No time for details, but I've ordered a bike from Dutch Bike Co. Seattle. I found them through "Hank & Me", which happens to take place right here in Chicago. Serendipity, perhaps. Anyway, the folks in Seattle are very nice, friendly, patient and easy to talk to. No ETA yet (the bikes are in US Customs), but it's a cool thrill to realize I'm stepping up....
Thanks go to many positive influences, which I'll have to acknowledge (I'm running late....)
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
click....wuwuwu...wwwwhirrrrrr
Starting again...
Bad neglected injuries last September...
Went disabled, no Chicago Marathon (I guess that was a blessing, anyway)
Orthopedic surgeons, narrowly escaping major hip surgery (that was a *real good* radiologist on that one..sheesh). Real interesting injections straight into my hip joints though, that was a trip!
Acupuncture for my back; that was a real trip, and it really helped!
6 months of physical therapy, and still going....
And I'm back! I'm getting back out there, albeit with a completely new approach. A better one, a much more aware one, and so far a perfectly reasonable and effective one.
I think it's only prudent that I expand my material here, as at this point my running doesn't appear to be about anything but me relearning how to run. I have a new approach to that, but I'm not creating earth-shattering drama with it. Well, not that I was before, and as a matter of fact it's rather revolutionary to me. Who knows.
I have an idea: why don't I mention what's foremost at the moment? I mean, I'm running every other day, slowly building up my strength and stamina with a very wary eye on posture and stabilization. I'm practicing yoga at home regularly, and my diet is adjusting. It's all good. The process is working. This stuff is always on my mind.
What's really on my mind revolves around some practicalities of existing in Chicago. My "sphere" isn't terribly large: literally everything seems to fall within some sort of 10 mile blob. And I'm not really transporting any of my musical gear around either. Using my car is counterproductive. It's paid for, I'm keeping it, but with diesel costing around $5 now I'd like to go through the summer without putting any into the car. And parking where I live is a drag anyway (worse than San Francisco!). So....
My Bike Project:
- upright riding position (for my back, hips)
- fully sealed components, to handle the weather here
- cartage capability
- unsurpassed reliability
- extreme ease-of-use, like a car. Just get on & go & get it over with.
The bike should be completely logical and functional, yet seemingly unremarkable. In my estimation I'm referring to what is being called a "dutch" bike. I don't care about the weight, I care about the reliability and usability. So I'm on a quest now, as these bikes only appear to be appearing on these shores.
This post is long, and I need to sleep.... I've already done a whole bunch of research, and I hope to be seeing some results soon.
Bye for now!
Bad neglected injuries last September...
Went disabled, no Chicago Marathon (I guess that was a blessing, anyway)
Orthopedic surgeons, narrowly escaping major hip surgery (that was a *real good* radiologist on that one..sheesh). Real interesting injections straight into my hip joints though, that was a trip!
Acupuncture for my back; that was a real trip, and it really helped!
6 months of physical therapy, and still going....
And I'm back! I'm getting back out there, albeit with a completely new approach. A better one, a much more aware one, and so far a perfectly reasonable and effective one.
I think it's only prudent that I expand my material here, as at this point my running doesn't appear to be about anything but me relearning how to run. I have a new approach to that, but I'm not creating earth-shattering drama with it. Well, not that I was before, and as a matter of fact it's rather revolutionary to me. Who knows.
I have an idea: why don't I mention what's foremost at the moment? I mean, I'm running every other day, slowly building up my strength and stamina with a very wary eye on posture and stabilization. I'm practicing yoga at home regularly, and my diet is adjusting. It's all good. The process is working. This stuff is always on my mind.
What's really on my mind revolves around some practicalities of existing in Chicago. My "sphere" isn't terribly large: literally everything seems to fall within some sort of 10 mile blob. And I'm not really transporting any of my musical gear around either. Using my car is counterproductive. It's paid for, I'm keeping it, but with diesel costing around $5 now I'd like to go through the summer without putting any into the car. And parking where I live is a drag anyway (worse than San Francisco!). So....
My Bike Project:
- upright riding position (for my back, hips)
- fully sealed components, to handle the weather here
- cartage capability
- unsurpassed reliability
- extreme ease-of-use, like a car. Just get on & go & get it over with.
