Category Archives: Running

keeping the habit

October 21, 2013 8:10 PM , Leave a Comment ,

One thing I was determined to do on this last vacation is to keep my exercise and diet routines going.  For the most part I was successful.

Central Park was a great aid to me in this respect while I was in the city.  The park made a tempting target to visit every day and I have to believe that the locals could run a different path in the park every day and never get bored with repetition.

Another thing I noticed is that the nature of the city encourages walking.  You may have access to subways, cabs, buses, and whatnot, but you still have to do a fair bit of walking in the city.

Back to my vacation, I was able to do a lot of hiking during the Mohonk and Sagamore portions of my vacation.  I was in fact able to top 26 miles in one days accumulated walking and running.  Quite the feat for someone who not more than 3 years ago was averaging less than a mile a day.

One thing that I wasn’t so good at was maintaining the diet.  Willpower is something I need to work on and now that I’m back in my regular life it’s time to step back into the harness and get back to my routine.

But overall I am very pleased at my health habits during this vacation.  I could have just sat around all day long but even with a nasty running accident on the second day I kept at it and didn’t slack off one bit.

For my next vacation, wherever that may be, I intend to be more disciplined and integrate even more outdoor activities.

Posted in: exercise, running, vacations

Vacation 2013 part 1: A country mouse goes to Gotham

October 15, 2013 5:44 PM , 3 Comments ,

I was quite prepared to hate New York City.  As with many folks from the west, I had a somewhat prejudiced and suspicious view about anything related to the east coast.

My mind entertained thoughts of gangs running wild, rude pushy people, and sky-high prices for everything.

The trip started badly.  The flight was delayed by three hours, the pilot almost dropped us into Philadelphia due to bad weather but we finally arrived at midnight.

I next spent an hour trying to get a taxi.  I finally reached my hotel, the Hudson, around 1:30 in the morning.

The expectation I had been an empty lobby with a sleepy clerk barely awake.  This was totally wrong.  Cabs were going in and out, people were still going out and there was a waiting line at the front desk.  I got my room key and went up and found the tiniest of hotel rooms.  Who cares?  I was exhausted and went right to sleep.

I woke up five hours later.  Central park beckoned.  I asked for directions and ran out there.  A sort of mecca for runners.  I passed by the homeless people on Columbus square and started out.  Not too different from home.  Then came the hills and vales.  One in particular went up and up and up.  Then there is the lack of reference points for new people.  The run seemed to go on forever.  But finally I saw Columbus square again.

Saturday was mainly Comic con.  I will cover that another day but I did get to reconnect with Felicia Day.  She is still wonderfully low-key even after all her success and fame.

Sunday started out bad.  I slipped and banged my knee hard in central park.  My mobility was cut but I was determined to get some things done.  I checked on my car rental, and then on a whim I went into a subway entrance.  I had originally planned to visit Coney Island but with my knee damaged that appeared to be out of the question.  I just wanted to check out the subway.  As it happened I had wandered into the right subway by pure chance.  So I went to Coney Island by accident.  Ate a hot dog at Nathan’s, watched people walk the boardwalk and do other beach related activities.

On the way back I stopped at Zuccoti park and the 911 memorial.  Went back to my hotel and rested.

After dinner I wandered the streets and again by accident wound up in times square.

One thing I noted was how polite New yorkers actually are.  Maybe they understand that living in a big city that you will bump into strangers and apologizing is just a good policy.  The other thing is that they were quite willing to help out a stranger.

Monday was packing and getting ready to leave the city.  One last trip to the American museum of natural history.

I drove north to Sleepy Hollow.  Somewhat disappointed.  It’s more a suburb of new york now.

I crossed the Tappan zee bridge and left new york city behind.

Posted in: running, vacations , Tagged: , , ,

Into the dark

July 7, 2013 7:02 PM , Leave a Comment ,

[Author’s note]  This is from around March 2013.  I didn’t publish because to my mind it wasn’t ready but I’m having a lazy night ideas wise so here it is anyways.

 

 

March 9.

About 4 AM or so.  I always have a 6 mile route on Saturday mornings.  I should stretch but instead I start off with a fast walk.  Out of the neighborhood and onto Hayes road.  Opposite some low rent apartments I start running. Crossing Briar Forest, the last of the friday night partiers roaring past in a car headed for home.

Past the west Houston tennis club, askew elementary and through an alley behind the dog kennel.  They start barking as they somehow sense me pass.  Out onto Wilcrest Drive.  I am now all warmed up and I take a short walking pause.

I walk along the fence line of the Lakeside Country club.  Maybe one day I will have the seventeen grand initiation fee to join up.  Yea right!  I will just peek through the fence for now.

