We just got through a week of bitter cold in New Jersey. Highs reaching 20 degrees, and lows in the 11 -13 degree range. I have a Half-Marathon coming up in early May, and can't miss a week of training. I have access to treadmills every day, but mentally can not deal with that, two days in a row.
I'm also a person who wears some type of jacket year-round, and break out the winter jacket and gloves in mid-October.
But running is also about battling the elements, so the more I heard people complain about the Arctic-like weather last Tuesday, the more I wanted to go out and test it.
After about 15-minutes of preparation, I had on my three sweatshirts, shorts, long pants, hat, and two pairs of gloves on. The wind was not bad, and the cold air was bracing, but refreshing after spending the whole day indoors.
I was surprised as the splits on my regular, just-about six- mile hill run were similar to a typical "moderate" pace day. My fingers and ears started to feel the effects about halfway through, but never totally freezed up. The breathing felt like you were in a Denver-type altitude, but did not hinder my pace. By the time I hit my final, 1.2 mile straightaway, I was able to put on a sprint against the moderate headwind, and finish in a respectable time of just over 8:00 per mile.
My body went through "defrost mode" as I got back inside, and I stretched 10 minutes before showering. I turned the water on as hot as it could go, of course, and it felt great!
The next day was even colder, and I got in a good treadmill workout instead, and got back out into similar elements on Thursday, with an equivalent finishing time. Back on the treadmill Friday, and by the weekend we were back to typical high 20-degree January weather.
I was happy I got outside four times through the week, and pleasantly surprised my times were pretty good despite about 10 pounds of clothing. I have to figure out whether my treadmill workouts are making me faster, overall, so my times on the freezing days were not that bad, or whether the novelty of being out in the
extreme cold (and desire to get back inside before hypothermia set in) just made me run harder!
Monday, January 28, 2013
Thursday, January 24, 2013
The Achilles Is a Pain!
It started for me with an innocuous fall during a training run in the late winter of 2011. I twisted my right ankle in a pothole, got up, dusted the gravel and blood off my right knee, and continued my run.
Even with the fall and ensuing short recovery walk, I finished that hilly 5.85-mile run under my target time of 50 minutes.
The ankle felt worse the next day, a typical sprain. I think I switched to the bike and elliptical for less than a week (I was training for my annual Spring half-marathon), and then resumed normal training. The Achilles really didn't bother me too much during this time, but the pain was always present.
Over the past year-and-a-half, as I've stepped up my training for other races, the Achilles pain has never gone away. Some days, I can daydream during my normal run, and not really worry about it. Other days, the only thing I can think about is how much it hurts. I'm always amazed, on those runs, that I can actually finish it in a time comparable to when I'm feeling healthy. The only thing that I can conclude is that I'm pushing that much harder, and concentrating that much more, to get the same result.
A couple of months ago, I developed a new pain on the inside of my right knee, which on most days, was even more intense than the Achilles pain. Ice, heat, running, cross-training: repeat. Somehow, the knee pain has mostly disappeared, and the ankle pain is manageable, for the most part.
Doing some reading on the subject, I realize why it takes so long to heal from an Achilles injury. The Achilles is the body's longest and strongest tendon, but also has a very big workload. Because it connects the calf muscles to the heeel bone, the Achilles is involved in walking, jumping, running, and going up and down steps (things I do all day as a Personal Trainer). According to a column by Dr. Donohue in the Newark Star-Ledger, at times the Achilles absorbs the force of 12 times your body weight!
The slight sprain I incurred loosened the tendons in my ankle, and the Achilles pain is the result of not resting it afterward (a practical impossibility, on my part). I've just got to live with it, I guess!
Even with the fall and ensuing short recovery walk, I finished that hilly 5.85-mile run under my target time of 50 minutes.
The ankle felt worse the next day, a typical sprain. I think I switched to the bike and elliptical for less than a week (I was training for my annual Spring half-marathon), and then resumed normal training. The Achilles really didn't bother me too much during this time, but the pain was always present.
Over the past year-and-a-half, as I've stepped up my training for other races, the Achilles pain has never gone away. Some days, I can daydream during my normal run, and not really worry about it. Other days, the only thing I can think about is how much it hurts. I'm always amazed, on those runs, that I can actually finish it in a time comparable to when I'm feeling healthy. The only thing that I can conclude is that I'm pushing that much harder, and concentrating that much more, to get the same result.
A couple of months ago, I developed a new pain on the inside of my right knee, which on most days, was even more intense than the Achilles pain. Ice, heat, running, cross-training: repeat. Somehow, the knee pain has mostly disappeared, and the ankle pain is manageable, for the most part.
