Slow Running public Races, overcoming Embarrassment about Awkwardness

 When I was a kid (fifth grade at Nova Elementary) and my class's p.e. instructor had us, as a group, run an extended course,, it would usually come down to a rqce. We'd heqd off campus toward the northern palm trees, which w'ed circle an thenreturn 'home. Brooke, as naurally talented as she was...and hopefully still is...would gracefully run away from the competition; she'd kick eveyone's ass if it were a Parkun!  i was a quick, short-distance sprinter with a long way to go on the endurance running side.  According to slow running (AF) advocate Martinus Evans, running competitively in public, under everyone's gaze, is an integral element of the activity.  This coming Saturday's Depot pqrkrun 5k is basically a publicly staged event.  So if i have any self-conscious issues involving feeling embarrassed over others observing my obviously flawed attempts at running for a sustained distance...forget the palms...looks like no one is in danger of confusing me with Brooke. Training for Saturday will necessarily involve me very lightly running downa dry stretch of qasphalt road,assuming i actually get a dry stretch of road with all this rain we've been having lately. My plan is this:after we've started the upcoming race for about a minute, I kick into slow AF running and see how long I can stand it...there ain't no shame in going back into walking mode, at least for a little while. I can also cut across the park's course to the car should I need to 'drop out' early...Still, unlike the case with our Florida Lottery, it should all be 'good fun'...

Slowness in Fitness Recovery Tied In with Cancer Prognosis Uncertainty

My path to return to my previous level of cardiovascular fitness, as evidenced by my participation and finishing times in a number of long-distance races, has recently been slow, irregular and halting...causing some discouragement.  On Depot parkrun 5K Saturday mornings, I gradually increased my number of laps finished and, on April 25th, managed to walk the whole course.  But I only got through a single lap of their last race, feeling a bit too tired to go the whole distance on that one.  A couple of hours ago today I walked...at a reasonable pace...around my own neighborhood block.  On the backstretch homeward I would deliberately start some very brief, slow jogging.  This helped me gain some confidence about running.  Sometime around sunset today I'd like to try some slow running across our back yard, and see how long i can manage the effort.  i realize that i am being daily reminded of my medical status, and that the struggle to make progress...or even overcome...treatments for this unfortunate brain cancer condition is fraught with concerns about their effectiveness, and possible side effects.  I know that it's probably a good idea to be bold with my athletic training, and one of these weeks I'm going to let go at a Parkrun event and try running for as long as I am able to manage it...maybe this coming Saturday will work that way: if I tire out too quickly, I should be able to hobble over to Melissa and the car.  I don't like this cancer role in life i've been consigned to for a while.  I do know that my life...and my eventual passing through and beyond it...are in my Lord's loving and powerful arms...He brought me in and He's carrying me through it all!  I'd still like to be able to frame my own Earthly future in terms of relations with Melissa, family and friends, and athletic and intellectual pursuits.  And I'm still interested in what's going on in the world!  I can't properly boast about tomorrow(read the Book of James Chapter 4), or about the future in a personal, worldly sense...only God has the power to determine it all.  So instead, to the degree that uncertainty still maintains a vital role on this Earth,,.  I'll hedge my comments about the future with 'if the Lord tarries", recognizing that His timing is the correct timing...

