One of the benefits of keeping up an online running journal is that you’re occasionally asked to test out products. Here in my quiet little corner of blogdom I don’t get a chance to do this very often. To be more specific, I’ve had a relatively consistent online presence for almost 15 years and I have received a grand total of one (1) product to test. Due to certain non-disclosure agreements, I’m not allowed to mention the brand of the product I tested. Let’s just say it rhymes with Mikey and Psyche.

Everything changed a couple of days ago. I received an offer to try my second product, which is something I am actually curious to try. No it’s not one of the new Garmin 405s (although I’d certainly be up for testing one), and it’s not something else from the Greek goddess of victory. No, I’ve been asked to try ProWash activewear detergent.

I can feel your excitement. Calm down and I’ll explain why this is a good thing. I suffer from persistent odiferous running kit, or P.O.R.K. (Or how about P.E.W. - Pungent Exercise Wardrobe?) My solution to this persistent problem has been a simple one - denial. I’ll occasionally get comments from the wife and children but I usually blame it on a skunk or suggest that maybe a buffalo is decaying behind the couch. These excuses have served me well for the past 6 years, but I think they’re catching on.

I’ve heard about specialty detergents that are designed to get at the tenacious bacteria that cling to wicking sport fabrics but I’ve steered away from purchasing something that, for all I know, is just a gimmick. Well, now I have the opportunity to compare a “specialty” cleaning product to my normal detergent. I’ve read through their website and haven’t been able to determine exactly what is different about it. They claim that other detergents leave a residue of perfumed ingredients that mask odors. As they claim, “ProWash™ is a residue-free detergent designed to safely remove embedded sweat, odors and soap residue.” Does it work? I’ll let you know.

I’d also be curious of anybody else out there has experience with this type of product.

And be assured that this blog won’t become a platform for selling anything (other than Sports Shield, which I will continue to sing the praises of).

Sorry for the infomercial-like post. We’ll return to regularly scheduled programming next time.

Seems like every couple of weeks something pops or tweaks or pulls and I’m forced to re-jigger my workouts. I have been steadily increasing mileage, but it’s going more slowly than I’d like.

This latest issue actualy started a couple of weeks ago. I was helping our local Little League clear out some junk and felt a little twinge. There was no immediate pain, but I knew that it would come eventually. Over the course of two weeks it’s gradually gotten to the point where getting out of bed is difficult and I stayed home from work yesterday. I’ve managed to keep up most of my running, including a 5 miler (wanted to do 7 but COMPLETELY ran out of gas) on Saturday. So the battle continues on multiple fronts. I’m battling to regain endurance and speed on the running front and working at just making it through the days on the physical front. There was a point on Sunday where I was hobbling through my kitchen and realized that just about every part of my body hurt. Between yardwork, scrubbing grout on the kitchen floor, my back and running I hurt from head to toe. I was feeling like a large sad sack of a grumpy old man.

This makes two posts in a row about pain and suffering, so I’ll concentrate on a brighter side; my legs feel great right now, so if I can keep up some semblance of consistency I should come out on the other side of this recent back issue without losing too much.

A quick note to keep myself on track (this explains the little box at the top of the post). I’ve got a yellow Post-It Note by my desk at work. I’ve scribbled “Reach and Maintain 30 Mile Weeks” on it. That’s my current goal. I want to get to that level and then start some actual workouts. Right now I’m at about 17 miles/week and was all ready to make a bigger jump last week when the back started screaming. I hope to run today, althought it will have to be in the evening. That normally presents a problem. Once I walk in the door I generally lose all decision making power.

Under most circumstances I don’t write the typical running blog post. You know what that’s like; “Today I ran X miles at an X:XX pace and it felt good, or bad and either something happened that was unusual, or things went down like they normally do.” I try to keep those types of posts to a minimum. Don’t get me wrong. I’ve got nothing against the typical running blog post. I’ve written plenty of them and read thousands more. They are the meat and potatoes of the running blog world and I’m a meat and potatoes kind of guy. I try to tweak my focus a bit and write about the myriad stuff that occurs at the periphery of the typical runner’s world.

