I Run

At least go slowly for the first part of your run. Whether you're racing or just training, going out too fast is a good way to making running not so fun. So what is too fast? It depends on how you feel. On a scale from 1 to 10, the level of effort for me is nothing over 3 or 4. I breathe almost normally at this pace. I can recite the complete works of Dr. Seuss at this pace. I can run backwards at this pace. With barefeet. On sharp rocks. The point is, you want your legs to wake up gradually and mull over what your crazy head has just set out to do. When I raced the Clarence DeMar Marathon in Keene, NH for the first time my head said, "Hey! It's downhill! Let's go fast!" And my legs (the idiots) went along. So I ran sub-7:30 miles for the first half (whee!) and suffered after that. This year my head was more composed. My legs, too, had become used to starting out more slowly during my training runs. So it felt like I was jogging from Gilsum to Keene for 13 miles. Then I had energy left to pick up the pace later. Yes, it does feel somewhat counter intuitive to go slow when you know you can run faster. I still get nagging doubts about my ability to pick up the pace at the end of a run. But I've found that a slow start and fast finish almost always produces a much more satisfying training run or race.

As a runner who happens to run outside, I'm pretty much obsessed with the weather. It can make or break a run. But in addition to the high-tech tools that the Internet provides such as long range forecasts and Doppler radar, I rely on what I see outside my back door: two thermometers. Why two? Well, the first one we've had for 25 years. It's been dropped many times and there's duct tape holding it together in one spot. The spring is pretty much shot. So it displays a temperature that can be 10 to 15 degrees too cold. The second one was meant to replace it. But we found almost immediately that it runs hot. We purchased it in the summer, screwed it to the post, and it promptly informed us that it was 100 degrees in the shade. In Vermont. So we kept both thermometers and sort of average the two readings with some generous optimism. This morning the first one says 10 and the second says 26, so I figure it's around 24. I know, that's really not the average but it can't be 18 out there. It just can't.

This is the first of what may be many posts - but will most likely be the only post - that answers your questions about running or whatever else is on your mind. Since nobody actually sends me questions or for that matter even reads this blog at any great length, I'll just extract some of your search strings from the logs. You know, you type something into Google or Yahoo to answer a question that has been bugging you and through an unfortunate turn of events find yourself madly clicking to escape the clutches of my blog? Well, dear reader, that thing you just typed into the search box is saved in a log on my site (not through anything I did...I guess that's just the way things work). And since Google or Yahoo (or whomever) deposited you on my site in answer to your query, I suppose they thought that I had something relevant to say to you (technology is not perfect). So I can only assume that your questions went unanswered. Here is my attempt to answer them. I've entered your questions exactly as you typed them, except I've added the question mark:

is running good for you?

It's insanely good for you. If you're not running right now, stop reading and run. Your body will thank you when you stop.

how much mile is too much to run day?

Any more than 100. That's just showing off.

naugahyde sofa?

Um..yes? I've seen one.

running sex?

Depends on who's doing the running. In any case, your pace will suffer.

We all know that the food we eat - or don't eat - directly affects our running performance. I can correlate directly the way I feel on my runs with the food I ate a few hours earlier. If I had a whole grain bagel with natural peanut butter (no salt, no sugar) and a banana, I'll be floating. If it was cake or ice cream, I'll be crawling. As I get older, too, it seems the effects of proper nutrition are even more vital. But the problem is it takes some thought and time to come up with a good, balanced, and tasty diet from day to day. And it takes some money, especially if I'm buying fresh produce and seafood. Like it or not, eating well takes some investment. Fortunately, I enjoy preparing food - good food - and I enjoy my family's reaction to my cooking. For example, yesterday I bought 2 lbs. of Atlantic farm raised salmon ($15.00!), which I baked with a sauce/glaze that consisted of stone-ground mustard, mayonnaise, wheat germ, dried garlic flakes, and oatmeal. I paired that with a simple shredded cabbage casserole (cabbage, mushroom soup, milk, lots of black pepper, topped with bread crumbs and grated cheddar). Some leftover Spanish rice and peas completed the meal. Although I did use small amounts of high fat ingredients (mayo, mushroom soup, cheese), I think that the benefits of the salmon (protein, Omega-3 fatty acids) and the cabbage (fiber, vitamin C, vitamin K, folate, potassium, manganese, vitamin A, thiamin, vitamin B6, calcium, iron and magnesium) made the meal nutritious enough to outweigh the detriments. Yes, I did spend a couple of hours preparing the food rather than just whipping something into the microwave, but what else could I have been doing with that time that reaps better rewards for the health of my family and myself?

Dear John Majonen, This is to notify you that your entry into the 112th Boston Marathon on Monday, April 21, 2008 has been accepted, provided that the information you submitted is accurate. You can verify your acceptance into the field by searching the 112th Boston Marathon "Entrants" database on the B.A.A. web site, www.baa.org/2008/cf/Public/EntryLists.cfm. Additionally, an acceptance postcard will be mailed to you via US Postal Service mail. In early April 2008, an official Number Pick-up Card and extensive information regarding the B.A.A. Boston Marathon and related race week activities will be mailed to you via US Postal Service first class mail. If you do not receive your Number Pick-up Card (required to claim number) and brochure by April 11, please contact our Registration Office at registration@baa.org. Registration related inquiries may also be directed to 508-435-6905. Note that bib numbers will not be distributed on Race Day. Your travel arrangements should take into account picking up your number at the Hynes Convention Center in Boston on Friday, April 18 from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., or Saturday, April 19 or Sunday, April 20 from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. We look forward to seeing you in April! Best of luck in your training! Sincerely, Boston Athletic Association

OK, so I bit the bullet and winced as my bank account dwindled by $116.00. But now I'm registered to run the Boston Marathon 2008. I might have to bring a cardboard box to sleep in over that weekend, however, since I may not get up the gumption to pay for the exorbitant cost of lodging in the Boston area. And they say running is one of the least expensive forms of exercise. I guess it is if you don't race. But the races motivate me. I'm not sure I'd keep running if I didn't have a race to look forward to. I probably would - it's better than doing nothing to keep in good health - but it wouldn't be nearly as fun. So I guess I'll keep paying for the glory and excruciating privilege of hobbling around for days after a well (or not so well) run marathon. That's the price of staying fit and crazy.

After the marathon, the Pfitzinger schedule calls for some very low mileage runs in the immediate days and weeks after the marathon. Others advise you not to do any running at all for a couple of weeks. I took it easy Monday through Thursday, no running. I even used the elevator at work, which I hardly ever do. But come Friday, I just couldn't not run anymore. I felt like a slug. I couldn't think clearly. Sure, my quads are still sore, but that 4 mile run yesterday invigorated me nonetheless. I took the dog out with me for the first part. People waved to me. It was unusually hot and sunny outdoors, so I went shirtless. It felt like a summer training day. Today I did the same thing (but without the dog). So, I guess I'm back into it. I'll just slowly increase the mileage per week, an inverse taper. And I'll sign up for Boston - once I get over the sticker shock.