Well I've settled on a marathon to run. I am signed up for the Houston Marathon. January 13, 2013. Signed up the first day of early registration. Had to have a sub 4 hour marathon to qualify for early registration. My 3:32 on the Route 66 Marathon last November was sufficient to get in. So now I am registered but $125 poorer. I do have something to shoot for now.
The last couple of weeks I have been mulling over different marathon training schedules. I picked up the book "Run Less, Run Faster" (http://www2.furman.edu/sites/first/Pages/rlrf.aspx) written by Bill Pierce, Scott Murr and Ray Moss. Basic concept is to run three quality runs per week with two days cross training. The key being that though you are running fewer times per week. Each day of running is more purposeful and generally more intense. Some Tempo runs. Some Intervals. It appeals to me because I know that being older it takes more time to recover than someone younger. Another reason I like it is time. I don't have a whole lot of time nor do I want to spend a great deal of time training. So if I can make more efficient use of my time that would be great. Though I am still not completely convinced that I can do this. One issue is the cross training. I don't want to invest a lot of money into a bicycle and find out that I really don't enjoy it or perhaps it is difficult to find safe places to ride here in the heart of the city. I also don't have convenient access to a pool. Unless I want to spend money to join a fitness club. My swimming skills are very poor as well. My good buddy "Shack" at the http://www.theracquetshack.com/ has provided me with a tennis racquet. Maybe I could find somewhere close by to play. Just not sure how much of a workout I would get with my very limited tennis ability. Also the challenge of finding a partner. So now I am running about four days a week. Generally not more than two days in a row. Averaging about 20 miles a week with a run of at least 8 miles on Saturday. I try to do most of my runs during the week at faster than marathon pace (MP). Generally the first mile is slightly slower than MP with the remaining miles at about 5K pace. Some would say this is too fast. But I feel pretty good. It doesn't wipe me out. So I think this pretty safe training for me. The distances so far are relatively short also. Right around 4 miles. My long runs I try to keep at around 30 seconds slower than MP. Today I ran with some old running buddies of mine. I ran my first marathon in 2009 with these guys. Anyway the pace was a little slow. Guessing around 9 minutes a mile. But right now I'm not too serious as it's still a long time to January. I think now I just need to get more miles. I want to be doing 40+ miles a week by the end of June. Most likely that will entail running 5 days a week rather than 4.
Other marathon plans I am considering are Hanson, Hudson, Higdon, Pfitz and Daniels. Not sure what I will end up with but it will be some sort of modification of one or more plans. My last two marathons I trained using my variation on Higdon's Intermediate. I'll update when I get a more clear idea of my marathon training schedule.
Summertime is here. Time for early morning runs. I love being able to just throw on shorts, socks, shoes and head out the door. Happy Memorial Day y'all.
Monday, May 28, 2012
Sunday, May 20, 2012
Battling the Bank
Different topic. Banking. I'm always looking for a good deal so about two years ago I opened a rewards checking account with a local bank. At the time they were paying better than 4% APR. To receive this higher rate of return the account holder must have, I think, 10 point of sale debit card transactions. Additionally you must have at least one ACH deposit each month. Well late last year this bank lowered their interest to 3% APR. So bargain hunter that I am, I started looking for another bank. www.depositaccounts.com has listings of reward checking accounts. You can search nationally or by state. Anyway, I found Coppermark Bank. They were offering a rewards checking account that paid 4%. The requirements were basically 16 debit card transactions and 1 ACH deposit per statement period. A few more debit card transactions but certainly doable. Well all was fine until the 30th day of March. The statement period was only 29 days. Well, I get paid on the last business day of the month. For February that was Wednesday the 29th. OK. However, pay day for March was Friday, March 30th. As a result with only a 29 day statement period, I was denied my interest payment for March as I did not have an ACH deposit during the statement period. Needless to say I was not happy. With a 29 day statement period I could see that this situation was likely to repeat again later in the year. I called the bank and spoke to the young man I opened the account with. He was not helpful. No offer to let me speak to a manager. Nothing but a "sorry that's how it is." Well with no relief there I went to the web site of the Oklahoma State Attorney General. There I filed a complaint. I explained what happened and entered the dollar amount of my loss, which was $9.27. About a week later I got a letter from the FDIC. It stated in part, "Thank you for contacting the FDIC's Consumer Response Center. We have reviewed your correspondence and contacted the referenced Bank to obtain response to your concerns. We have also asked the Bank to provide documentation that will help us complete our review of your complaint." Well just a few days after that, I had a message on my phone from the senior vice president of Coppermark Bank. When I finally found time to call and speak with VP, she was very nice. She thanked me for bringing the situation to their attention. She further explained that they have now changed their policy. The statement period is now 30 days and ends on the last business day of the month. They also paid me the interest I should have earned in March. This in addition to the interest I received for April for by this time a month had passed. Props to Coppermark Bank for making things right!
