The MS Runner

Running While Battling Foot Blisters, Leg Cramps, Black Toe Nails - and MS

Archive for January, 2008


One Week In

Published January 27th, 2008 in training, X Games, Denver, Running | 5 Comments »

Week one of my marathon training is in the bag, and I even got in a race today (Sunday).  I wasn’t planning on doing the run, but the race was just a 5K and it’s always nice to get the competitive juices going.  Plus the weather here (Denver, CO) is fantastic!  At race time it was 45 degrees, and right now it’s 65.  This is January in Colorado?  At least in the mountains it’s winter which is a good thing because they have the X Games going on in Aspen.  Anyway, back to ME.  I did 33 miles this week and even 2 yoga sessions.  Yes yoga!  Diane and I went to this one studio and tried out the class for free and decided that we liked it so we signed up for 6 classes.  It really feels good and I even worked up a sweat.  Oh by the way, the race I did today was a 5K, or 3.1 miles, but my Garmin actually measured it at 3.21.  Not sure what was up with that, but I’m going with 3.21 and I finished with a time of 24:27 which is 7:38 pace!  Being that I haven’t done any speed work for a month in a half and that I ran 14 miles the day before, I thought that was pretty darn good.

So it’s on to week two and I up my miles to 36 with Saturday being my long run at 16.  Hopefully the weather cooperates like it did this week.

The Fun Has Begun

Published January 23rd, 2008 in schedule, shoes, Runners Roost, treadmills, Running | 2 Comments »

I ran 12 miles last Saturday and although it was nice and sunny, it was 7 degrees when I started out!  But by the time I finished, it was around 20 degrees and I was sweating.  Plus it had snowed the night before so the path was a bit difficult.  I started out wanting to go 14, but with the snow on the ground, it required more effort to get thru it, so I figured at that point 12 was just as good as 14.  If that makes any sence.

After my run, I stopped in to Runners Roost to buy some more socks.  Mine are getting a little thin and in the cold weather, it does make a difference.  But instead of getting socks, I ended up getting shoes!  They had a great sale on end of model year shoes, so I got me a pair of Brooks Adrenaline GTS-7’s for only $55!  I think I may go back again this weekend and see what else I can get.

My schedule this week isn’t too bad.  My hope is that the weather cooperates.  Monday I had to do 4 miles, and it was 4 degrees out, so I decided to do it on the treadmill.  I don’t mind the treadmill on a run of 3 or 4 miles, but no more than that.  It gets sooooo boring.  On Tuesday I did a 7 mile loop by my apartment which went real well.  I felt very good and actually wanted to go more!  But I need to stick with my schedule and do what it tells me to do.

Thursday is my run with The Snug Runners and even though we only do a 3 mile run, I will be doing 6.  I get there early, run 3 miles, come back to the bar, have a Guinness, then go running with group for another 3 miles!  I’m thinking that maybe I should fill my water bottle with Guinness too.

This weekend I will be doing 14……unless the weather sucks.  I also signed up at a new gym (they haven’t even opened yet, but they are only a mile from my apartment) so I’ll be back doing more weight training and core building exercises.  Diane and I also went to yoga class last Sunday, so I’m going to be doing yoga now every Sunday.  Only 16 weeks to go!

If I were the Football Commissioner

Published January 21st, 2008 in Nancy Lieberman, football | No Comments »

I would make it so that a quarterback cannot spike the ball to stop the clock.  Why is that not intentional grounding?  The rule is if you are in the area between the tackles, you must throw it in the near vicinity of a receiver.  Enforce the damn rule!

football-pic.jpgIf a player is catching the ball in the end zone, he must have 2 feet inbounds or it is not a touchdown.  But, if you are running it in, you don’t have to have any feet in the end zone.  All you need to do is make sure that any part of the ball “crosses the plane”.  So a player that is 6 foot tall can fall forward from the 2 yard line and before he hits the ground can strech his arm out over the plane.  Ridiculous.

