did something for the very first time?

Back in December, just before Christmas, I started on a program to do 100 push ups in about six weeks. Well, six weeks wasn't going to happen, so I modified the program and slowed it down and today I did 100 push ups! I may have taken longer (almost half a year), but I made it. I have reduced my running to one or two days a week as I am still nursing my stiff ankle from training for the half marathon. I am still getting exercise though, I take two nights to mow my lawn with a non self-propelled mower, I walk a few miles at lunch every day and I ride my bicycle more in the summer. I also do my regular exercise and that includes my push ups which I will now hold at 100.

So yesterday my answer to the title question would have been April when I completed the half marathon, today the answer is "today", I did 100 push ups!

Wednesday, June 2, 2010

On the bike


Monday I got two of my English roadsters out for a ride. JoAnne and I rode around the neighborhood for about a half hour. I then ordered some new Michelin world tour tires for the one on the left, a 1969 Hercules 3-speed. After I get the new tires I am going to use this bike to commute to work, more pictures and information about the Allentown bike friendly initiative to come.

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Running paths paved at the Rose Garden

I am a bit disappointed that the city decided to pave the cinder path at the Rose Garden. I liked to use the Rose Garden because it is a nice ten minute walk from my house so I could warm up on the way to my run and cool down on the walk home with a nice 1.3 mile run in between on cinders which is nice for my old joints :)
Now there are more people using the paths with bicycles, scooters and it is not very wide so I am thinking this is an accident waiting to happen. I live in the middle of the Lehigh Parkway and the Rose Garden so it's no big deal, I will just walk to the Parkway; I hope they do not pave that trail!

Sunday, May 23, 2010

Snake on Bogart's Bridge

Ran the 5k loop in the Lehigh Parkway and while doing my after run stretch another runner pointed out a water snake on the side of the bridge at the entrance. It was about 18" long and had its head up ready to strike. Water snakes are not poisonous but they are aggressive and will bite so be on the look out for these guys!

I rode one of my mountain bikes 7 miles in the rain yesterday, it was at my mother's house and I wanted to bring it home to work on it so I have a back up for running errands and commuting. Riding in the rain is not too bad when the temperature is above 60 degrees or so but it is a little messy with out fenders. I bought the bike, a Specialized Hard Rock at a yard sale for $5 and I want to put new tires, fenders and a rack on it after I strip all the components off the frame and clean and lube it.

Sunday, May 2, 2010

Bicycle for errands.


The title of my blog, live better, reveals the true reason I run, bicycle and walk. I really believe in using my time effectively. By using my bicycle to commute to work or pick up something at a store a few miles away I am getting some exercise, saving some air pollution and releasing some stress while enjoying one of my hobbies. As I recover from the half marathon and take care of some of my chores I am getting ready to go on a quick trip to CVS and pick up some pictures of my dad's antique car, can anyone identify it?

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Post half recovery.

I took off from exercise Monday except for using the foam roller and the stick on my calve and hamstring muscles. I bought a "stick" on Saturday when I was picking up my race packet and I have been using it four or five times a day, I like it better than the foam roller and I can take it to work with me which is a plus. Tuesday I resumed walking at lunch time with a one mile walk and I did the same today. Tonight after visiting my mother I mowed the back lawn. My calf muscle feel good, I will continue walking and hope to run a little in the Parkway this weekend.

Monday, April 26, 2010

My first half marathon

Yesterday I achieved a life long accomplishment by completing a half marathon, here is a picture of me with my biggest fan, my wife, after the finish.





I had planned on walking the first mile to warm up my torn calf muscle but could not because I did not want to get in the way of the runners behind me so I ran the first half mile then walked until the two mile mark. My leg felt good so I started running a little and alternating some walking. Here I am walking on Martin Luther King Blvd.






Once I got into the Parkway and my leg still felt good I set my interval timer to one minute run and one minute walk and continued on all the way through the parkway back onto Martin Luther King and made the turn onto St. Elmo St. which was the ten mile point. I was concerned about not making the cutoff time but at that point I was safe and my leg was still OK so I decided to run for one mile and walk one minute which I did until there was only one mile to go. Here is a picture of me entering Cedar Beach just after crossing Hamilton St.
With one mile to go I decided to keep running as I felt good, just at the entrance to the stadium I felt a little stab in my calf so I walked about fifty yards and then ran/limped in to finish the race.






