Bike to Work Day 2012, and What I Learned from NPR
This past Friday was Bike to Work Day 2012. I found that out early Friday morning as I was getting ready for work while listening to NPR. Naturally I decided the only logical thing to do was bust out my bike and head off to work.
The morning ride was pretty uneventful as it takes only about fifteen minutes to ride there. Ironically, that time is often faster than my car-ride time, especially after parking and walking in from the lot. Honestly it is almost silly NOT to ride every morning. The way home, however, was slightly more tragic. I managed to catch my jeans in the chain and ripped them from the ankle to the knee. I suppose it was not such a big deal, looking back. Those jeans were about two sizes too large at this point, so it was probably for the best. I probably looked a little too gangsta with my baggy jeans.
Listening to the NPR report, there was an interesting concept that I wanted to share and expand upon, as the subject matter was something that has stuck with me over the weekend. The guest, a bike shop owner, talked about how the idea of racing is a bit of a trap:
“Racing is presented to us as the goal that we should all aspire to and I totally don’t believe that. Racing is fringe, racing ruins bicycle riding for a lot of people. They think that, ‘Well I’ve been riding for a few years, its time to get a racing bike, get the clothes, get the racing shoes’ . . . and it ends up being a big trap.”
I thought about this a lot as I rode to work. Thinking about running, it seems like the logical progression is to get into running races. It is a way to validate your training, to show others that you CAN do it . . . but it is also a trap. Training programs can cause burn out. Feeling like you aren’t making the progress you want can cause you to quit all together.
Some of the most fun I’ve had running is on easy runs with a bunch of people. Quite a while ago now, I ran with Ellie, Adrienne, Brian, Beckie, and to this day that was one of the most fun runs I’ve ever had. It was so far removed from the stress of trying to get a good time or achieve a set distance. It was just a run to run, and a run to get everyone out and moving together.
Don’t get me wrong, I am absolutely loving our training program. Ellie and I had another fantastic run last night, in fact. Also, the thrill of running an official road race is amazing, and crossing that finish line in front of a huge crowd of cheering people you don’t even know is an awesome feeling that makes you crave more and more.
I think the NPR report simply reminded me that running can be a fun thing to do. It is not all about the statistics and numbers. It is okay to run just for the sake of running. No stopwatch, no iPod, no mapping. So go out there and enjoy it!
Dressing for the Run You Want
This post comes from my lovely wife Ellie, enjoy!
You know that saying, “Dress for the job you want, not the job you have”? Well, I think we can apply that to running, too. Over my years of running on and off, I’ve collected a nice sample size of running outfits off of which I can base my “research.” (Mind you, when I say “outfits,” I do not mean actual running outfits. It’s just what I happen to throw on before I head out the door.)
When I started running, it was for soccer practice and I wore shorts, a T-shirt, cleats, shin guards, all of it. I loved the feeling of running in those clothes because I felt like I was moving—and moving fast. When the soccer season was over, I wanted to keep running on my own in order to stay in shape. But instead of wearing my soccer gear, I wore pajama pants, clunky sneakers, a shirt, quite possibly a hoodie, you know where this is going. While I was running, I would get so frustrated! I felt like I was barely moving my feet and making no forward progress. Basically, I felt like a parachute catching all this air.
Running in these puppies = NO FUN!
At the time, I hadn’t thought to change my clothes. I just thought I was out of shape and couldn’t push myself through the “wind.” Mind you, I didn’t know much about running, as I wasn’t running as a sport, I was running in order to shape up for other sports. (I still love the cross-country team’s mantra of “Our sport is your sport’s punishment.” So true.)
Fast forward a half dozen years and I’m in college. By now I was starting to realize that my apparel was messing me up, adding what felt like an extra ten pounds. I’ve gone running with five-pound ankle weights, and I’d say they are about even with the billowy pants. I made a few changes, like no more hoodies, but continued to feel like a parachute with the weight of my shoes and pants. I should also note that I am far too cheap to buy actual running clothes. My running wardrobe was the same as my pajamas and my work outfits for my shifts in dietary at a nursing home. Very versatile! Just not very functional.
Fast forward again and we’re at last Thursday. It was chilly, so I was preparing for a breezy run at about 10:30 p.m. I grabbed my new knee-length leggings (A rare running-related purchase! Eight bucks!), strapped on my VFFS (So light! So not clunky!), put on my B.A.A. shirt (Courtesy of Mama and Papa Bard!) . . . and then threw on a velour zip-up along with my reflective jacket. Dumb. Jon and I weren’t even three blocks away from the apartment before I started freaking out that everything was too heavy, my earphones were getting caught on things, and the keys on a lanyard around my neck were trying to strangle me. After a couple blocks of fighting with my clothes, I stripped off the jacket and zip-up and tossed the keys to Jono. He was very kind and took the velour top from me as well and tied it around his waist. I did the same with the reflective jacket and managed to get my earphones behind my head so my hands wouldn’t get caught anymore. With everything finally in place, the rest of our run was awesome!
So I learned that I need to dress like this from the start. Even if it’s cold out, I am not going to stay cold because of all that running; I just need to put up with a chilly couple of blocks and then I’m golden. I learned that my headphones are really annoying unless they are out of my way (and trying to untangle them and get them situated behind my head while running is no fun either—sorry, Elmwood Village, for all the loud swearwords so late at night). And I learned that the less billowy, heavy stuff you wear, the faster, more streamline you feel. I know all this makes sense to most, but it just took me a while to get every aspect of my running gear into place. I am happy to report that our Thursday run last night was AMAZING! Earphones were set; leggings, shirt, and jacket were lightweight and comfy; and Jono was in control of those murderous keys. Now if I could only get Pandora to stop playing ballads when I’m in the last 10 percent of my run . . .