Reading, Running, Training, Optimism, Baseball

 I have been enjoying living through the past few days, without pushing an agenda about rising early before dawn and pushing myself to engage in "constructive activities" of the sort that the late personal development coach Jim Rohn would assiduously  promote on his podcasts, many of which I listened to on youube...and still do sometimes, with some anxiety.  I am no bigshot personal achiever, content for the most part with developing new, positive habits that fit into systems that take care of me and my loved ones...no loud publicity necessary!  Martinus Evans is a self-identified runner who pushes this notion, and advises his readers to see themselves as runners, no matter how little or slowly, no matter how embarrassed they fear they would feel under the often critical public observations of others.  I have a humble praise report about my meager running experiences today...I ran back and forth, very slowly, from one end of my back yard to the other...no one saw this but myself, timed at two minutes.  Come this approaching Saturday morning at Depot Park...just a few blocks south of downtown Gainesville, my plan is to cover that Depot Parkrun 5K's course by walking and running the four prescribed laps though that park while enjoying the often very funny and loud bird calls like grackles, crows and red-winged blackbirds.  Still, I know in advance that, compared to the other participants, I will be very slow, with that volunteer tail-walker most likely making a prominent example of himself. I already told Melissa that I won't care how slowly I navigate the Parkrun...only that finishing it is at the top of my  priority list..  I am now feeling the frustration of my feet and legs quickly tiring as I move my body forward, either by walking or light running. Progress in training can seem awfully slow in coming. Martinus Evans has proven to be a genuine inspiration, and I wholeheartedly agree with his disdain for eliitists within the distance running community who seek to marganalize my efforts,passing their own judgments on me as being unqualified for consideration as an athlete.  Well, the die has been cast, for from now on, if the Lord tarries about lovingly taking me back home with Him, I am indeed an athlete in the mold of Mr. Evans. I checked out the hardcopy edition of the  2023 book titled Slow AF Run Club and listened to the Libby Audibooks version, which I just checked out from my local public library. Earlier yesterday Melissa and I went to the Friends of the Library book sale, final day.  All books were ten cents, and I left there with 5 interesting books for a total of 50 cents, hauling that weight to our car. Well, that's all for now.  I'm getting ready to enjoy some evening MLB baseball. Have a good night...

Cancer Chemo, Martinus, Baseball TV includes Florida, Carbs and Hydration for Training

 Yesterday Melissa drove me down to UF Health Davis Cancer pavilion for my periodic Avastin anti-cancer infusion.  First I had a blood lab draw, after which I gave a urine specimen.  Then Melissa brought over an Opus hot latte coffee.  First I waited for the test results to come in, after which the nurse connected the IV line to the incoming infusion.  While sitting there waiting for it, I listened to some Amazon Prime Music on my Android.  Then I tuned in to my public library Libby app, which played the audiobook Slow AF Run Club, written by Martinus Evans.  It's a good, compelling piece of literature about running, and how you can swing it if you stick to the author's suggestions, backed by his own life experiences.  He says he's completed some eight marathons and more than 100 other races, simply by going through the prescribed courses without ever trying to pick up the running pace.  For the neighborhood I live in, I can see me running around the block "slow as F" and then applying that standard to longer road distances.  I'm already doing a tapered version of this in the back yard, trotting back and forth between the east and west privacy fences.  While at the doctors', Melissa got me hooked up receiving the 2026 regular season live schedule featuring visual coverage of the Florida teams Tampa Bay Rays and Miami Marlins.Today I plan to review the rosters of Tampa Bay, Miami and Atlanta...should be fun.  Speaking of running slowly (for long distances} Martinus impressed me discussing pre-run carb-loading, along with his wise emphasis on proper hydration.  It makes me want carry a long a little bottle of Propel fitness water, easy AF to tote as I go..for this early morning, I was faithful in getting up just before three, when I did some bathroom business and ran in place for 16 minutes before writing this.  And now, another good day to look forward to...

Back from Daytona Beach, Training to re-enter Long Distance Running Picture

 Today Melissa and I finished up our overnight stay at the Hampton Inn in northern Daytona Beach...then she drove the both of us back home.  Right now it's 5:55 PM. Today is the start of a new week, with its five weekdays.  It reminds me of my old, grueling high school routine, going back to the spring of 1971 when I was stuck (and not doing very well) in the ninth grade at Davie's Nova High School. The air outside back then was beginning to stink of smoke caused by a local drought and wildfires spreading across the South Florida Everglades.  Today, though it all seemed clean out on the beach.  I exercised, running in place for 36 minutes.  It's late in the afternoon now, and I've exercised for ten minutes so far.  Tuesday afternoon I am scheduled to be at UF Healh's Davis Cancer Pavilion to undergo some more IV chemotherapy for brain cancer.  Right now our living room tv is showing an old, melodramatic medical series, on which the actors are portraying characters full of troublesome life and relational issues..there's plenty of stuff on it that feels wrong to me1.i am continuing to listening, on my own public library's lLibby app, an audiobook from Martinus Evans titled Slow AF Run Club, in which the author humorously and frankly lays out his own experiences about returning to SLOW long distance running and presents several practical suggestions how I (or anyone interested in running) can get going with it.  I have a long history of running, both with training and participating in public races.  I have entered and completed two 26.2-mile marathons, along with 19 13.1 half-marathons.  With the lengthier distance, I have little interest in adding to my "accomplishments".  I simply want to return to my  old ability for lasting reasonably long distances dating back to the year 2010,  Consistently sticking with daily training can build up compounded positive effect over the next few weeks and months.  I'm still counting on progress in my  ongoing struggle against cancer. May this spring and summer bode well for you and yours...

