Stress Therapy

Sometimes you have a bad moment, bad day, bad week, maybe even a bad year. And while some will tell you it's all about the circle of life, I think it's really more like the tide of life. It ebbs and flows. There's floods and droughts. Things always change. But for the most part, it all averages out in the end.

Or at least we like to think so.

Today's run started out grumpy but I finished in pretty good spirits. I was once again not really in the mood. At least not to run inside, I really wanted to run outside. Until I saw the temps were nearly single digits and I said screw it, it's easier to tough it out on the treadmill than it is to tough it out in below freezing temps outside.

I did manage to get my little entertainment center set up for my treadmill so I can now distract myself with a good sized TV, DVD player, and if I'm lucky, some online content. Today I was a bit more ADD than normal and went from LOST to Star Trek. It was a bad jump but I felt like I wasn't really paying as much attention to LOST as I should.

Photo:

Weather:
Temps were about 80F in the basement.

Fluids and Fuel:
Had a little coffee before the run. During the run I had plain water. Recovery was a banana, coffee, and an egg and ham sandwich.

Aches and Pains:
None really.

Gear:
Wore shorts.

Treadmill:
Time - 63:12
Distance - 2.9 miles
Incline - 0 to 12 (4 AVG)
Speed - 2.0 to 4.0 (2.8 AVG)
Elevation - 659 feet
Entertainment - LOST and Star Trek Deep Space Nine

Naughty Neil:
I got distracted by my phone on the toilet this morning. Sometimes it just sucks you in and before you realize it, your legs are numb and you're running late for your run.

Today's Motivation:
Started to panic a bit last night when I realized registration for my one and only race this year will open up next month. Holy crap Batman!

Splits:
Finish - 63:12

Pipe Dreams

Today is Day 3 of what seems like a month's worth of snow days for my kids. They had Monday off as a holiday (I didn't). Tuesday we got 8 inches of snow so there was no school (my office was closed but I work at home so I still reported for duty). Wednesday saw no new snow but the roads weren't plowed yet so no school again (I still had to work). Today was too damn cold for school (yep, I still had to work). And tomorrow is expected to be even colder than today. Any bets on what will happen tomorrow?

At least I get to work from home. I may complain about having them home during the summer or not getting time off for snow days but my commute is so much easier. Although in the new house those stairs can be a bitch sometimes when you need the bathroom in a hurry.

Today's run was a bit of a shinning moment. I've felt off all week, partly because of DOMS from shoveling my driveway. Although shorter than the driveway at the old house, it took twice as long to clear. Guess a tractor on a paved driveway is easier than a shovel on gravel. About halfway through the run I changed my entertainment from an audio book by R. A. Salvatore to some music by Childish Gambino and that seemed to do the trick. Guess I wasn't in the mood for Entreri and Jarlaxle but really needed some rap. Managed to run the last 25 minutes straight through and felt awesome doing it.


Photo:

Weather:
Interior temps were 80F.

Fluids and Fuel:
Breakfast was a nasty burrito, banana, and iced latte. During the run I had a little water and an applesauce. Recovery was Hammer Recoverite.

Aches and Pains:
Glutes still hurt from shoveling. Aside from that, the run felt fine. Calves were starting to tighten up towards the end due to dehydration.

Gear:
Wore t-shirt and shorts. Would have run topless but we had company.

Treadmill:
Time - 51:46
Distance - 2.5 miles
Incline - 0 to 6 (AVG 4)
Speed - 2.0 to 4.0 (AVG 2.9)
Elevation - 584 feet
Entertainment - R. A. Salvatore audiobook and music by Childish Gambino

Today's Motivation:
Didn't really have much other than I wanted to work some stress off from work. The run helped so I guess my mission was accomplished.

Naughty Neil:
That damn burrito. Gah. I swear, every time I go there I just have to have shitty food. At least I'm getting better at saying no to the hash brown.

Splits:
Finish - 51:46

The Thermodynamics of a Chubby Runner

As I finished a two-hour rotation of shoveling snow, I began to wonder about my belly. My gut. That big ol hairy thing that sticks out over my belt. It was cold. Freezing. Yet I didn't notice it while I was shoveling. It's not the first time it's happened either, I've noticed over the years that during or after runs, my stomach is cold. It's usually only cold to the touch and rarely feels cold. So this morning I was reminded yet again and began to wonder, why the hell does it do this?