Here I am just before the finish line at J. Birney Crum Stadium. My chip time was 2:39:10, a few weeks ago I was hoping for 2 hours or a bit longer but I am still happy that I finished and that I am reasonably well.







After the race I celebrated with one of my other fans, my daughter Jessica,
by having a few Black and Tans.



I was very thankful that my daughter and her husband Steve came up to the Lehigh Valley from Tampa Florida just to watch me run and my son Joseph also came home to watch and take videos even though he had to make a final presentation for one of his MBA classes the next day.

Today I felt a little stiff and my calf is sore but other than that I feel fine, I had a good time during the race and I enjoyed the training along the way. The race directors put on a great event and I will definately be back again next year.


























































































Sunday, April 25, 2010

Leaving soon for the half.

I am ready to leave soon for the race, have to put my contact lens in and go over my "injuries" with the stick. I bought "the stick" yesterday when I was picking up my runner's packet for today's race. The people selling the sticks gave me a demo and then I went to look at the other vendors and started to leave, I suddenly realized how good my calf felt and I went back and bought one. I had a foam roller but I wanted to try the stick because it looked easier to take travelling and to work etc. , I did not think it would work better but it did, I will report more on this as I have more experience with it.







Sunday, April 11, 2010

Rose Garden

Went for a walk to the Rose Garden to see the "improvements", mainly they are paving the cinder track :( , not so good for me because I like the cushioning effect the cinders provided. Also there are more bicyclists and kids on scooters and the path is narrow so I see this as an accident waiting to happen, I will be running in the Lehigh Parkway.

Saturday, April 10, 2010

I am not discouraged.

OK, I went for a walk today one week after injuring my calf muscle, it didn't feel good so I came home and mowed the lawn. I am not going to try and run today, I will see how walking goes tomorrow. I talked to the race director for the half marathon that I am entered in and he said the course will be open for three and a half hours so I may just walk it and if things feel good run a little, hopefully staying ahead of the cutoff. I am a bit disappointed that I will at best complete the race and not have a very good time but I am in better shape than I was last year at this time, I did get to run over nine miles, I have lost about eighteen pounds so far and in a couple of weeks I will have a time for the half marathon that won't be too hard to improve on in the future.

Monday, April 5, 2010

Tai Chi, pushups and situps,

are the order of the day while I wait for the calf muscle to heal. I am going to wait one week until next Saturday then try walking a mile and running a few hundred yards, if there is no discomfort I will take it far as I can up to one loop in the parkway (6miles), until then I am "tapering" , steeply!

Sunday, April 4, 2010

Calf pull

I was just about a mile from completing my 10.6 mile long run yesterday and I felt a little pain in my left calf. Since I usually experience some pain during a run that works it's way out after I relax that area and it was not getting any worse, I continued on. Well, I was just about to stop running and start the walk interval and I experienced a sharp pain in my calf so I slowed down and walked home. I was on a 10 minute pace but ended up doing 11.10/mile for the entire run. I am icing the injury for a few days and then see what happens, my next day of running would be Tuesday so I will see how I am then before proceeding. With three weeks to go before the half marathon I realize there is not allot of time to heal and I also realize re injuring the muscle is probably worse than abstaining from running a week or two.

I am disappointed but not discouraged. This is just a little setback, I have made much progress toward better fitness; lost weight, increased my endurance and have improved my diet. I have been running further distance during my training than I have for over 35 years and I have worked through a few injuries. In closing, after my run yesterday we went to my Mother's house for a visit (we are the primary caretaker's for both our mother's) and as I was stopped for a traffic light a disabled man hobbled across the intersection. I could see the man hurry to beat the light, his head constantly looking around for a car about to run him down, his ability to sprint out of the way not much of an option; yes, I could be much worse off.

Monday, March 29, 2010

Training up-date.

Training for the half marathon is going well despite having a touch of a cold. I ran about five miles tonight and plan on another five Thursday and ten or so on the weekend and then start to taper to race day on the 25th of April. My hamstring problem has subsided and the plantar fasciitis is much better. I am even tempted to train a little harder and stray from the plan but I think it is wise to stay the course, I do not want to overdo it at this point and not be able to complete the race. I am at 75 push ups and 88 sit ups and I am continuing my non running day stretching.

Sunday, March 21, 2010

Great running weather

I did a little over nine miles today in the Lehigh Parkway and then DA and I walked about four miles round trip to watch the St. Patrick's Day parade. I didn't have any physical problems and I believe I could have done another mile or two without any problems so I feel optimistic about completing the half marathon in about a month.