Today's Parkrun Effort Promises Compounded Fitness for Endurance Running and Walking

 Melissa and I went down to Gainesville's Depot Park this morning for their Parkrun...or at least my attempt to substantially lengthen my training session walk there.  Today I doubled my distance walked, from a .7-mile lap to two laps totaling 1.55 miles.  It took me 34 minutes in all, and that's all right since I am in no way concerned about how fast I go.  You see, during this half of a Parkrun I listened to my Alachua Public Library Libby audiobook app containing the book I just checked out: Slow AF Run Club by Martinus Evans. His message is informative, humorous and inspirational...in other words, very useful!  Next week I'll try to 'up' it to three laps, and there you have it: a definite feeling of progress doing this resistance walk and letting my daily, consistent training efforts compound in their positive effects on my fitness.  Back in 2007 I could barely run around my home block, the road surface feeling way too rough for my feet.  But in '08 I managed a solid eight-mile neighborhood training run that I have yet to duplicate (or want to).  My effort today wasn't scanned or posted, and I'm not doing any of this for any reason beyond personal betterment. I do want to get to Martinus's level of running softly and slowly...all I care about is covering the distance.  Now we're left with the rest of Saturday, along with any more walk/run training i might see fit to do.  So after this encouraging effort, I intend to continue keeping up with the consistency, resistance and discomfort (and rest & recovery) and let the fitness compound...

Run Club Author Evans Providing Fitness Hope and Workout Information

 I woke up at at little past one this morning.  I had to linger in bed for time to "catch up", but eventually it did and I set out, in the living room, to do some 12 minutes of running-in-place.  The air conditioning in the house was mostly on, but I took some of the "off" time to brew a pot of coffee.  Yesterday I took some time to switch around running-in-place with walking back and forth through the house, using the initial training formula of Slow AF Run Club author Martinus Evans' suggested timed ratios of running to walking at a ratio of one to three, building up to a total of twenty minutes leaving pace out of it...I worked my way up to ten minutes.  Later today my plan is to go a little further with the Slow AF workouts, without going overboard with them...I'm enjoying reading through this funny, helpful book. Melissa earlier gave me a good report on my most recent MRI brain scan.  It's still something I need to be cautious interpreting, since these tests can easily quickly turn toward the worse.  I have to be reasonable about my own medical expectations, especially regarding the detection and growth of cancer in my own brain. Living onward for a multitude of years is something I'd like to be a part of, and being effectively active during that hoped-for span places high on my list of priorities...especially concerning running and walking long distance endurance events.  Completing race events of 5k to half-marathon length, regardless of finishing times, are goals I'd like to attain as 2026 progresses into the spring,summer, and fall months. I've already experienced a severe, seemingly random brain cancer diagnosis bomb dropped on me from last October, with the brain surgery and subsequent chemo and radiation treatment side effects having their own negative effects on my athletic endurance and general fitness level.  Let's see if this morning I can't at least approach the exhortations of Mr. Evans, who believes that factors limiting running and walking distance attainment are more than 90% mental in origin.  I say let's get mental with it all and crush it...