Doing some reading on the subject, I realize why it takes so long to heal from an Achilles injury. The Achilles is the body's longest and strongest tendon, but also has a very big workload. Because it connects the calf muscles to the heeel bone, the Achilles is involved in walking, jumping, running, and going up and down steps (things I do all day as a Personal Trainer). According to a column by Dr. Donohue in the Newark Star-Ledger, at times the Achilles absorbs the force of 12 times your body weight!
The slight sprain I incurred loosened the tendons in my ankle, and the Achilles pain is the result of not resting it afterward (a practical impossibility, on my part). I've just got to live with it, I guess!
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
New Year's Resolutions
After the six week Thanksgiving to New Year's stretch known as the "Holidays," many are ready for the self-deprivation and discipline of New Year's resolutions.
It's all around you - the commercials for weight loss programs and gyms - and it's near the top of everyone's conversation after a month-plus of excessive eating and drinking.
For fitness adherents, there is little deviation in their exercise schedules. I always say "your body doesn't know what day it is," and its just as important to exercise during the Holidays (probably more), as after. You want to avoid the "yo-yo" syndrome of gained weight, followed by lost weight, inevitably followed again by more gained weight. In fact, every time an adult puts those five-plus pounds back on, it's usually a higher percentage of fat than the weight lost.
Not that this calendar-induced regimen is totally bad. People need to start sometime, and having the support of other new or returning exercisers around you at the gym can give you that extra inspiration. Also, many regular exercisers almost plan their "down time" around the Holidays, and are mentally fresh and ready to go in January.
January is a dark, cold time with not much else to distract you, socially. That makes it easier to wake up early on a weekend morning and get to the gym!
Just set realistic goals. I always tell people: "Shoot for three days of exercise a week." Then every day over that (and you can go seven, if you mix it up enough) is like money in the bank. Aim to lose five pounds, even if the doctor told you that you need to shed 50.! You can't lose 50 without getting those first five!
Work on portion control. One doctor I know tells his patients: "Start off by eating the same things you are now - just cut them portions in half." Weight-loss comes down to math of calories in vs. calories out, so I have heard worse advise than that!
Of course, those with Diabetes or High Blood Pressure issues may need to make different food choices as well. Consult with a Physician or Nutritionist, and make one change at a time. When that becomes easy, make another..
Diaries, both exercise and diet, can be good motivators for you. No one wants to write "12 chocolate chip cookies" in their diary!
Charting exercise can help you reach goals (20 miles a week, or three hours of cardio), and also be a good tool to prevent or explain injury. Just don't run when sick or injured just to make some imaginary goal in yourm diary!
Okay, enough talk fromme! It's January - go out there and reach your (realistic) goals!
It's all around you - the commercials for weight loss programs and gyms - and it's near the top of everyone's conversation after a month-plus of excessive eating and drinking.
For fitness adherents, there is little deviation in their exercise schedules. I always say "your body doesn't know what day it is," and its just as important to exercise during the Holidays (probably more), as after. You want to avoid the "yo-yo" syndrome of gained weight, followed by lost weight, inevitably followed again by more gained weight. In fact, every time an adult puts those five-plus pounds back on, it's usually a higher percentage of fat than the weight lost.
Not that this calendar-induced regimen is totally bad. People need to start sometime, and having the support of other new or returning exercisers around you at the gym can give you that extra inspiration. Also, many regular exercisers almost plan their "down time" around the Holidays, and are mentally fresh and ready to go in January.
January is a dark, cold time with not much else to distract you, socially. That makes it easier to wake up early on a weekend morning and get to the gym!
Just set realistic goals. I always tell people: "Shoot for three days of exercise a week." Then every day over that (and you can go seven, if you mix it up enough) is like money in the bank. Aim to lose five pounds, even if the doctor told you that you need to shed 50.! You can't lose 50 without getting those first five!
Work on portion control. One doctor I know tells his patients: "Start off by eating the same things you are now - just cut them portions in half." Weight-loss comes down to math of calories in vs. calories out, so I have heard worse advise than that!
Of course, those with Diabetes or High Blood Pressure issues may need to make different food choices as well. Consult with a Physician or Nutritionist, and make one change at a time. When that becomes easy, make another..
Diaries, both exercise and diet, can be good motivators for you. No one wants to write "12 chocolate chip cookies" in their diary!
Charting exercise can help you reach goals (20 miles a week, or three hours of cardio), and also be a good tool to prevent or explain injury. Just don't run when sick or injured just to make some imaginary goal in yourm diary!
Okay, enough talk fromme! It's January - go out there and reach your (realistic) goals!
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