With all that said, today I ran 3 miles at about a 9:30 pace and it was a good run. See what I did? Bet you saw that coming, but here’s where I change it up. The subject of this post is not today’s run-of-the-mill 3 miler, but the fact that it came the day after a short 2 mile run, which came immediately after a 3 mile run on Monday. That’s right. I’ve run 3 consecutive days. Granted, they’ve not been long runs and they haven’t been particularly fast, but I’m proud of them nonetheless. I haven’t run three consecutive days in over 7 months! Over the past couple of months I’ve been trying to get my mileage back up, and for the most part I’ve been successful, but it’s been rough. I’ve convinced myself that I can afford to be conservative with this build-up, but even so I can barely walk when I get out of bed and my ankles, which have never been strong, have been bitching incessently. In other words,I’m doing it completely wrong.

I discovered something a couple of years ago and it seems that I’m doomed to continue re-learning it. I suffer from DOMS, or delayed onset muscle soreness. You may be a fellow sufferer. I get tight and sore two days after I work hard, but only if I take the interveining day off. If I run on Monday and take Tuesday off I’m sore on Wednesday. If I also take Wednesday off I’m practically a cripple on Thursday. If I run on Monday and Tuesday, I’m not sore on Wednesday. And if I also run on Wednesday, which I did, I won’t be stumbling around on broken-feeling legs on Thursday. Doesn’t this fly in the face of established wisdom? “No pain, no gain” is rendered meaningless, right?

A fundamental problem remains, however. At my current fitness level I can’t keep this up. I may not be sore tomorrow but you can bet I’ll be tired. I’ll have to take a break, and sooner rather than later based on the number of single digit running weeks I’ve logged this year.

I wonder how weird this is. Maybe I’ve discovered something that has been kept secret for far too long. Are you stiff two days after a run? Have you tried additional running to alleviate the stiffness? You might want to give it a try.

The election is over and we can look forward to at least 3 months of analysis and opinion before the next election cycle starts back up again, but I did want to jot down a few notes while it’s still fresh in my mind.

They call these political “races” for obvious reasons (and that, of course, makes it possible for me to include this post on a runnning blog) . At the beginning of the race there a flood of contestants jockey for position until a clearly defined front runner group emerges. These front runners battle back and forth and trade places on their way toward the finish. In the end there are winners and losers. There are even those who run for the sake of running and have no hope to finish at the front. It is a long, exhausting process that requires stamina, patience, swift action and a fierce desire to win.

In the end the presidential race came down a white man who was convinced he was going to die, and even wished for death, in a prisoner of war camp and a black man who was the product of a broken marriage. Both of their journeys have been remarkable and I take comfort in the fact that we live in a time and place where their journeys are even possible.

The winner of a race is awarded the prize, in this case the presidency. The award ceremony will take place in January and the champion will remain so for the next 4 years. Quite a hefty prize package and quite a hefty burden to place on anybody.

I’m very curious to see what happens over the next four years. I’m particularly interested to see what “Changes” will be made. I’m making every effort to keep my political beliefs out of this post, but I hope we can all agree that Tuesday’s elections were historic. I guess they all are, in the sense that they become part of history, but understanding how far we’ve come as a country on the racial front is something to be particularly proud of right now.

If the track is tough and the hill is rough,
THINKING you can just ain’t enough!

Shel Silverstein

I was going through some old draft posts that never made it to the big show of publication and came across the quote above. I expend a great deal of energy thinking about running and I’m the first to admit that I sometimes wish I could replace at least some of my running with mental miles. I received the movie “The Spirit of the Marathon” from Netflix earlier today and Deanna Kastor admits to not working very hard during her collegiate running career, instead depending on her natural talent to carry her through. I’m no Deanna Kastor and I have no natural talent but I share her collegiate desire to shirk the work.

It’s 8pm and I’m keeping an eye on election results and NOT running. I plan to put the kids to bed (we’re doing homework right now, don’t you know) and then lace up the shoes and go out for a quick 3 miles. I’ve been thinking about and putting this run off all day, and guess what, it hasn’t gotten done.

The largest marathon I’ve run was the 2005 New Las Vegas Marathon where about 9,000 folks were lined up at 6:00am and let loose to run up the Strip. It was a blast. My wife and oldest son got to hang out with me for a while and listen to the loud music and watch the runners stretching and drinking and looking for the porta-potties before the race. The spectacle made a particularly strong impression on my son who insisted for some weeks that he wanted to become a professional runner. It also made a lasting impression on me. The thrill of running with so many others also generated a great deal of enthusiasm and energy that helped buoy me through the miles. The size of the field of runners created an atmosphere that accentuated and enhanced the overall race experience. It was an EVENT,and because it was my first marathon, set the bar particularly high for other marathon experiences.

