Free therapy...

Many people find running therapeutic. It’s an escape from our busy lives and a time where you are “numero uno.” Some people do their best thinking while running, while others may work out their frustrations or personal problems by pounding the pavement. No matter your laundry list of problems or reasons to run, running is more than just meaningless exercise. Running can transcend “just another workout” into something more if you try.

Here are a few things you can do to transcend your run into something more:

1.) Leave the iPod at Home: I know what you’re thinking…How can I complete my run without my Lady Gaga Mega-Mix? Believe me, you can do it. Instead of listening to Gaga, listen to the rhythm of life (Okay that was cheesy, but for real)... Listen to the sound of cars, children laughing, the wind, nature, etc. Remember what you heard on your run and write it down. Instead of logging your miles, log your surroundings.

2.) Smell That? Piggy backing on the “rhythm of life” idea, write down what you smell on your run. Really get tuned into nature and your surroundings. After reading an article about this I tried it on one of my runs. It really is amazing what you smell when you really focus on it. Running/Smelling a few miles really transcends a normal run into an entirely new sensory experience. I noticed things I’ve run passed 100 times and never knew were there just because I followed my nose.

3.) A Night Cap: My dad always says “nothing good happens after midnight” and he’s probably right, but you can get plenty of miles in before the clock strikes twelve. Remember to wear reflective clothing, a headlamp or a flashing light so cars can see you, but don’t be afraid to hit the pavement after the sun goes down. I’ve found many trails become less populated, quieter, and more enjoyable when it’s just you, the night, and the light of your headlamp. Besides a few scary shadows, I was really surprised at how quiet the city is once the hustle and bustle stops. I do some of my best thinking on night runs including thinking of future topics to blog about.

4.) Find a trail: Get off the concrete and give your joints a nice cushioned break on a trail. I've done a few trail runs and talk about a sensory experience! Instead of thinking how much further do I have to run, you're thinking "step over rock, step on log, jump over creek, was that a deer? I think it was a deer! Oh crap..jump over large rock, duck some braches." Instead of looking ahead at a never ending road, you're looking at your feet and the next 2 ft. in front of you in preparation for a winding, always changing trail. Nothing will get you back to nature than running in nature.

So save the therapy bills and hit the pavement!

Bald Eagles and Nose Bleeds...

Have you ever had a weird run? A run where some weird, unexplainable things happened during your run? Today was one of those runs. The first odd thing was it being 62 degrees in middle of February in Nebraska. I don't know if they'll be many times when I can run in shorts and a t-shirt in the middle of February. But I'm not complaining. Keep up the good work Global Warming.

During the run, maybe not so weird, but more along the lines of less frequent I saw a bald eagle. Nothing gets the red, white, and blue blood boiling like seeing a bald eagle. It was soaring overhead and really motivated me to finish the last 7 miles of my run.

As I began to make my way back across the Bob Kerry Pedestrian Bridge I noticed lots of people were looking at me and looking at me kind of funny. At first I didn't think anything of it until I wiped my nose. For how long, I'm not sure, but I had a bloody nose and subsequently probably a bloody face. Without a Kleenex for next 6 miles I just decided to continuously wipe until the flow was too much. I stopped for a few brief moment and decided to stuff snow up my left nostril (it was the only thing I could think of and don't worry it wasn't yellow. I made sure to choose the cleanest, whitest looking snow available) in hoping to stop the bleeding or at least moisten the nostril. ( I'm pretty sure the nose bleed was caused by dry air and nothing to do with running or running too much.)

And finally, not really odd, but it made me laugh was I was running through the stoplights of downtown Omaha not wanting to stop so I'd check for traffic and make a dash for it if I thought it was clear. At one particular stop light I thought I could make it without having to make the cars stop or slow down, so I bolted across the street despite the "Don't Walk" sign beaming bright red. The cars were moving faster than I thought and were closer than I thought so...the car having to slow down for me? One of Omaha's finest. I picked up the pace hoping that he wouldn't speed around the block and ticket the idiot who chose to "jaywalk" right in front of an Omaha Police Officer. No ticket, no worries. Sorry OPD.