I am very pleased that I went to battle for what I thought was right, and in the end, what the wrong was made right. The bank came over to my side. I received what was rightfully mine. In other words, "I won!"
I am very pleased that I went to battle for what I thought was right, and in the end, what the wrong was made right. The bank came over to my side. I received what was rightfully mine. In other words, "I won!"
Sunday, May 6, 2012
Goal Setting
Well a week has passed and I am finally getting into a routine of running in the morning. Still working on a training schedule. But I have decided on a marathon to run. I have decided to run the Houston Marathon on January 13, 2013. My buddy "Shack" over at theraquetshack.com suggested I set a higher goal than 3:30 for the marathon. His suggestion was the world record for my age + one hour. The world record for a 45-49 year old man is 2 hours 14 minutes and 16 seconds,(or something like that). Seems a little odd for a goal. That plus one hour. Not a round number that I can easily focus on. And I can't say I get excited about being an hour slower than someone. Doesn't sound very impressive to say to someone, "Oh, I'm just an hour slower than the world record set by Jackson Kipngong." An hour is long time. My previous goal had been 3:30. Well I discovered today that the marathon qualifying time for 45-49 year old males for the 2013 Boston Marathon has been moved back 5 minutes to 3:25. The 40-44 time is 3:15. So I think a more suitable and a more memorable goal is 3:15. It is challenging. It's more of a round number. If I run a 3:24 that would qualify me for Boston. But to have a have a higher goal, a challenge goal is a good thing. Gives me a little space; some extra time to stay ahead of the maximum qualifying time for Boston.
Now to work out a training schedule and some intermediate goals. January is a long way away. So I may try a September half marathon or full marathon to gauge my progress. Next race will probably be the Dog Jog in Oklahoma City. Memorial Day.
Hope to see you guys there!
Now to work out a training schedule and some intermediate goals. January is a long way away. So I may try a September half marathon or full marathon to gauge my progress. Next race will probably be the Dog Jog in Oklahoma City. Memorial Day.
Hope to see you guys there!
Sunday, April 29, 2012
Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon 2012
Well today was the 12th running of the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon. A colleague of mine who works at OCU invited me to join the relay. So myself and four young ladies were the Region III Rockets. All of us being from Region III of NAFSA. It was a great experience. As to the running I managed to finish the first leg, a 10K in 49:11. Not particularly fast but I'm pleased with it. I did not put in very much mileage getting ready. Only 7.5 miles last week and 13.4 miles the week before. Today was my longest run of the year. But seeing folks finish the marathon in less than 3 hours 30 minutes definitely got me motivated to train for another marathon. Not just seeing people finish, but seeing people much older than me finish in that time. And not just older than me, many were quite a bit heaver. So I know that if I put in the training I can break 3:30.
Now to choose a race. I could just plan on running the Route 66 in Tulsa again. Did that in '09 and '11. That one's not till November 21st. More than six months away. I guess I could take my time building a base of miles. To get into condition to break 3:30 I think I need about four months. So that could be a September marathon. Or an October marathon. Guess I'll do some research. If anyone has any recommendations for marathons within a day's drive of Oklahoma City, or maybe even a day and half drive, feel free to share.
Now to choose a race. I could just plan on running the Route 66 in Tulsa again. Did that in '09 and '11. That one's not till November 21st. More than six months away. I guess I could take my time building a base of miles. To get into condition to break 3:30 I think I need about four months. So that could be a September marathon. Or an October marathon. Guess I'll do some research. If anyone has any recommendations for marathons within a day's drive of Oklahoma City, or maybe even a day and half drive, feel free to share.
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Sic'em Bears! Starting over.
Women's Basketball National Championship! Men's Baseball 12 - 0 in conference thus far!
And me having trouble getting started running. Got to find a time to run. Either get to bed earlier and run in the morning or else run in the evening when I get home. Got out of work a little late today and then had to mow the lawn. Always seems to be something else to do. The inertia is hard to overcome. Just a few weeks till I have run a 10K as the first leg of the relay at the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon. Maybe I can find time to run during lunch tomorrow. Won't have time in the evening. There is no try only do. Ok, ok Yoda, I will run during lunch tomorrow. ;-)
And me having trouble getting started running. Got to find a time to run. Either get to bed earlier and run in the morning or else run in the evening when I get home. Got out of work a little late today and then had to mow the lawn. Always seems to be something else to do. The inertia is hard to overcome. Just a few weeks till I have run a 10K as the first leg of the relay at the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon. Maybe I can find time to run during lunch tomorrow. Won't have time in the evening. There is no try only do. Ok, ok Yoda, I will run during lunch tomorrow. ;-)
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Leap year day off
Took the day off today. February 29. I may make this a tradition. Of course that would mean only one day off every four years. Anyway it was nice to sleep in just a little. Sleep is an important part of staying healthy. While each of us need differing amounts of sleep, most doctors and researchers would recommend at least eight hours a night for people over 25. I try to get something close to eight hours most days. It also best to try and keep regular hours. Going to bed and getting up close to the same time each day. Your body will appreciate it. Also watching a tv screen or computer screen right before going to bed makes it more difficult to sleep. Studies have confirmed this. Now you can even buy special glasses to wear if you must use a computer right before bed.