Since that morning I’ve run three other marathons. All much smaller. With the world’s largest marathon taking place this weekend i’ve been thinking about the differences between larger and smaller races and I continue to lack even the slightest desire to ever run the (sponsor logo) New York City Marathon.

Let me try to describe how I imagine the N.Y. Marathon morning might proceed.

The race begins @ 10:00am from Staten Island. Most people get to the start by shuttle bus or other public transportaion. 40,000 people have to wake up, get dressed, eat and get out the door from locations scattered everywhere throughout the New York area in time to congregate within walking distance of the start. Have you ever had to get from one place to another in New York? It can be frustrating even if you are the only one making the trip.

Imagine that 40,000 other obsessive-compulsive, carbohydrate-loaded people are trying to get to the exact same place you are at the exact same time. Guess you’d better leave early! I’ve read multiple race reports that describe leaving Manhattan by 4am. That’s 6 hours before the start time.

So you leave early. You leave your house or hotel around 4am. Let’s say you manage to get a seat on your vehicle of choice, be it train, subway, taxi or bus and you arrive with litttle to no hassles. It takes 1/2 hour to 45 minutes to get from Manhattan to Staten Island. Let’s round that up to 1 hour. That means you get to wait for around 5 hours. You get to hang out in the pre-dawn cold and do nothing but wait. For 5 hours.

It is this imagined image, above all others, that pops into my mind when I think of the New York Marathon. Thousands of stressed runners draped in garbage bags hopping around to stay warm, clamoring for space, searching for corrals or friends or family or biological relief. A mass of impatient quivering humans all attempting to cope with the unrelenting truth that 26.2 miles lurk in the distance and each and every one of these non-running runners will eventually have to battle the course and each other to reach Central Park.

I cannot imagine wanting to put myself through the struggle just to get to the start at New York, but that pre-dawn vigil is probably one of the reasons runners return. It is probably just one more cause for celebration after having endured it. One more obstacle, among hundreds of others, that must be hurdled to earn the title of New York City Marathon finisher.

Maybe someday I’ll get it. Maybe someday I’ll be in the throng gathered on Staten Island. Until then I look forward to many other smaller marathons where I can park near the start, not have to battle elbows for 26.2 miles and that, when all is said and done, puts me anywhere BUT New York City.

BTW, I will do whatever it takes to get out of bed Sunday morning to watch the race, but I’ll be doing it in the comfort of my home.

For those who may be reading this and planning to participate, I offer unconditional support and encouragement. Have a perfect day running the blue line because, truth be told, I’m a bit jealous.

This past Saturday I ran 5 miles. I haven’t done a 5 mile run in about half a year. During that long break I became a different person. I actually forgot about the things my body could do and began groaning at even the slightest physical effort. Really. I became a whimpering lethargic 45-year-old. I also completely lost track of what running even felt like.

Things are turning back around slowly and I’m rediscovering the running guy inside. The following quote from Lana’s blog put into words some of the things I’ve been thinking about lately.

I have learned that if you don’t actively take a stand against it, the nature of the world will ever so slightly dull your senses, soften your will, and limit your amazing, natural born capacity. It will lie to you. It will beat you down. You will forget who you are, and at the time you least expect it, it will throw you a curve it knows you won’t be able to hit. You won’t see the beauty of the sunrise because you’ll be asleep. You won’t feel the stillness of night because you’ll be engrossed in reality T.V. You’ll opt out of that game of tag with the little one because you can’t catch your breath. You won’t take a risk, because you might fail. You won’t enter the event because you might not win. You won’t consider the unthinkable because You. Are. Just. Average. You will lose the magnificence and beauty, the combination of uniqueness and grandeur that The Creator formed you with in His. Own. Image. You will walk the rest of your days on the Earth wondering who you are and why you are here. You will stand on the sidelines and hide from The Coach when you think He’s about to call your number to go in the game. You won’t experience the pain of coming up one second short, but you also won’t feel the exhilaration of coming back against all odds. You might not get knocked down or skinned up, but you won’t know the gratification of pulling yourself back up and finishing with respect. You won’t ever know what you could’ve done or who you could’ve been.

I’ve often compared running to paddling a boat up a lazily moving river. Paddling upstream is not overly difficult, but it must be done consistently. If you stop working for any longer than a few moments you’ll begin moving downstream. That’s part of what Lana’s saying about “the nature of the world,” but she continues and examines our personal nature and our tendency to forget who we are and what we miss when our vision of who we are gets clouded.