My theory, based on nothing but a gut feeling, is that as I run (or shovel snow in this case), my body keeps other areas warmer and flows blood to those areas in use. Since I'm not really using that layer of fat in my mid-section, it pulls blood away from the area, thus pulling heat away from the area. No matter how many layers I wear, it just seems to happen. There does seem to be a correlation between how much I sweat and how cold my gut is but I think this is a simple relationship between moisture, wind, and simple thermodynamics.

So there you have it. My thoughts for the day of why my hairy belly is cold when I run in the winter.

Oh, and to make it clear, I didn't run outside, I ran inside on the treadmill after shoveling snow.

Weather:
Temps outside were about 20F. Winds were light. Sky was overcast with the sun slowly coming out. Temps inside were about 80F.

Fluids and Fuel:
Breakfast was two eggs, three slices of toast, three sausage links, and coffee. During the snow shoveling I had nothing. During the run I had plain water. Recovery was more coffee.

Aches and Pains:
Some minor aches from shoveling. Simple lifting, twisting, and odd movements caused the aches. Nothing else serious.

Gear:
Wore plenty of thermal gear for shoveling. For the run I wore just shorts.

Treadmill:
Time - 28:02
Distance - 1.2 miles
Incline - 0 to 6 (AVG 2)
Speed - 2.0 to 4.0 (AVG 2.8)
Elevation - 205 feet
Entertainment - Star Trek DS9

Naughty Neil:
I ate shrimp yesterday. A lot of shrimp. They were boiled/steamed and I had cocktail sauce with them. Better than a bunch of junk food for a snack, right. God I hope so.

Today's Motivation:
I didn't have much really. Yesterday I had planned on running outside after shoveling. But this morning after my shovel fest I completely forgot about running. Until I came inside and started to strip, then I realized I needed to do at least something. So I did half of my workout. Better than nothing.

Splits:
Snow Shoveling - 2:00:00
Running - 28:02

Fartknocker

I was tempted to skip today's run just because I wanted to sleep some more. But I knew I needed to run errands in the morning and that meant my only free time was lunch time. Not my favorite time of day to run but it ended up being a nice break from the tedium of this week's slugfest.

Once on the treadmill, I tried to keep it simple and just randomly changed my incline and speed. Nothing too fancy, just pushing buttons on the thing like I was married to it. And that was pretty much it. Nothing fancy!

Weather:
Indoor temps were around 78F to 80F.

Fluids and Fuel:
Breakfast wasn't so hot with a bad burrito and iced latte. During the run I had plain water and an applesauce. Recovery was meat, cheese, and ships with iced tea.

Aches and Pains:
Nothing really hurt.

Gear:
I wore shorts and no shirt.

Naughty Neil:
I mentioned my bad breakfast, right? ::sigh:: Sometimes I'm a sucker for greasy food.

Today's Motivation:
All that progress is starting to build up and I don't want to let it slip now. I'm doing my damnedest to keep the habits good. Well, maybe not eating, but the running part. Gotta keep running.

Treadmill:
Time - 39:38
Distance - 1.6 miles
Incline - 0 to 15 (AVG 5)
Speed - 2.0 to 5.0 (AVG 2.5)
Elevation - 435 feet
Entertainment - Star Trek Deep Space Nine

Splits:
Finish - 39:38

Schweaty ... Walk

Damn if that fireplace doesn't kick out some heat. On low flame and low fan, the freaking things makes the basement 80 degrees. Not that that's a bad thing in the middle of winter but phew! Just an easy walk on the treadmill leaves me sweaty.

Anyway, I got my walk done. Even though it was scheduled to be an easy run, I knew I wouldn't have time to shower so I opted for an easy walk instead. And seeing as my slow run is pretty much a walk, seems like a valid argument to me. But of course whenever I argue with myself, I always win.

Weather:
Indoor temps were 80F.

Fluids and Fuel:
Breakfast was two burritos and coffee. During the run/walk I had some coffee. Recovery was some cheddar broccoli noodle stuff and more coffee.

Aches and Pains:
Teste is a bit testy but no real change. Quads got some massaging this morning so they felt fine by lunch time. Aside from that, everything else was fine.

Gear:
Wore jeans but had to take my shirt off.

Treadmill:
Time - 30:14
Distance - 1.1 miles
Incline - 3
Speed - 2.0 to 2.5 (AVG 2.2)
Elevation - 176 feet
Entertainment - Star Trek Voyager

Naughty Neil:
Did good last night with my heavy snack before dinner but then had a snack after dinner that I should have skipped.

Today's Motivation:
It was an easy day so that made it .... easy.