I'm not sure the events of the run qualify as weird. Similar to if events in Alanis Morissette's song "Ironic"are really irony, but maybe that what makes this blog, run, and today..."Weird."

First BONK of training...

I had my first "bad" run today, my first BONK of the training program. I was kind of wondering when one of these days would rear it's ugly head. I've been sticking with an Intermediate Hal Higdon marathon training program for 6 weeks and have had 25 great runs. No pain, no energy loss, and great mental focus. Today that all came to an end. I needed to run 6 miles with tempo intervals. Before I even stepped on the treadmill I decided to run 6 miles, no tempo. (Probably the first sign it wasn't going to be a good day).

For the past two weeks I've been nursing some self diagnosed plantar fasciitis and pain in my left foot. I've been, thus far, pushing through it and trying to keep on schedule without risking serious injury. During the first few miles of my run I started to feel pain in my feet and some creaking in my knees. I stopped and stretched and then returned to the treadmill...no luck. I stopped and rode a stationary bike for a few minutes then tried the treadmill again...again, no luck. I stopped after just 3.5 miles probably because I just didn't have the drive and couldn't get myself mentally prepared for the task at hand, more so than the physical discomfort.

The great thing is this isn't the end, the start of a horrible trend, or failure. Bad days happen in running just like in life. I've never met someone who hasn't "bonked" at least once during their training program. If you recall an earlier post, I've bonked before and I'm sure I'll bonk again. I just wish I knew ahead of time so I wouldn't begin to wonder "Is something wrong?"

Hard Questions...

Why do you run?

Do you run because you feel you should?
Or do you run because you want to? Need to?

If you run because you want to, what makes you want to run?
Where does your motivation come from?

Why do you run?

I have opened up the comments section so you should be able to anonymously post your answer(s). I believe I've enabled the settings so you don't have to have a Google account to post. I hope to get a meaningful decision going and maybe we can help each other figure out what gets us to lace up those shoes or what’s holding us back from lacing up those shoes.

On the menu...

Readership is down, which is probably a direct reflection of the quality of writing but we're going to change things up a little and quit focusing on what I'm doing and focus on you...the reader and hopefully the runner.

I think sometimes it's hard to train unless you have a tangible goal or date in front of you, so let's find you a marathon. Below is a menu of marathons and half marathons (and some shorter distance races). Some are near, some are far...pick one and start training!

Local Flavor:

Lincoln National Guard Marathon / Half-Marathon
May 1, 2011 Cost: $75 (before 3/31)
Flat, fast course and for you Husker fans....finish the race on the 50-yard line in Memorial Stadium looking at your exhausted self on the big screen. Go Big Red!

Leprechaun Chase 10K
March 12 Cost: $25 (before 2/18) only $30 until race day
Ladies start the race 5 1/2 minutes before the gentleman. Prize? If a female wins, 1 free beer for the ladies. If a male wins, 1 free beer for the fellas. If you are an extremely fast male runner, please sign up and get me a free beer!

Blarney Stone 5K
March 17 Cost $30 (before 3/9)
Overpriced 5K (Sorry Peak Performance, I love you, but $30 for a 5K?). If you got the cash to pony up for the event, it is a fun event with lots of runners, costumes, and (surprise!) beer.

Closer to Home:

Des Monies Marathon
October 16 Cost: $65 marathon, $50 half-marathon (before 4/17)
Travel to the "Un-Cool Omaha" for a very well organized marathon. Bart Yasso, Chief Running Officer for Runner's World will serve as the host for the 2011 IMT Des Monies Marathon, so run with running gurus in an awesome fall marathon.

Kansas City Marathon
October 15 Cost: $ 60 marathon, $40 half-marathon (before 4/10)
The course planner made a conscious effort to minimize the hills whenever possible, so go check to see if he's lying. The course travels through Kansas City's beautiful parks and starts and finishes at Crown Center. (Believe it or not, but I've never been to KC...so this marathon is definitely on my "To-Do List")

Fargo Marathon
May 21 Cost: $75 marathon, $55 half marathon
Quickly becoming one of the country's most popular marathons, Fargo boasts live rock bands at every mile to keep you pumped up and running. Quaint Fargo offers great amenities for runners and a great crowd turnout.