Hershey park.  Pitch black but I know exactly where the trail leads.  I start my run and go into the dark.  A hooting owl.  Sounds as if it’s coming off a haunted house sound effects CD.  Perfect.  Buffalo Bayou gurgling gently to my left.

I enter the first of three big fields.  When I started walking this park in the Summer time I called these fields the three sisters.  Bertha, Gertrude, and Hilda.  In the middle of August in the mid afternoon these fields were death itself with the sun pounding on you. I was always so glad to get past these.  Now in the dark they are nothing.  Up and down hills.  That’s why I love this park.  Not just a plain old flat surface.

Past the three sisters and into the woods.  I encounter the ghost jogger.  An optical illusion.  A patch of light coming through the woods.  But it looks like a jogger just ahead of me.  Freaked me out the first couple of times.

The last hill.  Up and up I go and more and more till I’m finally on top.  A water treatment plant hidden in the park.  The terrible smell of chlorine in the air.  Past the last of the woods and I’m on Beltway 8.  Keep going under the beltway where I have driven past at 80 miles an hour so many times.

Keep jogging past an off ramp.  The tollway booth attendant sleeping in her booth.  Jog into a neighborhood.  Run past all the sleeping houses.  Night blooming jasmine in the air.  An occasional cat sitting primly and watching me pass.  An old man walking down the middle of the road with a cane.  The only other person fool enough to be out at this hour.

A taxi cab dropping off some drunk.  I guess I was wrong, this is the last of the Friday night partiers.

Onto Briar Forest again, past a Food town I turn south onto Wilcrest and run down to Westheimer.  The first bus load of Saturday morning people lining up to get on the bus to go to work.  My feet aching I slow to a walk and head West to Hayes street.

I re-enter my neighborhood and decide finish up running the last third of a mile home.  Stumble in the door and the clock on the DVR says 5:21.  Get out of my running shoes and try not to touch anything as I am sticky wet with sweat.  Time for a shower and a new day.

 

Posted in: running

Where it starts

May 30, 2013 1:46 AM , 2 Comments ,

One evening or some morning when you get motivated or just fed up.

Going out 15 minutes in one direction and then back.  You’re sore, sweaty, and disappointed.  Maybe you quit, maybe you come back.

Over and over again until you determine that it’s not working or it’s not enough.  Then quite by chance a park.  The street clothes make you stick out like a sore thumb so you get “running” gear.  Go as far as you can, as far as you dare.  Two weeks in and you’re sore as hell in joints you didn’t think could get sore.

You work through the aches and pains.  Still not enough, nothing’s happening.  Short sprints here and there.  Even more sore.  Leg cramps at night suddenly waking you up because your body’s not used to it.  Two miles before dawn, three in the afternoon and three more at night.  If it’s worth it then make time for it.

92, 95, 101.  No one else dares to come out in this sun but keep going.  Use the sun, use it to burn away the old shell.

Hip pain.  Did I just screw up my hip or is it just sore?  Months spent just walking.  Any time I try to run, crippling pain.  Nine months of waiting comes to an end one evening.  You can run again.  Short distances but at least it’s something.

3 miles, 5 miles, 11 miles walking.  Feet aching, exhausting.  How many more thousands of miles more to go?

Sprint farther each time.  Try to make it from one tree to another and the next day a little farther.  Lungs burning as you go as far as you can.  Drenched in sweat.

Keep your head down as the others run past.  You’re not ready yet, not at their level yet.  Some day.  Keep going.

Hills, your legs can barely move up.  You can see the inflection points where the angle of the hill changes but keep going almost to the top and stand up straight as you go down the other side.

6 months, another pair of shoes, how did you wear out the old ones so quickly?

Quarter mile markers.  Keep pumping keep breathing, pass it, keep going as far as you can.  A pitiful little victory but something at least.  Repeat over and over again, don’t worry about half miles yet.

Cold weather.  Barely 40 degrees and what the hell are you doing out here at 5 AM in under armour while everyone else is in bed?  Get home soaked in sweat.

One morning, what the hell?  No one’s watching, keep going, keep going, you know this segment so well now.  Pace yourself, breathe, don’t stop.  Just one more hill and the rest is cake.  Remember when just this bit was enough.  Blow past some arbitrary point.  Jump up and down and celebrate.  People watching you like you’re nuts.  It’s just one mile after all.

Keep doing it, keep building on it.  Faster, farther.

One day you realize those short little sprints, those short distances don’t mean anything anymore.  What used to be big deals are just blurs now.  No fanfare, no big cathartic moment, no graduation ceremony.  Just more miles.

Another soul passing by walking, starting out as I once did.  I want to reach out and say something.  “Keep it up, it’s worth it!  It get’s easier!”  But no.  I didn’t want that at the beginning.  A simple head nod.  A sign of recognition and respect

Posted in: running