Early reverse base run

I got up extra early this morning, seems like recently on nights I take rebif I wake up and have trouble going back to sleep. This also seems to coincide with having to go to the bathroom. Having to pee at night is apparently a common ms thing. Yes another joy associated with our friend ms. One thing I can do is not drink at night, well that sort of sucks. But if it means sleeping in, I guess.

So anyway, I woke up early and resisted the urge to just close my eyes and go back to sleep if I could, Well actually I tried for a bit and kept thinking about our cat Franklin who we had to have euthanized yesterday and on a positive note the bari saxophone I just bought yesterday that is coming via the post from Florida. So, my mind racing with sorrow and jazz licks I decided to look at the clock which usually spells doom for my sleeping. The sun was coming up and the clock only said 5:30 so what the heck, might as well get my run in and then an early start to the rest of my day.

For some reason I saw a lot of ducks out today. I must have run into ducks like four or five times. Quack. I don't know what that means but it must be some sort of sign.

I did my base run in reverse mostly because I wanted to hit the bathroom at Reed. This is a really good thing to do in order to allow the side of your body and therefor leg that always hits the lower part of a sloped path (or especially roads) a chance to revers and hit the higher part. The down side of this is that in order to do that you have to run with traffic instead of against it. I am not sure it is worth it. So my reverse runs never take advantage of this as I don't like to run with traffic (especially with headphones). So for me it is just about the bathroom, gads I sound old!

Nice wet run

I just found out I almost won my age division for Sean's Run, though for some reason they didn't have me in the final results. I was 1:45 off, close!

Today I went out for my first run since the race. I did a pretty long one, 7.5 mi. It was wet out so I decided not to wear my Asics Gel Kayanos as they are really crappy in the rain, no grip. Instead I went back to my Mizuno Wave Rider 10 even though when I first tried them on wet surfaces I was disappointed with their traction as well (though not nearly as bad as the Asics). Well to my surprise, they apparently just needed a little scuffing as they did pretty well as far as road grip goas. I was happy with them.

A student of mine sent me this link to a pair of running shoes he is getting the Vibram Fivefingers Shoe. They look really interesting, I would love to try a pair. Not so sure I would want to OWN a pair, but they would be fun to test.

Sean's Run from Autism

This morning I ran a 10K, while I didn't set a PR, I did beat my goal of 54 mins coming in at 53:54. And I beat Sean! We were neck and neck the whole race. For me the race became "Marco's Run from Sean!" He and his running partner would pass me and then I would pass them back. It was a lot of fun and I beat the pack I was running with about 10 runners. I seem to have this penitent for running off course and I missed the turn around with two tenths to go (there were other runners on the course who weren't racing and I followed them, doh!) But I got back in the race, slapped Sean five and headed for the finish line. I wanted to cross side by side, but for some reason he didn't want to, so I turned on the jets and won out, my own little race!

I started out to0 fast, at mile one I was running a eight minute mile. I progressively slowed, but not by much with a time of just under 26 minutes for the halfway point. So not a bad split as I only added two minutes to the last half of the race. I really pushed it for this race, I don't know why. I guess with having run my 10K PR here, I wanted to do better. Plus having the pack on my back the whole time kept me going. It was also really windy so I think they were using me to cut through the wind - smart move on there part. The last 1.2 miles seemed to go by so slowly, I think it is because you get back to the park, but you have to run past it and then double back for the final .2.

It was funny, they had a calypso band playing before the race. As we all headed to the starting line, the song they were playing slowed down, slower and slower until the beat barely plodded along. Not the best choice of song for the start of a race!

I decided to ride my bike to the race, it's about five miles to the starting line. I felt like I needed to go for a swim too, so I could complete my imaginary triathlon. I have to say, once I got home (its all uphill on the way home too) there would be no swimming for me. Great race, fun run and I feel like I gave it all I had.

More new shoes?

I have had a pair of Asics Gel Kayano running shoes sitting on the shelf in my garage for over a year. I got them at a really good price after the model was discontinued ($60 off). Right after I got them I went to an orthopedic specialist to talk to him about my feet and the discomfort and numbness I was experiencing. His thought was that my motion control shoes might be causing trouble because of the stiffness on the outer sole causing too much pressure on a nerve in my foot. He suggested custom inserts which I really wanted due to my shorter right leg and if they solved the issues I was having with my feet then great. So this meant I would need to go to a neutral shoe to see if the motion control shoes were the problem. Well, turned out it was our friend ms that was (and is still to a degree) causing issues with my feet.

