..there will be shoes (most of the time).
I just finished reading Born to Run. Wow. What a great book. It easily goes into my top ten list of potentially life changing books. This means that I've finished the reading list I set out to munch through in order to power up on the knowledge side of running.
I'll give my five cents about the value of this reading.
1. Lentävä lähtö, kuntojuoksijan käsikirja, by Jari Hemmilä.
If you know Finnish and can't imagine spending a lot of time studying the subject - read this book. It will teach you everything you need to know about running and closely related issues. A worthwile read.
2. Tavoitteena maraton, by Harri Hänninen, Raiko Häyrinen and Matias Möttölä.
This one focuses on Marathon training. If that's your goal (and you know Finnish) - read this one.
3. Marathon Runner's Handbook, by Bruce Fordyce with Marielle Rennsen.
After the first two books, this one didn't bring any new information. Basic stuff about running, injuries, marathon training, equipment, tapering and nutrition.
4. Be Your Best at Marathon Running, by Tim Rogers.
I didn't like this one. The style it was written in put me off. Skimmed through it though. The author seems to be or have been a race director at the London marathon. Some useful information about time management and running for charity - if that's the kind of information you want.
5. Born to Run, by Christopher McDougall.
Damn. By far the best book on the list. If you haven't read it. Do yourself a favor and read it. It might open up a wholly new perspective on running for you. Actually this book could change your life - if you are in a transition period and let yourself be carried away. The very least you'll get out of it is a very entertaining reading time.
In addition to theese books I've been skimming the web. There is literally tons of information out there - a lot of it is clutter and garbage but there is some really great stuff as well.
Reading Born to Run naturally sparked an interest in minimalist running. I'm not going to go 100 % barefoot, it would probably kill me and this project. But I couldn't resist to kick of my shoes after my last two runs. I jogged barefoot at the nearby golf course as a cool down. Niiiice. Refreshing. And I have been very conscious of my stride. Lucky me, my stride is mostly midfoot anyway. But why, oh why did I let myself get duped into buying pronation supported shoes. It buggs me. I'm probably going to run those shoes anyway.
It's not about the shoes, it's about the stride. Too much support and paddings all the time can't be good. It does make a lot of sense to me. Think about it. Last time I bought a pair of running shoes was in 1998. No pronation support - local shoe sellers didn't know about pronation back then. I ran with those shoes for ten years, on and off that is, but anyway. I believe those shoes could well have gotten more than 1000 km on their soles, as I was actively running in 1998-2000, 2003-2004, 2005 and 2007. I did other sports with those shoes as well. I do believe it's less about the shoes and more about the stride.
So, I'll try to get cheap shoes with a low or moderate heel drop. I will do some recreational barefooting just to get those feet strong and nice. Meanwhile I'll run my new adidas running shoes with pronation support. I believe there will be enough milage for new shoes as well. One more thing. I do want proper trail running shoes as well.
Friday, April 29, 2011
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Training Calendar
Here we go. More than 500 hours on my feet running. Just do it.
4360 km, roughly the distance between Los Angeles and New York. Should get me from couch potato status. Will need four more pairs of running shoes.
I've intentionally left slow/fast intervall/fartlek and hill sessions unmarked. All distances are in km. Many sessions will later get re-scheduled and some will be substituted with cross training. Don't expect me to follow the schedule religiously - do expect me to follow it dynamically.
This is my training calendar.
(Update May 2011: In small black font the planned training sessions, in larger red font the executed ones.)
What do you think? Will I break my legs with this? Will I give up trying? Will I get super fit and fly through the Alps?
4360 km, roughly the distance between Los Angeles and New York. Should get me from couch potato status. Will need four more pairs of running shoes.
I've intentionally left slow/fast intervall/fartlek and hill sessions unmarked. All distances are in km. Many sessions will later get re-scheduled and some will be substituted with cross training. Don't expect me to follow the schedule religiously - do expect me to follow it dynamically.
This is my training calendar.
(Update May 2011: In small black font the planned training sessions, in larger red font the executed ones.)
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Stairway to Heaven
Mens sana in corpore sano
I took on this challenge to increase my fitness. Why? I mean, it's a lot of hard work.
The increased paycheck makes us happy - until we find out that the cousin earns more. The new ineterior decoration at home makes us happy - until we see our neighbor's super nice spa-area. The happiness from material things don't last for very long. Blame evolution for that. The brain functions which control aspiration operate partly independent of those that control satisfaction. Part of the brain feels pleasure, the other part wants more. Paradoxal. We are hardwired to push on and tackle new challenges. Pushing for a frontier rings true deep down the soul. Evolutionwise it enhances our fitness for survival. Happiness is the imaginary goal that gives our strivings direction and purpose.