My Designed Running Loop Courses, Then and Now

My old running block (~3 miles) from my late teen years in Davie, Florida is the standard I use to evaluate the various training courses I've designed, especially those within the past twenty years.  These days my running (often combined with walking) takes place on asphalt road surfaces, while back then practically the entire loop was off-road, on the grass.  For a south Florida locale like Davie...where I went to school...running on grass was totally fine since there wasn't the prevalence of holes in the ground to trip up on like there are up here in northern Florida. I like seeing where I'm stepping...in my own back yard I have to be careful where I plant my feet.  But hitting a hard surface still takes its toll on legs' soft tissue, and I have to take care not to over-train.  That's one big reason I've taken to increasing my speed-walking emphasis...less taxing on the joints. My current standard 3.3-mile neighborhood loop has me passing many, many houses while I have to be attentive...even during low-traffic times of the day...to residents and visitors pulling in and out of driveways.  And then there's often a creepy vehicle or another that drives around me and then just stops in the road, as if the driver is some kind of stalker or Zimmerman-type neighborhood vigilante.  Pedestrians are truly the vulnerable class in this world loaded with suspicion and violently-inclined folks with weapons.  One of my favorite books from some fifteen years ago is Ultramarathon Man by Dean Karnazes.  In it he describes his late-night early morning long-distance training runs...one time he ran thirty miles around San Francisco in his underwear!  I can see myself doing something like that...and then get arrested and have my mug shot plastered over my local news station's screen: no thanks.  No, there are definitely times I want to stay off the road, and one of these is when it's dark outside. As for multiple laps on my loop, fifty years ago in March 1975 I once ran five laps on my old Davie loop, amassing nearly 15 total miles.  In Gainesville, unless I'm running or walking around the block (.7 mile), I don't do multiple laps.  Instead I have extensions designed to the course that create the desired distance.  When I ran 26.6 miles on January 15, 2011 I had a pretty complex running route that took me into some interesting territory.  I haven't ventured any distance near that far in the last few years, unless you're talking the marathon I completed last November along the eastern end of the Hawthorne trail.  But training? I keep it measured and consistent, with lots of time for rest and recovery.  Still, I'd like to revisit that old Davie trail from time to time...

A Couple of Notes About Running

This weekend I didn't get around to my long distance run/walk around the neighborhood...let's just say that "life" got in the way as it has a tendency to do. Even though I tend to be a creature of routine, it seems that outside forces have an unseen intelligence behind them bent on destroying my equilibrium and sense of progress with various things.  That being as it is, I still managed this evening after sundown to run in my backyard, with the temperature at 80 and the humidity a muggy 77%, for four miles...all to a mix of Moody Blues song thanks to Amazon Music Unlimited.  This time I didn't do any speed walking, but noticed that my overall pace tonight wasn't any faster than when I walked part of the way...I think that is at least partially due to my need to greatly decelerate and accelerate as I run from fence to fence. ..

The other day I signed up as a member of US Road Running, a group that holds races in different city parks across the country.  For the last couple of years I've seen their races listed in Ocala and Ocklawaha and had considered trying one of them out.  In those two places the distances offered range from 5K up to half-marathon and they're offered each month.  Now they've come to Gainesville, with the races taking place at Westside (Albert Massey) Park and consisting of 1 mile, 5K, 10K and 15K events.  It's held entirely within the park on a trail with a lot of there-and-back, and loops.  I'm looking forward to seeing what these races, scheduled on Saturday mornings late each month starting in July, are like...

Speed-Walked 5 Miles Through Neighborhood This Morning

For the third time in the past five Thursday mornings, I got up early and speed-walked 5 miles through my Gainesville, Florida Northwood Pines subdivision and the adjacent one, Northwood Oaks. It started out a little foggy, warm (74 degrees) and very muggy (99% humidity)...the sky stayed cloudy throughout my walk, in which I consciously exerted myself but probably could have pushed it a little more, in reflection.  The roads seemed emptier, with fewer vehicles then before although a few fellow walkers...and one intrepid runner...passed by me.  I completed the walk, which I began around 6:50, with a time of 1:08:18...putting it right there with my other two: at least I'm consistent if not improving.  Still, I don't feel the kind of intensity that running brings. Nevertheless, the continuity of getting myself out of bed and doing this is a victory, to be sure.  When walking, I try to mimic how I see race walkers move, vigorously moving my arms and trying to land my forward leg straight and bring it that way under me while attempting some forward hip rotation...I wonder whether the judges at those events would cite me for some walking rules infractions or just laugh at me. Walking very fast does look kind of ridiculous, and it's an exercise in humility for me to speed-walk in public, or even better in a race that features runners far ahead of me. My treadmill walking pace is far faster than my road walking...I'm currently working on a 10:31/mile pace at the gym. I walked today listening to a shuffle of songs by the British rock group Queen, thanks to Amazon Music...my favorites from them are Another One Bites the Dust, Bicycle Race, Killer Queen, Keep Yourself Alive and the wonderful collaboration with David Bowie, Under Pressure...