One of the things the doc suggested was switching back and forth between my neutral shoes with the inserts and the motion control model. I haven't done it too much as the neutral shoes felt a lot better, but on occasion I would put the old mc model on. They were quite a bit lighter than the heavier Mizuno model (and plus the inserts, which aren't light) and I found myself running faster in them. I ran on an older pair as I felt I still had miles left on them. Recently I have noticed that they really felt like they were worn out despite having only 400 miles (I was thinking I could get 500 or more out of them.) So today I decided, what the heck lets pull out the new pair and give them a whorl. They felt great! I think I will run in them one more time before Saturday and wear them for the race. The Gel Kayano is a really good shoe, probably my favorite I have ever run with.

I found out yesterday that MS Lifelines will not (as expected) offer me any further assistance with the rebif. Though if I go off of it for three months, then I can restart for a free year. Weird? So I am going to use my current insurance to max out what they will pay for rebif (2 months) and then apply for Oregon Medical Insurance Pool in a month or so as they have no cap on rebif. Seems like the best option I have.

Back at it

With our visitor gone I feel like I can get back to running on a regular schedule again. I actually could have run just about every day she was here as she slept in so late, but it was nice to feel a little lazy for a few days. The weather has been really warm and dry, though that is once again changing. Still the canyon was dry enough to run in so that is how I ended my run today, this time I ran the south side which is a little shorter. I decided to do that side as I went up to the cafeteria to return a water glass that some lazy Reed student had left in the west end of the canyon. Gotta step in when mommy or the maid isn't around I guess. Ok, enough of the Reedie bashing.

This Saturday I am gonna run in a 10K for Autism called Sean's Run, www.seansrun.org. I set my PR for the 10k here two years ago of 49 minutes. Today I ran 10K in 58 minutes! So I am a tad bit off of my PR. I imagine I will do better as the route is flat and straight and others will be pushing me along. Still I doubt I will get close.

So I have less than a week to prepare, but that's ok. I know I can do it just fine, just not so sure of my pace, but we'll see. I bet I am happy with my time as long as it isn't too hot (the race starts at 10 and it is supposed to be in the 70s that day.) Hot or not, I am looking forward to it.

Sean's Race 10K next week

I just saw a posting in a story on ms about a run that is happening next week for Autism. I have run in this race before and set a pr for 10k, 49 minutes - www.seansrun.org. I am not expecting to get too close to that, I think 52 mins might be a good goal. I am really glad I found it, I missed it last year.

I probably won't be posting for the next several days as we have a relative in town, so no running for me. A rest is probably in order, it should actually help me for the race.

Another two run post

I ran yesterday and this morning. Both runs were similar in terms of route and miles, but yesterday's was much quicker and today's a little longer.

Yesterday I started out with an average pace but I soon found myself cruising right along. It felt really good so I decided to try to keep up this faster than normal pace for as long as I could. I actually did a pretty good job of it until I hit the hill out of the campus and a long line of smokers coming down. I was inspired to get past them as quickly as possible, but once past I was done with the faster pace. I was pretty warm during my cool down afterward, but the cool temps outside helped me to readjust to no longer running.

Today I was a bit tired as I stayed up later than usual last night, I almost decided to not run, but I pushed on and hit the streets. I was cool again which was nice, but I felt sluggish all run.. The nice thing was it has been dry these last couple of days and I figured I could avoid any mud in the canyon. They do such a good job of trail maintenance that there were very few spots and it is such a nice time of year down there. Last year I missed the entire early spring of running down there as I was still getting the seizures under control. It is good to be back in the canyon again!

I finally found results for the OR Pepsi Tournament. The OR men's team ended up losing the discus and therefor the meet, but the women's team dominated. In other local sports news the Blazers own their last game and the division title (well tied for it with the team they beat). On to the playoffs!

Cold run

Today i got up early and headed outside, only to return to put on tights as it was cold. I don't mind running in the cold even though I am ready for some warm weather for sure. Even now (in teh afternoon) my hands are cold out in my office, of course I could shut the door and put on the heat, but I don't want to admit that the warm weather isn't here. Even so (back to the run) my cold weather shirt didn't stay on for long and neither did the gloves, so something warm must be happening.

Today I ran pretty sluggish, I still feel somewhat tired. My time was pretty slow today, well back to where it was when I first started recently. But overall the run went pretty well. I wasn't struggling or anything and managed to keep a consistent pace an rhythm going. I might have been somewhat dehydrated too, I have been guzzling water all day.

I guess there isn't too much else to report at this point today which can be a good thing. No news is good news? Not if you a reader reading a boring blog...