The bike should be completely logical and functional, yet seemingly unremarkable. In my estimation I'm referring to what is being called a "dutch" bike. I don't care about the weight, I care about the reliability and usability. So I'm on a quest now, as these bikes only appear to be appearing on these shores.
This post is long, and I need to sleep.... I've already done a whole bunch of research, and I hope to be seeing some results soon.
Bye for now!
Friday, August 17, 2007
slacker
Yep, that's me!
I ran the Chicago Distance Classic last Sunday, with near-nary a significant training run going into it. I realized that I feel rather grateful that I was able to do it. And, I suppose that I shouldn't complain about my 2:22 finish time considering how much work I put into getting ready for it ... that is, not much. I wasn't in it for the money. This time especially I felt the "race is the prize."
So, what have I done with myself since? Not running, that's for sure. I've been so busy in my other life (that is, my job, geek stuff) that I haven't been able to get to sleep at any sensible time to allow me to get up in order to run! I really hate burning the candle at both ends (which I do so well, and consistenly for years), so in the interest of my mental health and health in general, I've been allowing myself the extra 90 minutes to sleep. I thankfully have been getting in some yoga practice, but even that has been challenging. Regardless, I consider this particular way of living to be temporary.
Marathon training must recommence now!
I've come to realize (or remember) that I'm not a runner for PR or speed. I really just like to run and to be out running regardless of the given performance. I recall that when I started I never had any intention to actually run anything, only to be able to. What this *really* means is that I go out to run because it's *fun* ... as it should be! And I just want to run a 26.2 mile chunk of fun!
Thursday, August 2, 2007
ॐ नमस्ते ... back in action
Wow, that was cool.
Anyway, I haven't been here lately, but I have been many other places! I am running. I am practicing yoga regularly, and I'm learning. I work hard, and I'm having a really good summer around all this cool stuff I'm doing.
My running has changed, though, since my last post. I ended up taking most of May off, which was kind of a shock after logging many miles/week. June saw me slowly building up mileage, ditto July, and now here we are at the beginning of August. I'm not where I was, but I'm not so sure I want to be. I've been practicing yoga, and I'm coming to this conclusion:
Yoga is great for running (and pretty much everything), but running is not great for yoga.
I'm not going to stop running, I just dig it too much. I'm just not so enticed by running for any particular purpose....I just like to run. Even jog. Cruise.
I don't know what's going to happen, but I do know I'm signed up for the Chicago Distance Classic and I feel rather unprepared (but I think I'll finish with some self-respect). I've also got the Chicago Marathon, and I'd sure like to participate in that. I'm just kind of worried about my lax attitude, and the fact that lots of running doesn't really allow me to progress the way I think I can in my yoga practices.
Like everything everywhere, it's a matter of balance, and a matter of always finding it.
नमस्ते
(that is really cool, huh?)
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
DL
Confession. Admission. Reality. I've got pain. I'm on the "down-low," which is to say I'm techinically on the Disabled List. Some would say that's a permanent state with me, but alas, it's just a sprained quad/hip-flexor thing. Naturally I've been running on it for at least a month to make sure it really hurt... The last 10 days have been days off, which was somewhat convenient since I had company and parties and things to go do with humans for many of those days.
And I tried to sneak in some runs, which really only frustrated me and exacerbated my leg. My speed is way down, and my gait just feels awkward.
This really sucks, it's so hard to not run. I do think I'm at the point where I can do low-miles at low-speeds, which is mental discipline. I'll try. I really will. I think I gained about 5 pounds with all the abuse of the last week.
Practicing yoga definitely helps, and static "western" stretching does too. I think this is reinforcing the lessons involving listening to my body. It shouts and I ignore, it whispers and I strain to hear.
sigh.
And I tried to sneak in some runs, which really only frustrated me and exacerbated my leg. My speed is way down, and my gait just feels awkward.
This really sucks, it's so hard to not run. I do think I'm at the point where I can do low-miles at low-speeds, which is mental discipline. I'll try. I really will. I think I gained about 5 pounds with all the abuse of the last week.
Practicing yoga definitely helps, and static "western" stretching does too. I think this is reinforcing the lessons involving listening to my body. It shouts and I ignore, it whispers and I strain to hear.
sigh.
Saturday, April 21, 2007
Changing patterns
Back when I was training for the LA Marathon I recall posting here every couple days or more. Now that I'm not training for anything in particular, I'm now 3-for-3 for posting every 10 days. And I think that's fine, really. It's not because I'm not training or running. Far from it - I'm running great, and have seriously gotten myself into practicing yoga.