Splits:
Finish - 30:14

Smile you big oaf

Did my best at getting my smile back. I think it worked because I actually smiled some during my run. After a very long week at work (60 hours over 6 days), I was due for a break. And a beer. So I headed out the door fairly early and got a run in. I aimed for an hour and came in just a bit over so I was happy. Plus I went a bit further than I expected. Shorter than I hoped, but still progress. I also scooped up my cameras and did some simple trail maintenance before Saturday's half marathon.

But best of all, I was outside enjoying myself. I could have waited for the better part of the day when temps got into the 50s but I was fine with the chill in the air. And in the end, it didn't matter one bit because somewhere out there I found my smile.

Photos:

Vine:
https://vine.co/v/OUOxKPU9zVl


Weather:
Temps were about 40F. Sky was overcast. Wind was light.

Fluids and Fuel:
Nothing for breakfast. During the run I had a bottle of plain water and an applesauce. Recovery was french toast casserole and coffee.

Aches and Pains:
Ended up with some tightness in my quads near my knees but nothing bad. There was some pain in my junk but that's a developing issue that needs more time to present itself.

Gear:
Wore shorts, pants, thermal top, short sleeved shirt, and a BUFF. Forgot about my gloves so I had to scrounge in my car for some.

Naughty Neil:
I'm thinking the treadmill is making me a lazy runner. Something I'll need to think about more.

Today's Motivation:
I just needed to get outside and play. I was lucky enough to even play with my kids later when the weather warmed up some. So all in all, a great day.

Splits:
Mile 1 - 12:17
Mile 2 - 15:02
Mile 0.5 - 8:04
Mile 0.4 - 6:30
Mile 0.5 - 7:24
Mile 4 - 13:48
Mile 5 - 13:13
Finish - 1:16:21

Is it really worth it?

Had one of those days today where I wonder if it's really worth the effort sometimes. Not the running part of training, I know that's worth it. I learned that the hard way when I undertrained for a race. Probably like all of my races.

Anyway, I got my run in before the shit hit the fan which I guess is good and bad. Running when I'm pissed off helps chill me out but it also sours my run a bit. In the end, it's outside of my control. Sort of.

The run was fairly uneventful. My son was sick today so I stayed home to keep an eye on him. I don't think he was all that sick but it's better safe than sorry and I'm sure the other parents at school appreciate the lack of germs being spread. So instead of being chained to my phone all day, I was chained to my desk. Got some work done, got my run in, got some more work done, and that's pretty much it.

Weather:
Indoor temps were about 76F.

Fluids and Fuel:
Breakfast was three slices of toast, two eggs, three sausage links, and coffee. During the run I had some iced tea, plain water, and an applesauce. Recovery was leftover pasta with taco meat mixed in.

Aches and Pains:
None really. Chiropractor tore into my right IT/knee/quad this morning. Felt fine before and after the visit but during I really wanted to punch him in the face.

Treadmill:
Time - 57:33
Distance - 2.8 miles
Incline - 3
Speed - 2.0 to 4.0 (AVG 3.0)
Elevation - 453 feet
Entertainment - Star Trek Voyager and Deep Space Nine.

Naughty Neil:
I had too much to eat for dinner but didn't over-indulge for my snack last night. Today I think I might eat too much for a snack after dinner. Depends on if I get drunk or not.

Today's Motivation:
I really wanted to run. I actually really want to run outside but I knew I wouldn't have time today so I knew it would be a treadmill run. But I wanted to run. Somehow, in the back of my mind, I could hear my coach telling me "you need to want to run, don't hate the run, the run should be fun."

Splits:
Finish - 57:33

Sweaty Tready

Distracted is the name of the game today. I watched Magic Town with Jimmy Stewart and I was suddenly 40+ minutes into my 70 minute run. I have no idea how it happened but it worked. Of course as soon as I looked at the clock, I continued to check it every single second until I got close to the end.

Anyway, that was about it for today's run. Played some fun and some serious air hockey last night. Shoulder is certainly telling me about it today but it was worth it to be the reigning champion of the house.

Weather:
Indoor temp was 76F.

Fluids and Fuel:
Breakfast was 3 slices of toast, four sausage links, yogurt, and coffee. During the run I had applesauce and GenUCAN hydration mix. Recovery was Hammer Soy mixed with rice milk.

Aches and Pains:
None really. Just tired from long hours at work.

Gear:
I wore shorts. Didn't even bother with a shirt.

Treadmill:
Time - 69:26
Distance - 3.2 miles
Incline - 0 to 4 (AVG 2)
Speed - 2.0 to 4.0 (AVG 2.8)
Elevation - 481 feet
Entertainment - Magic City

Splits:
Finish - 1:09:26