                                                             

Change the overtime rules.  It should not be sudden death.  In most cases, the team that wins the coin toss and gets the ball first usually wins.  Except the old man last night threw a freaking interception!  They should make it like the college game.  Give them the ball on the 20 yard line and try and score.  Then the other team gets the ball and they try and score.  If you have ever seen a college or even a high school overtime game, it is exciting.

nancy-lieberman.jpgMake the coach wear a football uniform.  Hey they do it in baseball, why not football?  I wouldn’t want basketball coaches wearing uniforms though.  There’s not too many coaches that I want to see in a tank top and shorts.  Except for maybe Nancy Lieberman.

  

The Real Training Starts Now

Published January 18th, 2008 in Colfax Marathon, marathon, Uncategorized | 7 Comments »

Well now it’s time to get serious again.  I’m going to be running The Colfax Marathon which is about 16 short weeks away.  Although I have been running every week, I haven’t put in too many quality runs, and my diet and exercise regime has been pretty sad.  So time to eat right, get more exercise, start my running program.

It looks like my hip problems are more about not stretching enough than anything else, so I will concentrate on stretching more and maybe even join a yoga class.

I also need to concentrate on exercising to build strength in my abs and my back.  From all that I’ve read, building that core will help a runner significantly.

My diet is not all that bad, but I guess it could be better.  I tend to eat way too much crap on the weekend, and then try and make up for it during the week.  I think that once football season is over with, I’ll be better.

I went running the other night and the wind was so bad that at one point a gust of wind hit me and almost knocked me over.  And it actually blew out one of the lenses from my brand new glasses!  The wind must have blown it far away, because I could not even find it.  Luckily, the eyeglass place replaced it for free.

I know that I will get in a few races before my marathon.  Here’s a couple that I’m looking at;

Runnin’ of the Green Lucky 7K – March 16 – Downtown

Denver

Greenland Trail Run – 25K – April 19 -

Greenland, CO at an altitude of 7,000 feet!

 

Hurtin’ For Certain

Published January 11th, 2008 in pain | 7 Comments »

Now that I’m starting to gear up for my training for my next marathon, I’m hurting.  The last 2 weeks or so, my hips seem like they want to take over as the central pain center in my body.  I can just hear them now, “hey, you’ve had knee, hamstring, calf, and IT band problems.  Now it’s our turn to cause you discomfort.  That’s right, we’re hip.”  I know, bad pun, but it’s all I could come up with.  I think that maybe it’s just tightness in that whole hip area region, but my fear is that it is either arthritis, or something related to my MS.  I took it a bit easy this week running, and on Monday I’m going to a muscle and joint alignment specialist.  And no, it’s not a chiropractor.  At least that’s what she said. 

 

I think that if it is just tightness, I should be getting off my ass and start doing yoga.  I hardly stretch at all to begin with, which I know is not good.  I used to do yoga and I really enjoyed it except I looked like an elephant trying to squeeze into a Volkswagen.  All these other people in the class seemed so small and limber, and I’m struggling with even trying to just touch my toes.  Maybe it’s different now since it’s a lot more popular, and there are other Dumbo’s in the class. 

 

I would think that if it was arthritis or MS, it wouldn’t affect both hips at the same time.  It would be more like a pain in one side, but not the other.  At least that’s what I’m guessing and I do watch the show Dr. House, so I am a bit of an expert.  

The “N” word (not what you think)

Published January 6th, 2008 in Uncategorized | 3 Comments »

I’m for sure not plugging Nike here, I just thought this was a cool video. I wouldn’t mind plugging Nike as long as they paid me. They have many cool products and I like their clothes that they have for running, although I don’t own anything with a Nike swish logo on it. (I’m not going to say Nike anymore, just “they” or “them”). They seem too powerful and too elitist for me. I hope elitist is a word and that I’m using it correctly. When Tiger Woods can make more money from them than he can from playing golf, that is a little whacked. They give him all his clothes, golf clubs, and golf balls. I buy (or I should say, if I buy) a shirt from them with their name and logo on it, and half the money goes to these celebrities that endorse their product. They should give me some type of rebate for advertising their product. People see me on the street running with my you know who running shorts, and they think, “hey, that guy is fast and he must be cool”! And then you have Michael Vick using his money from them to buy more doggie toys. Maybe I’m just jealous.