Let's see, I go to 2 yoga classes a week, and study privately once a week. That private session occurs on Sundays, which is now the same day as my "long" run. (Long is relative - I'm only sub-20 right now, and that's fine too.) However, I don't feel like it's enough; rather, I feel like I want more. I'm putting energy into incorporating mat time at home every day, somehow. The benefits I'm realizing in the amount I practice now are inspiring me to practice even more.
I'm going through an exciting inner change. My health is good, my head is clearer than it has been in a long time, and my heart is generally buoyant. In the past I'd be paranoid or trepidatious, waiting for the negativity. Now, I'm not concerned about it.
I do have scheduled running "things" coming up. I'm looking forward to them, as markers or perhaps indicators of my overall state of (perhaps physical) being. There's the 10-mile Lakefront run next week, sponsored by the wonderful people at Universal Sole. There's the Chicago Distance Classic (a half marathon) in August, and the Chicago Marathon in October. But, I don't really have a running agenda for those events, except to run them as well as I can. I expect my current "training" to only continue and evolve in a suitable way to allow me to perform well. I do have some desires, like "maintain a certain pace" or "finish within some timeframe," but those are not my ultimate goals. For me, the race *is* the prize. What a pleasantly unstressful way to go about them. For what it's worth, I'm certainly ready for the first two, and probably able to do Chicago right now.
My day job involves a lot of market data. Having been in that industry for a number of years now, data awareness seeps in. I do geek out when I run, wearing a Polar and a Garmin. I like looking at my splits (and they've been steadily improving since LA!) and work output, and I think looking at my courses on maps is interesting. It's all a profound curiosity to me, as I was never athletic in school or whatever. I also enjoy learning about my machine, my body. It fascinates me to see how my performance reacts to how and what I feed it, for instance.
All in all, I feel myself changing in profound ways. Deepening, or perhaps "waking up." I feel like I'm growing, and some patterns in my life may fall away while others continue to deepen and evolve for me. I like the flow.
Let's see, I go to 2 yoga classes a week, and study privately once a week. That private session occurs on Sundays, which is now the same day as my "long" run. (Long is relative - I'm only sub-20 right now, and that's fine too.) However, I don't feel like it's enough; rather, I feel like I want more. I'm putting energy into incorporating mat time at home every day, somehow. The benefits I'm realizing in the amount I practice now are inspiring me to practice even more.
I'm going through an exciting inner change. My health is good, my head is clearer than it has been in a long time, and my heart is generally buoyant. In the past I'd be paranoid or trepidatious, waiting for the negativity. Now, I'm not concerned about it.
I do have scheduled running "things" coming up. I'm looking forward to them, as markers or perhaps indicators of my overall state of (perhaps physical) being. There's the 10-mile Lakefront run next week, sponsored by the wonderful people at Universal Sole. There's the Chicago Distance Classic (a half marathon) in August, and the Chicago Marathon in October. But, I don't really have a running agenda for those events, except to run them as well as I can. I expect my current "training" to only continue and evolve in a suitable way to allow me to perform well. I do have some desires, like "maintain a certain pace" or "finish within some timeframe," but those are not my ultimate goals. For me, the race *is* the prize. What a pleasantly unstressful way to go about them. For what it's worth, I'm certainly ready for the first two, and probably able to do Chicago right now.
My day job involves a lot of market data. Having been in that industry for a number of years now, data awareness seeps in. I do geek out when I run, wearing a Polar and a Garmin. I like looking at my splits (and they've been steadily improving since LA!) and work output, and I think looking at my courses on maps is interesting. It's all a profound curiosity to me, as I was never athletic in school or whatever. I also enjoy learning about my machine, my body. It fascinates me to see how my performance reacts to how and what I feed it, for instance.
All in all, I feel myself changing in profound ways. Deepening, or perhaps "waking up." I feel like I'm growing, and some patterns in my life may fall away while others continue to deepen and evolve for me. I like the flow.
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
And the sleet goes on...
What can I say to this? Sigh. It's like training in February.
Bright side ... it's not less-than-zero out there.
I guess all the stuff I've collected (cold-weather running clothes, for instance) is money well spent. Evidently I'll be using them for the better part of any 12-month stretch.
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