As to running I will soon be training for a 10K. Myself and four colleagues in the field of international education will be running the relay at the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon. So tomorrow it's back to the treadmill. My last run was seven days ago. I've been trying to rest my ankle so it will heal completely. The last couple of weeks I have run just once a week. Still I have discomfort in my right ankle when I run and occasionally when I drive. Hopefully eight days between runs will be sufficient. I believe rest is important in the healing process. But the marathon is eight weeks from Sunday. And with runs of about 2.2 to 2.4 miles each time out the last several weeks, I'm going to have to start running more often and for greater distances. Lord willing tomorrow I will run without any pain and then next week I can gradually increase the frequency and distance for my runs. Gradual increase is key. So probably runs will only be about 2.5 miles for the first week. Then with a 15% increase each week I should be running 5 to 6 miles by the week before OKC. Of course what is important is the weekly total not the daily amount.
Peace out and happy trails..
As to running I will soon be training for a 10K. Myself and four colleagues in the field of international education will be running the relay at the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon. So tomorrow it's back to the treadmill. My last run was seven days ago. I've been trying to rest my ankle so it will heal completely. The last couple of weeks I have run just once a week. Still I have discomfort in my right ankle when I run and occasionally when I drive. Hopefully eight days between runs will be sufficient. I believe rest is important in the healing process. But the marathon is eight weeks from Sunday. And with runs of about 2.2 to 2.4 miles each time out the last several weeks, I'm going to have to start running more often and for greater distances. Lord willing tomorrow I will run without any pain and then next week I can gradually increase the frequency and distance for my runs. Gradual increase is key. So probably runs will only be about 2.5 miles for the first week. Then with a 15% increase each week I should be running 5 to 6 miles by the week before OKC. Of course what is important is the weekly total not the daily amount.
Peace out and happy trails..
Saturday, January 28, 2012
New Year, fresh start , new shoes?
Finally the last week or so I have been able to run with no noticeable discomfort in my lower right leg. Woo hoo. Anyway running every other day or so on the treadmills. 20 minutes. A little over 2 miles each time. So far so good.
I've had a couple of people ask me about shoes, so I thought this would be a good topic to start with this year. There are hundreds if not thousands of choices available in running shoes. Running shoes as an industry did not truly begin until the late 1960s. In 1971 when Bill Bowerman poured liquid urethane into his wife's waffle iron, Nike, had it's first self designed shoe, the Waffle Trainer. The shoe industry has exploded since then. Chris McDougal in his 2009 book, Born To Run, asserts that running shoes are the cause of most running injuries. He presents some pretty convincing statistics to back up his claim, as well as some interesting discussion of the Tarahumara Indians. Obviously men have not always run with running shoes. Yet with all the "advancement" in running shoes there has not been a subsequent decline in running injuries.
Today you can find a plethora of shoes, many with lots of cushioning and a thick sole, and most with a heel noticeably higher than the forefoot. Of course when wearing shoes with a thick heel you tend to land your foot on your heel. Interestingly enough when you run with bare feet you tend to land more on your forefoot. Doesn't take too long to realize that maybe striking with your heel first, in a thick heeled running shoe is not natural and maybe it's not the best way to run.
As you can see my thoughts tend to run toward less and not more in terms of shoes, and less of a heel toe drop. What is a heel to toe drop you ask? It's the difference in height between the heel of the shoe and the forefoot of the shoe. Traditionally running shoes have a 12 to 15 mm heel to toe differential. Over the last year or two there has been a trend toward a lesser heel to toe drop. Many new shoes that are considered minimalist have a heel to toe drop of 4mm to 11mm. And the zero drop shoes have 0 to 4mm as their heel to toe drop. I've been doing most of my runs since last summer in a pair of Brooks Mach 11s. They are considered to be spike less cross country shoes. Also may be referred to as racing flats. Very low heel to forefoot drop, about 4mm or so. Got them about a year and half ago. Very inexpensive, but comfortable . Runblogger has a review of them. Unfortunately these have been phased out some time back. Now Brooks has the Mach 13. I'd expect the 14 will be out before too long.