Taking on new challenges that develop yourself is climbing that Stairway to Heaven.
Running of course has the added benefits of dopamine, endorphine and anandamide - not to mention prolonged life (statistically 7-12 years). Legal cool healthy drugs and more life. B-e-a-u-t-i-f-u-l. I think it justifies the hours spent in labor.
So here is my stairway!
June 14th 2011
Six day trek in Lapland - 70 km hike.
July 2nd 2011
Paavo Nurmi Marathon - Half mara.
September 3rd 2011
Helsinki Midnight Run - 10k.
February 2012
Marathon del Meridiano - Trail marathon.
Spring/early summer 2012?
Suggestions? 2-4 day 80-150k running event in hilly/alpine terrain wanted. Considering the Pony Express, but it's quite flat.
September 2012
Goretex Trans Alpine Run - Eight days of running in alpine terrain. The Alpine Run Challenge.
Milestones program is subject to change, due to unforseen realities.
I took on this challenge to increase my fitness. Why? I mean, it's a lot of hard work.
The increased paycheck makes us happy - until we find out that the cousin earns more. The new ineterior decoration at home makes us happy - until we see our neighbor's super nice spa-area. The happiness from material things don't last for very long. Blame evolution for that. The brain functions which control aspiration operate partly independent of those that control satisfaction. Part of the brain feels pleasure, the other part wants more. Paradoxal. We are hardwired to push on and tackle new challenges. Pushing for a frontier rings true deep down the soul. Evolutionwise it enhances our fitness for survival. Happiness is the imaginary goal that gives our strivings direction and purpose.
Taking on new challenges that develop yourself is climbing that Stairway to Heaven.
Running of course has the added benefits of dopamine, endorphine and anandamide - not to mention prolonged life (statistically 7-12 years). Legal cool healthy drugs and more life. B-e-a-u-t-i-f-u-l. I think it justifies the hours spent in labor.
So here is my stairway!
June 14th 2011
Six day trek in Lapland - 70 km hike.
July 2nd 2011
Paavo Nurmi Marathon - Half mara.
September 3rd 2011
Helsinki Midnight Run - 10k.
February 2012
Marathon del Meridiano - Trail marathon.
Spring/early summer 2012?
Suggestions? 2-4 day 80-150k running event in hilly/alpine terrain wanted. Considering the Pony Express, but it's quite flat.
September 2012
Goretex Trans Alpine Run - Eight days of running in alpine terrain. The Alpine Run Challenge.
Milestones program is subject to change, due to unforseen realities.
Monday, April 18, 2011
Three weeks in
I've been building up aerobic fitness trough easy training. Getting my legs used to working. You can check out the specifics on my workouts at RunningAHEAD.
Milage:
- 91 km running/walking
- 67 km cycling
It's a start. Easy start. Long way to go.
The most common mistake beginners make is starting out too hard. My broken arm is effectively preventing me from doing that. I probably would otherwise. As I'm rediculously excited about this project.. Six workouts on the third week might count as overdoing. On the other hand I feel the Saturday walk was too slow to be seriously accounted for.
Injuries suffered:
- Three broken bones in my left arm
- Occasional pain in shins, calves and right knee
- Chafing on right inner thigh
I believe some pain is inevitable. Some part of the body will always react to hard work. Obviously chafing is avoidable. Grease or tape those chafe sensitive places. Bodytight clothing might also work.
30 % trough with the reading list. Today is a resting day. Better rest that sore knee. I uploaded all my training info today. Will do some reading.
Milestones program coming up next!
Milage:
- 91 km running/walking
- 67 km cycling
It's a start. Easy start. Long way to go.
The most common mistake beginners make is starting out too hard. My broken arm is effectively preventing me from doing that. I probably would otherwise. As I'm rediculously excited about this project.. Six workouts on the third week might count as overdoing. On the other hand I feel the Saturday walk was too slow to be seriously accounted for.
Injuries suffered:
- Three broken bones in my left arm
- Occasional pain in shins, calves and right knee
- Chafing on right inner thigh
I believe some pain is inevitable. Some part of the body will always react to hard work. Obviously chafing is avoidable. Grease or tape those chafe sensitive places. Bodytight clothing might also work.
30 % trough with the reading list. Today is a resting day. Better rest that sore knee. I uploaded all my training info today. Will do some reading.