Adapting to Extreme Heat by Turning to Running at Night

This morning I brought my Honda Civic over to the auto maintenance shop to get routine work on it, including an oil change...the "percentage" on my dashboard reading had gotten pretty low.  When I came around to pick it up this afternoon, I got two "100" readings on my dashboard: one, the oil was restored to "100%"...I guess that's good, right?  But the other was the outside temperature reading: 100 degrees...ugh!  And that's what it's been today, excruciatingly hot here in Gainesville. At 7 PM it had only gone down to 95, and for someone like me who likes to go out this time of day to run and walk in the neighborhood for a reasonably long distance, that's just not going to work.  So I considered my resources and how I could adapt myself to the situation at hand.  About fourteen years ago I read a book by ultra-marathon runner Dean Karnazes titled Ultramarathon Man: Confessions of an All-Night Runner.  In this sports autobiography, he described how he would regularly run the streets of his home California town and the outlying roads deep into the nighttime hours to train for his ultra-long races.  I thought that was pretty cool, but considering how crazy/wacko some people can be with their paranoia and suspicion, the idea of me doing something like that just didn't seem very wise.  Fortunately, a few years ago we got a nice privacy fence put around our back yard, and with some solar powered lights at strategic spots it can be adequately lit up into the night to provide a venue for back-and-forth running and speed-walking.  Then I bought a simple digital tally counter I could wear as a ring while working out and realized that I had everything in place to do my own all-night running if I so desired.  Since it was so hot today and I have somewhere I need to be tomorrow morning, I decided to wait until the sun sets this evening and the temperature has abated and go into my backyard and see how much back-and-forth ground I can cover...I already have it all measured out and with each successive lap I just hit my tally counter.  I still like going around my neighborhood, but this can be a good makeshift substitute if it works out with the bathroom always nearby while I can still listen to my Amazon Music while running and walking...

My 5 Mile Neighborhood Speed-Walk This Morning

This morning I set out on another five mile speed-walk through my north Gainesville subdivision and the adjacent one, the same course I did two weeks ago.  This time around I started earlier, with cooler temperature (average 73) and very high humidity (97%).  But with fast walking, as opposed to running...even slowly...the weather extremes don't seem to affect me that much, and it was perfectly fine this morning as I enjoyed deep shadows before the sun rose too high in the clear skies.  I started out at about 7:00 and finished with a time of 1:09:05...relatively little perspiration or energy loss from the workout.  My limitation with walking at a brisk (for me) pace isn't the distance or weather it seems, but rather my ability to attain a faster speed...even if only for a few seconds.  I used heavier shoes on these road outings, and on the treadmill at my gym attain a faster pace (now I'm working on 5.6 mph, or 10:42/mile).  I think if I can move more efficiently...like I see race walkers do...then I could become a pretty decent seniors athlete with walking.  Today's experience still was rewarding for getting up and getting out there, although I admit to being a bit annoyed at several different neighbors along my route, parked along the road in front of their homes, who would open their car or pickup truck doors wide into the street and then just walk off.  I wouldn't do that, if only for the sake of preserving my car door.  Oh well, listening for the duration of my walk to an Amazon Music shuffle of songs by the excellent Canadian alternative rock band Metric helped to alleviate my frustration...you know, they're a very energizing group to exercise to and Emily Haines is one of the greatest singers around...

New Treadmill Routine at Gym

Over the past few weeks I have been occasionally visiting my local gym after work to try out a new routine on their treadmill.  Part of what I am trying to do is work out intensely for brief stretches by running and walking on the treadmill at my maximum speed capable for a sustained length of time.  I start at that speed and see whether I can get to one total mile on it, with a tenth of a mile being the minimum distance to cover.  Once I reach the mile goal, then the next time I am at the gym I will increase the speed by .1 mile and start again.  So far, here's how I've been doing with my running and walking according to this treadmill system (distance in miles, speed in mph):