Thursday, March 11, 2010

Run

I added a 1.3 mile run on Wednesday in addition to my non-running workout. Tonight I ran my scheduled 42 minute easy run and surprised myself with a 9.56 pace. I weighed myself today and I am now right at 200 pounds so I am hopeful the faster pace may be a result of the lower weight along with the conditioning. I am still trying to get my weight down to 185 which is a stretch but if I can continue to follow the schedule of adding a mile every week I may be able to accomplish that goal. Push ups = 70, sit ups = 83, slow but steady progress.

Sunday, March 7, 2010

Ott St bridge repair


Having eaten a large breakfast at the Brass Rail on the way home from church today, I thought I would kill two birds with one stone and check out the running path at the rose Garden-still a little muddy and have a look at the progress of the Ott St. bridge repair.

Saturday, March 6, 2010

7 miles

Hit the streets for an out and back 7 miler. I averaged a little under 11 minutes/mile and I felt good. I ran for four minutes and then walked two minutes for the entire run. I feel like I can reduce the walk to one minute but I am sticking with the plan which does not call for the one minute walk for a few weeks yet. I also took some Gatorade along and started taking a drink every time I walked from the half point on so I can get used to drinking, I will take along an energy bar in a week or two so I can see how the eating goes. I did not eat anything before running and I did not feel hungry but in a week or two I will have to think about eating before also. All in all a good run and right on schedule. I hope in a few days the Parkway is dry enough to run on, I do not like the streets!

Thursday, March 4, 2010

Foot and ankle seminar

Last Saturday I went to the Coordinated Health foot and ankle seminar, good stuff. Although most of the information was not entirely new to me because of the availability of information on the Internet, it was reinforcing to hear it from a doctor. For example, I have a slight case of plantar fasciitis and I have read conflicting opinions on the Internet about putting on shoes the first thing in the morning. I read somewhere that you should put shoes on before taking the first step, another "expert" says do not where shoes at all, only when you have to. At the seminar they said you should wear supporting shoes first thing in the morning, I have been following that advice since last week and my foot is a little better even the morning after a good run the night before. So, my advice is when you have the opportunity to go to one of these seminars go!

Non-running workout update; push ups=65, sit ups=78, and yes I am spent after doing these!

This weekend I am scheduled to run 7 miles, this is the longest I have run in about 35 years but so far I have been following the schedule and it has been good so I am anxious to see how it goes. I am hoping the Lehigh Parkway is clear of snow by then. Since this will take me over an hour I am going to take some Gatorade with me to get used to drinking on the run and to find out if it agrees with me while on the run. I am also gong to eat something, probable oatmeal, about two hours before the run to see how that works because I want to find out how soon before running I can eat.

Saturday, February 27, 2010

Out with the old-in with the new.




In about an hour or so I am going to sell my old truck, I am happy I found someone to buy it but I am sad when I think of all the time I spent driving it, working with it, using it for Boy Scouts, driving my children places and doing home improvement with it since 1992.
I already picked up my new 2010 Accent in Yellow Mello earlier this week, I think this will be better for commuting and general running around but I know the first time I want to haul something I am going to wish I had the truck. But, I thought about that and calculated the savings in buying this car instead of another truck and the lower gasoline cost with the car, I could rent a truck at least four or five times a year. I really do not need a truck that many times in a year so I bought the car.
The running schedule is still on track, more snow on the road so I am still running on the street, however I am using the foam roller and this appears to help with muscle soreness. If the transfer of the truck goes well, I intend to make it to the runners seminar at coordinated health today, if I do I will write about it later this weekend.





Wednesday, February 24, 2010

I'm sorry.

Last night I bought a 2010, Mello Yellow,Hyundai Accent. This in itself is not a very big occasion, however, you must realize, I am not driving my 1989 Ford Ranger. So, a number of people at work are blaming the latest expected snow storm on me finally spending the dinero on a new car. So I apologize to everyone out there that will be shoveling snow over the next few days. Or, you can thank me for the muscle confusion, cross training............you're welcome. And if you see me tooling around the Lehigh Parkway give me wave.

Saturday, February 20, 2010

Six miles.