Milestones program coming up next!
Friday, April 15, 2011
Brainbuilding
I went to the library yesterday and picked up some books about running. If a project this ambitious is going to be a success I better put some effort into research and planning. I got some new gear at the same time :) More about gear later.
First of all. As a beginner I need to learn as much as possible about training. To know how to train well. To know how fitness improvement can be maximized. To know how to stay motivated. To know how to stay healthy and avoid (further) injury. And a bunch of other things known by experienced runners and avidly shared through litterature.
Here is my reading list (I wasn't very picky - pretty much took everything they had on the shelf):
1. Lentävä lähtö, kuntojuoksijan käsikirja, by Jari Hemmilä.
2. Tavoitteena maraton, by Harri Hänninen, Raiko Häyrinen and Matias Möttölä.
3. Marathon Runner's Handbook, by Bruce Fordyce with Marielle Rennsen.
4. Be Your Best at Marathon Running, by Tim Rogers.
5. Born to Run, by Christopher McDougall.
Hehhe.. the academic approach. Can't help myself. I like to be thorough, and theese books will teach me tons. After I've read enough the next step will be to tailor a plan. That is a training schedule for 19 months. A schedule that should increase my fitness level and running experience enough to be able to finnish the Apline Run Challenge. Sounds ambitious? I hope so. There will be at least one full Trail Marathon in mountain terrain in that schedule. And a lot more..
Oh, and i did go out today. 70 minutes of fast paced walking at 68% average of mhr. The program I follow until I get my own made is simply one my F11 spat out. I asked it for maximized fitness after the built in test told me my fitness is moderate for my age. So that's where I start from, broken arm and moderate fitness :)
Back to reading.
First of all. As a beginner I need to learn as much as possible about training. To know how to train well. To know how fitness improvement can be maximized. To know how to stay motivated. To know how to stay healthy and avoid (further) injury. And a bunch of other things known by experienced runners and avidly shared through litterature.
Here is my reading list (I wasn't very picky - pretty much took everything they had on the shelf):
1. Lentävä lähtö, kuntojuoksijan käsikirja, by Jari Hemmilä.
2. Tavoitteena maraton, by Harri Hänninen, Raiko Häyrinen and Matias Möttölä.
3. Marathon Runner's Handbook, by Bruce Fordyce with Marielle Rennsen.
4. Be Your Best at Marathon Running, by Tim Rogers.
5. Born to Run, by Christopher McDougall.
Hehhe.. the academic approach. Can't help myself. I like to be thorough, and theese books will teach me tons. After I've read enough the next step will be to tailor a plan. That is a training schedule for 19 months. A schedule that should increase my fitness level and running experience enough to be able to finnish the Apline Run Challenge. Sounds ambitious? I hope so. There will be at least one full Trail Marathon in mountain terrain in that schedule. And a lot more..
Oh, and i did go out today. 70 minutes of fast paced walking at 68% average of mhr. The program I follow until I get my own made is simply one my F11 spat out. I asked it for maximized fitness after the built in test told me my fitness is moderate for my age. So that's where I start from, broken arm and moderate fitness :)
Back to reading.
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Challenged to run!
First, a summary of events until today:
26th of March. I was challenged by a friend to participate in a crazy Alpine Run covering 270 km of distance and 15 km of altitude. Hmm.. in 2012? Sounds impossible. What a moron..
28th of March. I decided to take on the challenge. Why not? Life is for living. I went for my first run in a veeeery long time. Last summer my right ankle got badly sprained, which gave me a good excuse to be lazy for months on months. It felt good to ecxercise, no trouble from the old injury. I jogged 6,2 km in 42 minutes.
30th of March. Upping the antes. Went for a 8 km run and finished in 53 minutes. Game on :)
2nd of April. I bought a bicycle, last years Merida CC3, to get some cardio and cross training from commuting to work. Went for a 17 km test ride with the bike. Smooth and nice, but the saddle is a pain in the ass. Mental note: got to get a pair of those padded cycling pants.
3rd of April. Went for a 7 km run early in the morning. I just couldn't wait to get out training! After a couple of kilometers my shins were killing me. Real pain. I decided to slow down not to risk injury. Fast walked my way back home. Got a total of 4,5 km. I had a burning sensation in my shins for a while afterwards, good thing I didn't try to force trough.
4th of April. 18 km bike ride, commuting to work 2 x 9 km. Rainy with a temperature of +5 c. Felt really good. Energetic at work.