Out There:

Austin Marathon (Austin, TX)
February 20 Cost $125 (full), $90 (half)
This race has Lance Armstrong's stamp all over it. So much so it's sponsored by LIVESTRONG. Austin isn't just known for Lance, it also boasts one of the best ensembles of live bands every mile!

Little Rock Marathon
March 6 Cost $90
"Little Rock? Big a$$ medal." Weighing in at nearly 2 lbs, it will be the biggest medal you'll earn for running a marathon. Nothing says "I just ran a marathon!" like wearing a giant medal worthy of a Flavor Flav endorsement.

LA Marathon
March 20 Cost $145
Run through the streets of LA and through Hollywood, you might even see one of these famous marathon finishers (Will Farrell, Mario Lopez, Freddie Prince Jr., or William Baldwin).

Also another option to get you running is finding a marathon with a team relay. Share the experience with 4 friends and dominate 26.2

Get running people and quit reading this garbage blog (just kidding, start running AND keep reading the blog)

Joining the psychos...

There’s no need to take an ice bath when you’re running in sub-freezing temperatures. I took the plunge this last week. No, I didn’t get married, but I did make the meaningful commitment to run outside for my longer runs no matter the temperature. My employer has a single treadmill available for use, so during the week I have been completing my shorter runs during my lunch hour for convenience, but anything over 4 miles I now pledge to join those hardcore, 365 days a year, psycho runners out there braving the cold, rain, sleet, snow, and heat. (Sorry U.S. Postal Service, I butchered your motto).

I got home from work last Wednesday and needed to go for a four-mile run. I looked at my gym membership card, I looked out the window, I looked at the forecast, and looked out the window and then like a stoic warrior I armed myself for battle. I put on my wool socks, some fleece pants, 3 shirts, a stocking cap, two pairs of gloves, and to top it all off…my headlamp. As I was sticking my key into my running gloves, blazing hot like a kid waiting to go sledding, my wife asked, “What are you doing?” And in my toughest, manliest, closest thing to Sylvester Stallone voice I could muster I answered…"I’m going running."

The forecast said it was 3 degrees and for the first half mile the cold felt good. I might have overlayered myself in clothes, but I wasn’t about to take a layer off. There was something very peaceful about the beam of light from my headlamp as it bounced off the snow. The air was cold, but calm and the snow crunching under my feet was very rhythmic. After running for about a half hour thinking about how cold it was and wondering what the people passing me in their cars thought of a runner with a headlamp, I ran back home. I ran inside elated at my recent feat. As I returned into the nice heated apartment I thought I was hot, but upon removing my layers I realized my skin was ice cold. So…don’t fear running outside in the brutal cold, but don’t be out there too long either because at some point the beauty and serenity vanishes and it’s just dang cold!

Baths with ice...

Disclaimer: This picture was taken post Omaha Marathon and I do have shorts on. I wanted to capture every moment of the event which included a post race ice bath.

Now that you're comfortable and safe in reading a blog that pictures a half naked man, let's talk about ice baths.

Long runs can be very trying on the body. Muscle tissue breaks down, swelling occurs, and cell tissue can breakdown. By immersing yourself in cold water you allow your blood vessels to constrict and swelling to reduce. Ice baths do not need to include ice. Everything I've read recommends temperatures around 50-60 degrees Fahrenheit depending on the persons comfort level. Taking an ice bath is supposed to help not hurt. Sometimes after a long run a nice hot shower sounds great, but avoid using hot temperatures as this will increase the flow of blood to swollen joints and muscles and only increase inflammation.

Emerge yourself in this icy pool for 10-20 minutes. This should allow enough time to reduce some swelling and allow the cold to penetrate deep into your muscle tissue. Once you remove yourself from the ice bath your blood vessels will expand allowing blood to rush into your legs and remove some of the metabolic waste that built up during your long run.

Studies have shown ice baths to reduce recovery time and allow for slightly embarrassing photos to be taken. I recently read an article featuring an ultra-marathon runner who puts on a down jacket, stocking cap, neoprene socks, while he drinks hot tea and reads a magazine during his ice baths, so as always do what works for you.