Today's schedule called for six miles. This is the longest I have run this distance in over a year so I was anxious to see how I would do. I am still on the run 3 minutes-walk 2 minutes interval which seems to be almost too easy but this is the program I decided on so I am staying with it. I am also trying to cut down on coffee before running so I had some tea before the run, abstaining from coffee. The run went well with only a little stiffness in my right ankle, seems like the plantar fasciitis has spread or moved to my ankle which may be an indication of a different problem. So I used the foam roller on my lower legs, hamstrings and ankle and icing afterwards with good results.

I am at 55 push-ups and 63 sit-ups along with Tai Chi and Yoga on my non running days. Overall things are going according to plan for the half marathon.

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Preconscious mind

I attended a breakfast seminar at a local university recently and the topic was on mind study. Your preconscious mind and how it affects your performance was discussed, if your preconscious mind is full of "stuff" you are distracted and then your performance, physical and mental suffers. That night after work (and my run) I sat down and searched for the journal entry I made a year or so ago after a run that did not go very well. I remember I had planned to run after church on Sunday as I usually do, however, someone told me we were going out to breakfast after church so I needed to change plans to Saturday. Saturday was not good because at the time I was attending Tai Chi classes in the morning and I do not like to do Tai Chi after a long run, additionally the forecast was hot,humid weather with rain-not my best conditions. Anyway I was not in a good frame of mind but I soldiered on and Saturday morning found me running in the Parkway with a very full, distracting, preconscious mind. Everything was wrong, I was angry, out of breath, I had to stop and walk, etc. I wrote in my journal that it was not a good run because I was not in a good place mentally and since then I try to not get upset when I run (or anytime actually). So, at the seminar this topic was really hitting home, especially when the presenter put a slide of Tiger Woods on the screen and said how good this guy could be with a clear mind because to do what he recently admitted to and perform on the golf course like he did with a full mind is incredible!

Last night I took to the streets for my run and everything is still good, a little sore from running on the streets but I am hoping for snow melt so I can get back to the trail. My PF is not too bad, I have been using the foam roller with some success.

Sunday, February 14, 2010

Street Run

I did my 5 mile run today on the streets, I hope the snow clears soon so I can run on the cinder path in the Parkway as running on the street is tougher on the joints and I am beginning to feel it. Other than sore muscles today's run went well, I ran the 5 miles in 54 minutes, an easy pace of running 3 minutes then walking 2 minutes. I am shooting for 2 to 2.5 hours for the half marathon and I am where I should be to do that.

Saturday, February 13, 2010

Good but boring run.

I took to the streets last night to get my run in so I could keep up with my training schedule. It was a little slippery so I ran down to Cedar Beach where there is a paved walking path that the city plows. I ran back and forth until I put in my designated time and then walked/ran home. I felt good but a little bored with the route. I had postponed my run on Thursday due to all the snow shoveling, Friday was a workout day so I will do that today and run tomorrow 9Sunday my rest day). Tomorrow my schedule calls for a five mile run so I plan on running home from church which just happens to be five miles, if I do this my training for the half in April will be back on track.

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Last run in Parkway for a while.

I ran in the Parkway tonight, some of the path was cleared of snow-probably for the SB 10k, so I ran on the path and the snow was soft in some parts but I had to run some on the road where the snowmobiles went because it was packed hard and un-even. All in all a good run before the storm.

Sunday, February 7, 2010

Snowy run.

I decided to run yesterday afternoon on the streets. Overall it was a good run, a little slippery but not too bad. I used the foam roller on my hamstrings,calves and Achilles Tendons before and after running and taped my right foot for the PF,this seems to help as I have no pain today. So far I am on track for the thirteen week plan for the half marathon-no missed workouts.

Saturday, February 6, 2010

Snow


Here is a picture taken about 07:30 today EST, the snow is still falling and the wind is swirling it around.
Last night we went out for cheese steaks at the Brass Rail-good. I waited a few hours and did my one hour exercise routine, push-ups 50, sit-ups 63. I then used the foam roller on my lower legs and Achilles tendon which seems to help my heel pain from the plantar fasciitis.
I am hoping to run today or tomorrow, looks like tomorrow will be better. With all this snow I will have to run on the streets so I am going to map out a new run on Map Quest.
Joseph came home for the weekend and brought a case of Yuengling bock beer, I love bock beer and this was the first time I had Yuengling bock; I was not dissapointed!
So, I fell of the nutrition wagon with the beer and cheese steak last night but since I only do this on occasion I don't feel too bad. On to the oatmeal for breakfast!

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Quote.