Oh, now I remember what I was going to write about. I ended up watching a track meet down in Eugene on TV last night. It was pretty interesting, a lot of the female runners were not what you would expect from female runners (maybe I watch to many marathons) and many of them were pretty big. Not fat by any means but large and muscular especially the steeplechasers. The OR women kicked butt, but the men's was really close. Right at the very end (they were using a Euopean scoring system) the OR men and Kansas men were real close. It was down to the relay. If OR won and KU came in third it would be a tie and then the discuss would determine the winner. And that is what happened! So on to the discuss! That was when the announcer said, "well, sorry but we don't have time in the broadcast for the discus" and then they referred us to a website to get the results. The stupid site didn't even have the results! I was so mad, and I haven't been able to find them anywhere else. Grrr

Poor night's sleep

Last night I had a terrible night's sleep. It was another rebif night, but that wasn't the problem. A critter that has moved in under our house was the culprit. From the amount of noise I'd sat he is half beaver and half wood chipper. We have had this problem in the past and they usually move on after a few days, that can't come quick enough for me. It would start up and I would bang on the wall . Everything would be quiet long enough for me to go back to sleep, then it would start up again. Ugh.

I was planning on going for a run this morn, so I stuck to my promise to myself despite feeling pretty sluggish and out the door I went. It would have been really easy to blow this one off, but I want to keep it up. Right away I noticed an ache in my right shin muscle. Each step was painful, but about half way through it subsided a bit when I started running on dirt. The softness of dirt really makes a big difference on how you legs feel, the downside is the inconsistency of the surface which can actually make your legs work harder by having to continually compensate. Still today it was a relief! I walked up the stairs and hill out of the canyon and thought I might just continue to walk. But traffic forced me to run across the street and I thought Oh what the heck let's keep going and on I went.

When I got back I thought I might as well do all my bird duties since I was already filthy. By the time I emptied out their pool and cleaned their huts I was really pooped! Now I am gonna take a break and work on the computer with some caffeine to keep me company. Now all I need is big slice of chocolate cake!

Two more runs

I guess it is a good thing to be running more than blogging, it shows I am both running more and busy with work. I want to get back to blogging about every run, cause I know everyone is totally excited to hear about my same ole runs day after day!

Actually, they all seem to be somewhat different. Today despite it only being two runs in a row I was pretty tired. Still finished the entire run, but I took a little walking break going up the hill out of Reed though I did run most of it. Lately I have noticed a bit of insomnia on the nights I take rebif. I think what happens is I wake up having to go to the bathroom (thanks ms) and then I have trouble falling back to sleep. The other night I took an actifed (makes me sleepy) after I woke up and fell right back to sleep. So perhaps that is the solution.

Today the roads were all wet but I didn't get rained on at all, must have happened right before I headed out. Everyone here is bummed that the rains have returned after our 4 days of warm weather. I on the other hand am actually really glad. Not only do I love the rain in general and the cool temps for running, but at this particular time of year I need it to wash away the plum blossoms that I am so allergic to. The running helps a lot with allergies, I always feel a lot better and clearer if I run over days I don't.

My times are getting faster and faster. In the last couple of weeks I have trimmed off like 2-20 seconds per mile on average. Even today when I felt like I was plodding, I still kept my faster speeds up. I think some of it has to do with trying to relax my feet to avoid the foot pain I experience which I believe happens because I clench my feet when I run sometimes. So not only are my feet feeling better, but I am running more relaxed and faster. Good all the way around.

Two for one

I have now missed blogging after two runs so I will do my best to get caught up here. Both of these runs were somewhat similar as we finally got some nice weather this spring. I ran my Saturday run in the afternoon and it was actually HOT! Seems like forever (well since the Seattle half) that I have actually felt too warm on a run. The sun was almost directly overhead and I got no shade (plus the trees haven't leafed out yet. Other than the heat and realizing I need to start bringing water with me again, the run was awesome. It felt really great to have the sweat just pour out of me again, loved it. I ended up doing a longer run than usual at 6.5 miles. After my run I guzzled a huge glass (actually I drank it somewhat sow) of electrolyte replacement drink, well ER soda anyway (powerade).

Yesterday was a banner day for my running. It was warm, but only getting there as I went out somewhat early. I brought my Ipod for the run. I am always amazed at the affect music has on my running over just listening to the radio (which I have been doing a lot of lately). I choose a type of music called donk, which is an extremely fast-paced blend of reggae, rav and rap that is popular in England. The beat is pretty consistent throughout and almost perfectly set to a fast running pace. If I slowed down and got off beat, I would quickly find myself back on the beat and my body would naturally try to keep up. I listened to it for about four miles before I decided I needed to go slower and listen to something mellower. The pace felt great and even though I slowed down for the last half, I broke a nine minute mile pace for the first time since I recalibrated my watch. I ended up doing a nearly 8 mile run too, so fast and long. It felt awesome and I feel like I am getting back to a point where I can start improving on my running again beyond the "getting back into it" improvement. For the first time in a long while I have been thinking about going to the track and doing speed work, we'll see but I should be doing it soon!