DATE   RUNNING         WALKING

           MPH  MILES      MPH  MILES

  5/2       7.3   1.0                5.2    .2

  5/3       7.4     .2                5.2   1.0

  5/7       7.4     .7                5.3    .2

  5/8       7.4   1.0                5.3   1.0

  5/11     7.5    .3                 5.4    .2

  5/14     7.5    .4                 5.4   1.0

  5/15     7.5    .7                 5.5    .2

  5/17     7.5   1.0                5.5   1.0

  5/22     7.6    .5                 5.6    .6

  5/26     7.6    .7                 5.6    .8  

  6/5       7.6    .3                 5.6    .3

  6/7       7.6   1.0                5.6   1.0 

  6/10     7.7    .2                 5.7    .1

  6/12     7.7    .5                 5.7    .4

  6/14.    7.7.  1.0.               5.7.   .6

  6/17     7.8    .3                 5.7    .7

  6/24     7.8    .4                 5.7   1.0

  6/30     7.8    .8                 5.8     .2

  7/2       7.8    .4                 5.8     .2

  7/10     7.8    .5                 5.8     .3

Speed-Walked 5 Miles Through Neighborhood This Morning

Today, as planned, I did a neighborhood walk this morning in purely fast-walk mode, no running. But I did extend my planned distance of 3.3 miles to 5 instead...it worked out well.  The temperature was 82 with a 56% humidity...nice conditions for this time of year.  The roads were mostly clear...other than the trash and recyclables pickup and numerous lawn and repair vehicles, that is.  I walked as I would have on one of my weekly Depot Park runs, never tiring or feeling winded.  Yet there is still some constraint on my walking speed that I'm sure will diminish as I do it more and develop the appropriate muscles and hip mobility.  I finished with a time of 1:08:14 and walked the distance to a shuffled mix of Nirvana songs provided by Amazon Music.  One big difference between my neighborhood outings and the more "official" races: when training informally near my house I use heavier Nike Air Monarch athletic shoes while with the races I wear a much lighter Brooks model...both are several years old and probably could use replacing. I thoroughly enjoyed today's walk, and as a general rule plan to do such walks mid-week when circumstances permit...

My Early Sunday Evening 9.3 Mile Walk/Run

Once again not at all feeling like I wanted to do this, I somehow got up late this afternoon and trained around my neighborhood, this time alternating 2 minutes of moderate running with 3 minutes of speed walking.  I had my 9.3 mile course pre-planned, covering most of the residential streets looping through my northern Gainesville home subdivision and the adjacent one.  The sky was mostly clear with a light breeze throughout my venture, while the temperature averaged 86 degrees with 58% humidity...not very conducive to intense workouts, to say the least.  I deliberately added the minute of walking to divide the alternating distances covered between that and running more evenly as well as to relieve the stress on my body caused by the increase in both distance and the (for all practical purposes) summer heat.   It worked quite well as I kept up both my running and walking paces to athletic levels throughout and finished the distance at 1:49:26, with an easy recovery while I chugged down the Gatorade.  My music for today, provided by Amazon Music, was a mix of Radiohead tracks. Unlike Jeff Galloway's system of run/walk where the walking is inserted more or less as a brief periodic break in the primarily running process, what I did today...and plan to continue on future Sunday workouts...is to make the entire time out there an intense exercise with walking assuming an equal "footing" with running.  I still think I have more potential for improvement with my walking, both regarding my form and my leg strength.  We'll see how this all progresses.  This Thursday morning, weather and life-in-general permitting, I plan to do a shorter neighborhood speed-walk and see how I do...should be fun, as it all should be...

My Mother's Day Neighborhood 8.8 Mile Run/Walk

Not that Mother's Day immediately relates to my recently established routine of venturing out into my neighborhood (and adjacent ones) for distance run/walks, but that's how this particular Sunday went for me.  The first half of the day was a celebration of motherhood in all its forms, as Melissa, an ordained pastor, gave an inspiring and thoughtful message to the fellowship we attend.  Then we, along with our two grown children Will and Rebecca, went out to lunch at a familiar haunt...you know, the place known for their breadsticks, salads and soups.  Then came the afternoon and nap time as I fell asleep in the living room recliner.  When I awoke I wondered whether it wouldn't do too much harm to just pass on my planned twilight run/walk.  But no, somehow I got my reluctant body out the door and managed to extend my covered distance to 8.8 miles, again alternating throughout between two minutes of moderate running and two of brisk walking: final time was 1:40:56.  This I did to a shuffle of Police songs, thanks to Amazon Music.  Unlike last Sunday, there was no rain this week, just clear skies and the temperature had dipped a bit, thanks to a (very mild) cold front, to around 80 degrees during my training, with a very pleasant 41% humidity.  But my body feels a little sore, and I may just take a nice little break from any workouts tomorrow, at least from anything strenuous...  

