Not a Rant

This post is meant to accompany the last one, only this one is a little more positive...

Last week, ending on Sunday (yesterday), I ran 62 miles, spending between 11 and 12 hours on the roads and trails. Yikes! No wonder I have no social life... (Actually, I've recently been making an effort to get one.)

These are some things I've learned about running while training for the 50-miler:

1. Pace yourself. I feel the most tired - and often have heart palpitations - when I go out too hard. This is especially true in races, where the concept of "banking a few minutes" (you know: "I'll run 30 seconds faster than my goal pace so I can slow down at the end") has been debunked over and over. Even in long practice runs, negative splits are the goal.

2. Walking is okay. In my long runs (2.5-5 hours) I walk up every hill and whenever I'm eating, trying to keep the transitions between walking and running smooth. Although I haven't scientifically measured it, my hypothesis is that I'm not going any slower than I would be if I were running the whole time. In fact, I may even be going faster. I'm going to start using walk-breaks in my regular runs, on days when it's very hot or I'm tired.

3. Know when to throw in the towel. Pushing through pain or exhaustion during a 5 mile run may not be smart, but it's also not terrible. Pushing through pain or exhaustion during a 5 hour run is just stupid. I mean, we're talking kidney failure, etc. I don't play around when it comes to my health, despite some evidence to the contrary (ex: my desire to run for 5 hours).

4. A culmination of the first three: be flexible. This is hard for me in all aspects of my life, but I'm working on being better about it. You and everyone around you will be happier if you're more willing to compromise. Right, Dave?

5. Lift weights. I do two 45-minute sessions a week, and it has made a world of difference. While running may seem like a leg sport, carrying 64-ounces of water on my back and 16-ounces in my hand over dozens of miles has really made me see the importance of a strong core and upper-body. The most common question non-runners ask me is, "Don't your knees hurt?" Nope. I tell them it's the good shoes, the soft surfaces, and many, many squats and lunges.

Rant

In the spirit of my beloved, I have a few thoughts about life I'd like to share. While these don't relate directly to running, they do wander into my thoughts on the trail. They also make me love the sport that much more.

Things I've learned from working at a "real job":

1. People are stupid. This is self-explanatory.
2. People are lazy and helpless. If they can't figure something out right away, they don't take the initiative to look further. They just find someone else to do it for them.
3. People generally have poor hygiene. Ewww.
4. The American workforce may be at the office for 40 hours a week, but they do about 4 real hours worth of work. The rest of the time is spent gossiping or fucking around on the Internet.
5. There are few jobs that require actual skill and brainpower; those that do generally require a lot of training and offer little in the way of pay and benefits.
6. People at the top are not necessarily the smartest or the most motivated. They are either well-connected or ass-kissers.
7. There are a few gems out there. Make friends with them and say "thank you" a lot.

There are probably lots more. Do you have any to add?

How Gen-Y

This morning I purchased a new pump for my road bike / commuter vehicle. I went to Ellwood Thompson's, our locally-owned organic grocer, for lunch. I am now surfing the web while wearing my black-rimmed glasses, eating a vegan feast out of a package made of soybeans or something, and listening to an ipod nano. I would be listening to the Shins or the Decemberists, but we haven't put them on the ipod (instead it's good ol' CSNY). But Dave and I did learn a Moldy Peaches song from Juno last night.
Who have I become?!?!?!
To complete the look, I ought to buy an ironic T-shirt at Urban Outfitters and drink a PBR while watching the Sundance Channel. Maybe I will do the later, only with green tea...

On another note, I went on the longest run in my entire ten-year career: it was 4 hours and 15 minutes. My heart was fine, my legs were fine (if tired), and I stayed well hydrated / salt-ified. While I haven't increased my speed on this training - if anything I've gotten slower - I have noticed an improvement in my recovery time. A few months ago I would have spent the rest of my Sunday finding excuses to loll about on the couch. Now I can just carry on as normal without being sore the next day. And aside from improving my muscular and cardiovascular endurance, I have also improved my ability to pace my running and my food / liquid / salt tablet intake. This should come in handy on September 6th.

*an addition

I was doing some reading about the condition that causes my palpitations: supraventricular tachycardia. I found this site from the American Heart Association. My favorite part is in the "what can I do" section at the end. In order to stop palpitations, it says this: "For instance, your physician may instruct you to perform the Valsalva maneuver to try to stop the SVT yourself if you do not have lightheadedness, shortness of breath, chest pain, or other severe symptoms. To do this maneuver, first lie down, take a deep breath and hold it, and then bear down as if you are having a bowel movement."
So what happens if I'm on a run? Should I lie down in the woods? What if I poop myself? I'm going to try it and report back...

Heart Palpitations are Wack

On Friday morning I met my running buddy for what was supposed to be a four hour run to kick off the Fourth of July weekend. Roughly a mile into it, as we were approaching the Belle Isle bridge, I experienced yet another heart palpitation. I stopped, put my hands on my knees, and waited for it to go away, which it commonly does. But like the palpitation I experienced last Sunday, this one didn't go away. Chris was very patient, as we walked, jogged, walked, jogged, walked... We eventually agreed that he would take off running, and we'd meet at the Nickel Bridge before I walked home. That four hour run turned into one hour of running and two hours of slow walking. Ugh.

My heart palpitations don't just feel like a rapid heart rate, although that's certainly part of it. Along with beats that are so fast they are almost indistinguishable, I have a feeling of pressure in my head and chest, like I've tried to swim too long underwater. When I walk uphill or try to jog, the pressure builds. If you've ever tried to exercise at altitude without being acclimated, you have a sense of what's it like.

The upside to long palpitations? There are two, I think.

1. They force you to both pay attention to your body and your surroundings. I certainly paid more attention to the plants and animals around me while I was walking the trail I normally run.
2. They make runs that are palpitation-free seem that much better. I have been feeling very unmotivated lately, but on Sunday I did a 3.5 hour run at my own pace and felt good the whole time. Now I remember why I like to run!

In Need of a Colon Cleansing

We are back from our trip to KC.

It was a blast - lots of dancing, eating, drinking, and bantering to last us a few weeks back here in ol' Richmond. The traveling part sucked, but let's focus on the positive...

I managed to get in a few runs while away (though I definitely didn't make up for all of the white bread and cheese I ate). KC has a number of beautiful paths and parks from which to choose, and I got to know the city much better by foot. One day I even made it out for two hours while the rest of the crew slept off the previous night's drinking. Plus, the weather was ideal.

The only problemo happened on the last day. About halfway through my 1.5 hour run, I got a heart palpitation. Getting one is pretty normal for me because of the supraventricular tachycardia I have, but what wasn't normal was its duration. Usually, I can stop running, put my head down by my knees, and it goes away in a few seconds. This one lasted the rest of the run. Because I was a few miles from home base, I had to run a hundred feet then walk when it got to be too uncomfortable. Dave made me sit down when I got back; he talked to me about inane stuff for a while, and it went away (what a gooood guy). I think it must've been the lack of sleep / junk food / change of schedule that did it to me. Small price to pay for lots of fun though.