My other shoes I sometimes run in are the Saucony Grid Type A4. Super light weight - a mere 6.3 oz. 13mm heel, 9 mm forefoot. So just a 4mm drop. I ran the Route 66 marathon in these this past November. The A4 is considered to be a racing flat. I am a little unsure if I want to run my next marathon in these or to go with something with just a tad bit more padding. Did a few 18 to 20 milers in them last fall without issue. Anyway, changing from a heel strike style of running to a forefoot style of running is not usually you do overnight. The transition should be more gradual. Different muscles are being used and those muscles need time to adapt and get stronger. The Saucony Kinvara has been a pretty popular shoe. A bit more padding so it sits a little bit higher but still a pretty minimal heel drop. I believe it's a good choice for those looking to transition to more of a mid foot/ forefoot heel strike style of running.
At the end of the spectrum for minimalist shoes, are the Vibram Five fingers. Similar to toe socks in appearance. Very light weight and very thin. They fit like gloves. I have a pair of Vibram Fivefingers Bikalas. I've done a few short runs in them. Nothing over 2 and half miles. You can definitely feel the road in these. Not sure if I want to do any significant distance in these. Maybe when my recovery is farther along I may take these out again. Again it is important to transition to running in this type of shoe. One's feet and ankles need time to adjust and to get stronger. The VFF's are closest thing to running barefoot.
Sic'em Bears!
I've had a couple of people ask me about shoes, so I thought this would be a good topic to start with this year. There are hundreds if not thousands of choices available in running shoes. Running shoes as an industry did not truly begin until the late 1960s. In 1971 when Bill Bowerman poured liquid urethane into his wife's waffle iron, Nike, had it's first self designed shoe, the Waffle Trainer. The shoe industry has exploded since then. Chris McDougal in his 2009 book, Born To Run, asserts that running shoes are the cause of most running injuries. He presents some pretty convincing statistics to back up his claim, as well as some interesting discussion of the Tarahumara Indians. Obviously men have not always run with running shoes. Yet with all the "advancement" in running shoes there has not been a subsequent decline in running injuries.
Today you can find a plethora of shoes, many with lots of cushioning and a thick sole, and most with a heel noticeably higher than the forefoot. Of course when wearing shoes with a thick heel you tend to land your foot on your heel. Interestingly enough when you run with bare feet you tend to land more on your forefoot. Doesn't take too long to realize that maybe striking with your heel first, in a thick heeled running shoe is not natural and maybe it's not the best way to run.
As you can see my thoughts tend to run toward less and not more in terms of shoes, and less of a heel toe drop. What is a heel to toe drop you ask? It's the difference in height between the heel of the shoe and the forefoot of the shoe. Traditionally running shoes have a 12 to 15 mm heel to toe differential. Over the last year or two there has been a trend toward a lesser heel to toe drop. Many new shoes that are considered minimalist have a heel to toe drop of 4mm to 11mm. And the zero drop shoes have 0 to 4mm as their heel to toe drop. I've been doing most of my runs since last summer in a pair of Brooks Mach 11s. They are considered to be spike less cross country shoes. Also may be referred to as racing flats. Very low heel to forefoot drop, about 4mm or so. Got them about a year and half ago. Very inexpensive, but comfortable . Runblogger has a review of them. Unfortunately these have been phased out some time back. Now Brooks has the Mach 13. I'd expect the 14 will be out before too long.
My other shoes I sometimes run in are the Saucony Grid Type A4. Super light weight - a mere 6.3 oz. 13mm heel, 9 mm forefoot. So just a 4mm drop. I ran the Route 66 marathon in these this past November. The A4 is considered to be a racing flat. I am a little unsure if I want to run my next marathon in these or to go with something with just a tad bit more padding. Did a few 18 to 20 milers in them last fall without issue. Anyway, changing from a heel strike style of running to a forefoot style of running is not usually you do overnight. The transition should be more gradual. Different muscles are being used and those muscles need time to adapt and get stronger. The Saucony Kinvara has been a pretty popular shoe. A bit more padding so it sits a little bit higher but still a pretty minimal heel drop. I believe it's a good choice for those looking to transition to more of a mid foot/ forefoot heel strike style of running.
At the end of the spectrum for minimalist shoes, are the Vibram Five fingers. Similar to toe socks in appearance. Very light weight and very thin. They fit like gloves. I have a pair of Vibram Fivefingers Bikalas. I've done a few short runs in them. Nothing over 2 and half miles. You can definitely feel the road in these. Not sure if I want to do any significant distance in these. Maybe when my recovery is farther along I may take these out again. Again it is important to transition to running in this type of shoe. One's feet and ankles need time to adjust and to get stronger. The VFF's are closest thing to running barefoot.
Sic'em Bears!
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