On my desk at home, which is in the same room where I get dressed for my run and do my Tai Chi and yoga I have a 3x5 index card with the following quote written on it"Don't let your ego write checks that your body can't cash". It is there to remind me to stick to my plan and not overdo it, especially when I am feeling strong. My Tai Chi teacher, Bill Newman, once made a statement during class that every time you hurt yourself you can go back and see that you did something wrong. Like bending to pick something up and not using your legs, or twisting your body as you reach for something. Any whoo, I try to keep this in mind when I head out the door as a reminder not to push too hard or add too much distance, because most of my running injuries seem to be from going too long too soon, running too hard when I am not quite ready, or running too many days in a row without a rest break.

The plantar fasciitis seems to be retreating!

Saturday, January 30, 2010

Cold

The wind chill was 2 degrees when I left for my run today, fingers and toes never warmed-up, I hardly perspired but it was a good run. I felt my hamstring a little bit near the end so I slowed the pace and it felt good. I have been taping my right foot for the plantar fasciitis and there are no problems there (I feel like Rain Man and his "serious injury book"). JoAnne and I are off to the organic food store now for oatmeal,pancake batter,apple cider vinegar etc.

Thursday, January 28, 2010

Nagging heel pain

I am still having a little heel pain in my right foot from (self diagnosed) plantar fasciitis. It does not hurt when I run but does in the morning when I first get out of bed and I am more aware of it the day after running. Today when I got out of bed I taped the bottom of my foot with 1" wide adhesive tape as suggested here (heelspurs.com/tape.html). It felt great all day, I came home and went running. I could not feel any difference with the tape on while running and/or stretching afterwards. I came home sat at the computer for half an hour, got up and no pain. I am cautiously optomistic that this may be the cure! I plan on taping my foot again tomorrow morning. Hoping for the best.

Running today was great until I turned around into the wind, the weather site said we were having 21 MPH winds at the time I was running. I shortened my walk interval to one minute after running three minutes. With this run/walk interval my overall time is very close to the same time as running with out the walk breaks. Next week my half marathon schedule calls for a four mile run, I am anxious to see if my pace stays the same as my distance increases.

On the no run days, I am up to 45 push-ups and 58 sit-ups, those last few push-ups in the last two sets are tough!

Sunday, January 24, 2010

Cross train


It is 32 degrees with the wind chill (I can't figure out how to insert the degree sign :( ) but it isn't too cold so I went for a bicycle ride. My wife got me a pair of Manzella running gloves with the nylon over mitt for Christmas and these worked great to keep my hands warm. I am wearing these in the picture at the top of my blog. I still have an on and off again pain in my right heel so I am not running any more than the half marathon plan calls for. Today I might also do my non-running day exercises because I am attending a professional buyers diner meeting tomorrow after work which is when I normally would do that routine.


Here is a picture of my dog, Reba, after going for a walk in a recent snowstorm, she just turned 13 years old!

Friday, January 22, 2010

One of the reasons I run.

It was beautiful yesterday, the sun was shinning, the temperature was 40 degrees and the sunset is later so I opted to run in the parkway instead of the streets. I dashed home, changed into my running clothes (had them all layed out) and went to the Lehigh Parkway. As I ran my usual 5k course I was enjoying the beauty of the park and thinking that this is one of the reasons I run. To be able to enjoy a trip around the loop, gliding along and feelin fine! Another bonus is all of the other runners doing the same thing, lots of company.

I am ready with a good base to start my half marathon program next week, as I increase my weekly long run I intend to add an occasional bicycle commute to work for some (enjoyable) cross training.

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Yesterday workout

After work I did my exercise routine. I am getting closer to my "ideal" one hour workout for non running days. First I start out with Tai Chi, the Yang style as modified by Chen Man Ching which takes about twelve minutes, this is a good warm-up. Next I do 25 to 30 minutes of stretching and Yoga followed by my 100 push-up and sit-up initiative (currently at 40 push-ups and 55 sit-ups) then I do 25 arm curls with 15 pound dumbells. Last night this all took about 58 minutes so I added a few repetitions of climbing the stairs. As I do more push-ups and sit-ups my workout will take longer than one hour and I may add pull-ups to my routine once I reach 100 push-ups and 200 sit-ups. On the running days I am running a 5k three times per week until the last week of January when I start training for the half marathon in April.

All of the above exercise is meant to keep me fit, I would also like to eventually run a marathon and complete a triathlon-stay tuned for more as I complete my journey.