Lana’s preparing to run Ironman Florida this weekend and her journey upstream has taken her into some interesting, sparsely populated territory.

For the most part there is a direct relationship between my running and this blog. If I’m not writing that usually means I’m not running. That has not been the case over the past couple of weeks. My last 4 runs in particular have been strong and it was exactly 4 runs ago that I switched from the Nike shoes I’ve been testing back to my beloved Asics. Coincidence?

A couple of months ago I found a brown shoe-sized box from Nike on my front porch. It surprised me because the last time I was to be a product tester for Nike the shoes never showed up. Now here they were. Only one problem, I had just ended my longest, most severe running drought in 6 years. I wasn’t doing much running.

I tried to compensate for this by wearing the Nike’s everywhere. I wore them during the day at work. I wore them to Disneyland. I wore them while I umpired baseball games on the weekend. And of course I wore them when I ran but they never felt very comfortable. I assumed the lack of comfort was due to my lack of running and I kept lacing up the Nikes and they continued to feel clunky.

When I received the email informing me that the test period was over I took off the Nikes and, later that same day, laced up the Asics and I was off.

Don’t be mistaken and think that this post is meant to be Anti-Swoosh. I did not like the particular style of Nike shoe I’ve been testing but that doesn’t mean there aren’t other models that would be great. The fact is that a few years ago I found a shoe that continues to work for me and until there is a legitimate reason to change, I won’t.

If you’re curious, the shoe pictured above is the Asics gel 1130.

BONUS INFO - In 1962 Blue Ribbon Sports was founded by U of O coach Bill Bowerman and his former athlete Phil Knight as a distributor for Japanese shoe maker Onitsuka Tiger. In 1977 Onitsuka Tiger changed its name to ASICS. One year later Blue Ribbon Sports changed its name to Nike, Inc.

And you may find yourself in another part of the world
And you may find yourself behind the wheel of a large automobile
And you may find yourself in a beautiful house, with a beautiful
Wife
And you may ask yourself-well…how did I get here?
- Tallking Heads “Once in a Lifetime”

Well, that was a surprise. I popped up a little blog entry last week (last week, how can that much time have passed already?) and come to find there are actually some folks who left comments. Thanks Darrell, Deene and Jeff. I have felt anything but like a runner the last number of months and now that I’m struggling to get back into the swing of things it’s nice to know that there continue to be some folks out there following along. Heah, if nothing else it provided enough inspiration for me to write this post!

The quote above is apropos of my life right now. I continually ask myself “how did I get here?” It certainly wasn’t through any effort of my own that I find myself with a beautiful house and a beautiful wife. There are uncountable things to be grateful for in my life, but the course of my life has taken me into severe doldrums lately. The financial issues that we’ve been waiding through are becoming more of an ever-rising tide. I don’t want to run much. I don’t want to write much. There isn’t much of anything that I do want to do. Life in general is a burden right now and I’d prefer to not carry it another step.

In the past running has helped me get through the days of lethargy and ennui. (Hmm, tried to double-check the spelling of “ennui”, which is one of my favorite words, on google and it looks like it’s down. Google is down! This is just another sign that society is on a bullet train toward a second dark age.)

Where was I? Lethargy, ennui and running. Hmm, not a bad name for a blog. Anyway, running used to be one of the few things I did that I was proud of. I stuck to it consistently for years and did things that I never imagined. Now, though, I look back at those accomplishments and don’t recognize myself doing them. In many ways I’m in a similar position as I was back in 2002 when I started this whole running adventure. I guess it’s appropriate that this month marks 6 years since I started running on a regular basis. Back in 2002 I had no idea what I was in for. Now, I have a somewhat better understanding of what it takes to get where I want to go, but there are probably just as many unforeseen adventures ahead.

I’m glad I started this blog a little over 3 years ago. It gives me something to look back on, and hopefully will chronicle better days to come.

Hello, my name is Drew and I’m a recovering slacker.

It’s taken me 1 month and 2 weeks to run 20 miles.

My last post was just short of 7 months ago.

The computer that hosts this site got powered off during the Gap Fire here in Goleta,CA. That was in July. I didn’t turn it back on until a few days ago.

If you’re curious, take a look at some of my previous posts. I intend to do things a bit differently from this point forward, but I doubt it will be a radical departure.

I’m going to stop here and get this posted so that I can say I’m blogging again.