How My Neighborhood Training Run/Walk Went This Morning

This week I decided to switch my mid-week neighborhood training run/walks from Wednesday to Thursday, so it was this morning when I set out once again.  I planned to go for 5.8 miles on my slightly-amended course, and so I did, alternating the distance between two minutes of running and two of fast walking...I covered it in 1:04:22.  The temperature climbed quickly so that in late morning it had reached 90 degrees with 45% humidity.  But I was able to do the task at hand and managed it well, with a fast recovery (but I did drink a lot of Gatorade).  Since Thursday is also garbage/recyclables/brush-pickup day in my neighborhood, I was thus able to perform a public service by picking up empty brush containers that the workers had left rolling around in the middle of the street...I see a developing pattern to this.  If conditions keep getting hotter in days to come, then my strategy will be to increase my time spent walking in relation to running.  During my outing today I listened to a shuffle of songs by the alternative band Gorillaz, which included my current favorite song so far of 2024, New Gold...

My Wednesday Neighborhood Run/Walk

As I've already written, since the abandoned marathon attempt on April 7th I decided to add a feature to my running and walking training, involving going outside on the streets in my home's vicinity to run and walk.  So far so good...the idea is to do this on Wednesday mornings before work and on Sundays at dusk, weather permitting and no precluding special events, of course.  Last Sunday I covered 7.2 miles alternating two minutes running with two minutes walking...yesterday I did likewise.  Sunday's time was 1:21:03...Wednesday was 1:20:24.  Not much difference, but the conditions were, although in both days the temperature hovered around 80 degrees.  The humidity yesterday morning averaged around 52%...pretty good, but the sky was clear and the sun baked down on me the whole run/walk...quite a contrast to Sunday's sunset shadows.  But on the positive side, the little kiddies that littered the road with their playing were off at school and the motor traffic was immensely lighter...I pretty much had the course to myself.  Still, I had to cool down more after it was over, downing a few Gatorades and resting.  Because of the time constraints on Wednesday, I think 7.2 miles will likely be my maximum distance, It will be the weekend...most likely Sunday...during which I expand things to see how far I can go.  But in it all I intend to mix up the running with brisk walking at regular short intervals...

Oh, by the way, for yesterday's jaunt around the 'hood, I listened to a shuffle of Regina Spektor songs...

A Good YouTube Video of Recent Staten Island Half Marathon

Over the past year I have become a pretty avid viewer of YouTube, a video platform run by Google (the same company that backs this blog).  Among the many kinds of videos I like to watch are the virtual runs...the YouTube channel Runners Digest contains some of the best, with Treadmill Trainer also providing good material.  These videos tend to be designed with treadmill running in mind, with the user pretending to be in an actual race while training at home or the gym.  For me, I watch the videos at home while jogging around the house...no treadmill necessary.  On this past October 8th, Staten Island, one of the five boroughs of New York City (and the starting point for the NYC Marathon), held a half marathon there.  One of the entrants has a history of filming these types of races in the New York area from the perspective of a runner, and this video, posted on the Runners Digest channel, shows how much he has progressed in developing his video-making skills.  Along with the usual screen of how a developing race looks to a runner in it, he also put at the top a sort of virtual "rear view mirror" showing how it appears looking back.  And there are ongoing stats presented in the corner of the screen.  Although on these sorts of race videos I prefer to just hear the actual sounds of the event, this one...like many others I've experienced...has pretty background music to accompany it instead: I can handle that, though.  My only "experience" of Staten Island is with the NYC Marathon videos I've seen of it: in these there's just a large "herding" area for the tens of thousands of runners and then they're suddenly on a steep, long bridge out of there, leading to Brooklyn where much of the event takes place.  In this race I just saw, though, you get to see a lot more of this interesting part of New York...click HERE to view it like I did...