Sunday, January 17, 2010

Off Sunday, runner's pouch give-away

Rest day today. I am in the process of writing down my non-running day exercises so I do not forget to do anything and to assure it lasts a full hour.

Check out the free give-away here,


http://enduranceisntonlyphysical.blogspot.com/

Thursday, January 14, 2010

Intermodle

Today I ran from work to the repair shop to pick-up my truck. I am still using the run/walk interval that I intend to use for the half marathon. The run went well as the temperature has warmed-up to 41 degrees. I carried my work clothes in my back pack which weighed 15 pounds. I did not mind the extra weight but the pack bouncing around was a little annoying.

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Plantar faciitis up-date

Today the dog barked at 4:30 AM so I bounded out of bed to see what was going on. She was just letting me know the newspaper arrived. Any hoo, for the last several weeks I have been very careful to stretch my feet especially the right one that I have the heel pain in. Well in addition to stretching several times a day by crossing my foot over my other knee and pulling my toes back I have been using a tennis ball to massage the sole and since the physical therapist at the new years eve 5k showed me the wall stretch for the achilles tendon/calf I have been adding that to my routine as well. For the last few days I have also been applying heat to the heel area. Today when I shot out of bed ready to confront whatever the dog was alerting me to I did not feel any heel pain! So let's see if I am over this (current), possible set-back.

Saturday, January 9, 2010

Exercise and run

Yesterday after work I did my non-run workout; Tai Chi, yoga, running stretches, push-ups, sit-ups, and foam roller. At work I iced my heel which helped my plantar faciitis after walking at lunch time. Just before leaving work I put heat on my heel and that helped allot. Today before getting out of bed I stretched my foot with a belt and put on a pair of new running shoes and I had very little pain in my heel-I think my old shoes may be the culprit! Today I ran on the streets again as the trails are too frozen, I am anxious to start my 13 week half marathon training later this month.

One of the changes I need to make is to tweak my diet a little so I can lose some more weight, currently I am at 204 lbs., I would like to be around 185 for the half marathon. I eat very well for breakfast-oatmeal, and during the day at work-fruit, vegetables, cliff bar etc and supper. My downfall is when I get home from work I always need a snack and I usually overdue it. I am going to try to do better.

Friday, January 8, 2010

Run on the streets

I tried to run in the Rose Garden, a park near my house, because I like to run on the cinder track so my joints don't take a pounding but the snow is still too deep. Also some of the frozen footprints are still present and they make your foot twist, a few years ago I got prima formis syndrom which is a pain in the hip from running on uneven ground (frozen footprints at the Rose Garden). So I am running in the streets until I have a clear path in the parks. I ran for 30 minutes using the 3 minute run 2 minute walk routine which is working well for me. When I run the same distance under similar conditions the run/walk interval produces similar times for me and I do not feel as tired after the run. I am still nursing my right heel pain-plantar faciitis-which does not seem to get much worse. I also went for a one mile walk yesterday at work.

Sunday, January 3, 2010

First run of 2010, looking back on 2009, goals for new year.

Today was my first run of the new year. As I was stretching I had a few thougts on 2009. 2009 was a good year and a tough year. It was good because I was healthy, kept my job and watched my daughter graduate with her master's degree and two weeks later get married to good guy from a nice family. I got to run in two races with my son. It was tough because my Mother and my Mother-in-Law are both ill and caring for them has taken much of my and my wife's time. Other than our mother's our family is doing well; healthy and all employed!

In 2010 I am looking forward to running in the lehigh Valley Half Marathon, this will be the longest running race I have ever entered-let the journey begin.

Goals for 2010;

  • Finish the half marathon in April.
  • Stay injury free so I can continue to run all year.
  • Continue to improve my diet and maybe-maybe cut back on the coffee :)
  • To weigh 185 by my annual physical in May.
  • Continue to help those in our family that need care.

Saturday, January 2, 2010

Ice Bike


My legs were still a little sore from the New Years Eve 5k so I decided to do a little cross training on the mountain bike. 25 degrees with a wind chill of 14 degrees. Afterwards my legs felt good so I am going to do some stretching and use the foam roller.

Bethlehem First Night 5k


My son and I ran in the New Years Eve 5k. I have not viewed the official times but when I entered the chute the clock showed 26:55. I felt good completing the run without any pain from my hamstring injury. Afterwards Ramon from Coordinated Health Care gave me a good stretch for my legs and showed me some stretches to do after running.