5th of April. 18 km bike ride. Went for a 8 km run immediately afterwards. Not a good idea according to my calves. They were complaining pretty much right away from the start, so I decided to shorten the run. Got 6,5 km of jogging, and really sore claves.
7th of April. 18 km bike ride. Or that's what I had planned. On my way home from work something happened. While traversing the street and looking out for traffic my front wheel jammed in the streetcar rails. Whee.. *crash*. Shock. PAIN. Cursing. I couldn't believe I had faceplanted with my new bike. Well, I did. My left arm wouldn't co-opearate and I had no battery in my cell so I walked the remaining 4 km. Later the doctor told me the radial head in my arm is broken. Splendid. What about my plans? Time to give up? Never. I still have my legs to work with.
10th of April. Went for an 8 km walk with my arm in a sling. The fracture is very painful and I have almost no motion in the arm. Walking is a great way to get distracted from the pain. I get some low range cardio and some endorphines for the pain. Also it fatigues the body and makes me sleep better. Sleeping is very difficult because of the pain.
11th of April. 13 km walk.
12th of April. Had a second opinion about the arm from an orthopedic surgeon. Turns out it is fractured in three different places, all around the elbow. The doctor prohibited me from working before 2nd of May. Because of sleep deprivation and side effects (dizziness and nausea) from painkillers affecting the nervous system. Obviously I'm very slow with the computer also, only having one functioning arm.
In the afternoon I went for an 8 km walk equipped with my new Polar F11 heart rate monitor. Kept an average pace of 68 % of maximum heart rate.
13th of April. 8 km speedwalk at 76 % of mhr.
26th of March. I was challenged by a friend to participate in a crazy Alpine Run covering 270 km of distance and 15 km of altitude. Hmm.. in 2012? Sounds impossible. What a moron..
28th of March. I decided to take on the challenge. Why not? Life is for living. I went for my first run in a veeeery long time. Last summer my right ankle got badly sprained, which gave me a good excuse to be lazy for months on months. It felt good to ecxercise, no trouble from the old injury. I jogged 6,2 km in 42 minutes.
30th of March. Upping the antes. Went for a 8 km run and finished in 53 minutes. Game on :)
2nd of April. I bought a bicycle, last years Merida CC3, to get some cardio and cross training from commuting to work. Went for a 17 km test ride with the bike. Smooth and nice, but the saddle is a pain in the ass. Mental note: got to get a pair of those padded cycling pants.
3rd of April. Went for a 7 km run early in the morning. I just couldn't wait to get out training! After a couple of kilometers my shins were killing me. Real pain. I decided to slow down not to risk injury. Fast walked my way back home. Got a total of 4,5 km. I had a burning sensation in my shins for a while afterwards, good thing I didn't try to force trough.
4th of April. 18 km bike ride, commuting to work 2 x 9 km. Rainy with a temperature of +5 c. Felt really good. Energetic at work.
5th of April. 18 km bike ride. Went for a 8 km run immediately afterwards. Not a good idea according to my calves. They were complaining pretty much right away from the start, so I decided to shorten the run. Got 6,5 km of jogging, and really sore claves.
7th of April. 18 km bike ride. Or that's what I had planned. On my way home from work something happened. While traversing the street and looking out for traffic my front wheel jammed in the streetcar rails. Whee.. *crash*. Shock. PAIN. Cursing. I couldn't believe I had faceplanted with my new bike. Well, I did. My left arm wouldn't co-opearate and I had no battery in my cell so I walked the remaining 4 km. Later the doctor told me the radial head in my arm is broken. Splendid. What about my plans? Time to give up? Never. I still have my legs to work with.
10th of April. Went for an 8 km walk with my arm in a sling. The fracture is very painful and I have almost no motion in the arm. Walking is a great way to get distracted from the pain. I get some low range cardio and some endorphines for the pain. Also it fatigues the body and makes me sleep better. Sleeping is very difficult because of the pain.
11th of April. 13 km walk.
12th of April. Had a second opinion about the arm from an orthopedic surgeon. Turns out it is fractured in three different places, all around the elbow. The doctor prohibited me from working before 2nd of May. Because of sleep deprivation and side effects (dizziness and nausea) from painkillers affecting the nervous system. Obviously I'm very slow with the computer also, only having one functioning arm.
In the afternoon I went for an 8 km walk equipped with my new Polar F11 heart rate monitor. Kept an average pace of 68 % of maximum heart rate.
13th of April. 8 km speedwalk at 76 % of mhr.
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