Not the Same Old Story
As some of you may know, a major title in the gaming world was released on May 15th. Diablo 3 was officially released, and the dreams of many reminiscent gamers of the good ol’ days of hack-and-slash grind fests were realized. Now, I realize many of you have no idea what that last sentence meant, and that is probably a good thing.
Activision Blizzard’s Diablo 3
This game was pretty hotly anticipated and desired by many people in my group of friends. It is a great interruption in the boring, cyclical life of a WoW player. I, too, have had a preordered copy of the game since last September or October, and I shared in the excitement of the beta testing and the leaked spoilers and content.
Something has changed. Historically, I was up well past midnight for every game release in order to install it as fast as my new computer (which I had probably bought specifically for the game) would or could install and get onto the servers as fast as computerly possible. Then I would fight with the horrible disconnects and lag, random video-card crashes and burnouts, and so on . . . just to say that I did it. The game has been out two full days, and I haven’t even logged on to install it—let alone to try to log on and play. It just isn’t my top priority, or even remotely close to it.
Last night I was bouncing around on the couch, driving Ellie crazy while she was getting some editing done for work. All I wanted to do was go out for a run, or go to the gym, or just do something. She insisted I shut up and watch television, as it was the one real rest day that we would take until Saturday (and since I’ve been icing my foot after every run, a break was probably wise). I obliged, rather begrudgingly. It didn’t even matter that I had the newest and best game available sitting there, waiting for me, I just didn’t want to sit down at a computer. I wanted to get out and do something.
I will be playing the game eventually, mainly because I’ve already bought it and, to be honest, most of the sports teams I’ve been watching are done for their seasons. There are about 115 days left to the opening day of the NFL, and I can’t run every single day between now and then. In an effort to make Ellie not go completely crazy, I suppose I will have to fill some of my spare time with playing games . . . but I can’t promise I’ll like it!
I guess to conclude (because for some reason I feel like I need to wrap this up), there has been a fundamental shift in what I value as important . . . and gaming just isn’t even close to the top anymore. Ellie and Audrey, random drop-ins by friends, ice cream cones at 11:00 p.m., and just about everything else is more important to me then sitting down at my computer and plugging in for the evening.
Weigh-In Wednesday, May 16th: Lovely Weather We Are Having!
Hello hello, and welcome to this week’s edition of Weigh-In Wednesday!
First, I just want to remind everyone that the distance graph only includes people with greater than 0 kilometers of cardio workouts. If you aren’t seeing your name and you have done something, make sure to get your submissions in! Second, congrats to Amy and Aaron for their victory in the Great Bus Race!
Weight
Clicking on the image makes it bigger!
Distance
Note: These values may change as I get more accurate measurements. For a few people I had to extrapolate, via social media, their workouts…!
Map
This week we added an additional 167 kilometers to our total! This brings us almost to Houston, Texas!
View Larger Map
Looking Forward, Not Dreading
After spending the morning dealing with various computer-related account issues, on my own site as well as for a couple of new interns, I realized something: I am looking forward to my evening run tonight, more so than I’d ever thought possible.
I’m not going to use the word frustrated, because it isn’t really that. It is more just distracted. Teaching while working and solving other problems has required an enormous amount of concentration, and by the end of the day I am pretty much spent. Last week I was itching to exercise every single night when I got home. I think it was mostly to just blow off some steam, to relieve some of the stress of the day. I worked out six of the last eight days, and I am itching to get out of work and go run a bunch more tonight.
Susan sent me a quote yesterday that she thought I might like, and she was right:
“If you run, you are a runner. It doesn’t matter how fast or how far. It doesn’t matter if today is your first day or if you’ve been running for twenty years. There is no test to pass, no license to earn, no membership card to get. You just run.” – John Bingham (from Runner’s World Magazine)
I think after my realization today (that I actually look forward to going out each night) and letting that quote sink in a little . . . I actually feel like I am a runner now.
Changing Flight Paths: A Trip to the Pan-Am Expo, 1901
Ellie has officially had enough of our loops around the neighborhood—and I can’t say I blame her. It does get a little repetitive running the same routes, or at least the same group of streets, over and over again. It got so bad last week, we had to sprint to a new location, just to avoid ruining the whole night’s run. (Ellie has admitted to feeling a little melodramatic about this bit, but it seemed like a serious dilemma at the time.)
The past couple of runs, we’ve altered our route. Instead of running through the Olmsted Parkway system, we changed it up and went straight toward Hoyt Lake. Once there, we curve around and up a decent hill, across a looping pedestrian bridge over a highway, and into a beautiful section of Buffalo. This new neighborhood (at least new to us), was once the center of the Buffalo Pan-American Exposition of 1901. Our apartment is actually a Pan-Am 1901 building that was used to house visitors to the exposition.
This image is available from the United States Library of Congress’s Prints and Photographs division under the digital ID ppmsca.07832.
I love this image because you can really trace the route we still take today—almost identically—to get to the Pan-Am Expo. If you start in the bottom left-hand corner, we zip down past the Albright-Knox Art Gallery, over the bridge crossing the lake, up past the tower (which is no longer there), and then into the center of the Expo. Now, over one hundred years later, it is a beautiful residential neighborhood with some of the most spectacular mansions in Buffalo.
It is pretty refreshing to see all of the history Buffalo has to offer, and exploring it by foot has opened up all new areas of the city that we wouldn’t necessarily explore by car. It is also a great feeling knowing that we have a ton of great options for our runs, be it our standard parkway system, into the actual parks around the lakes, and now through a history-rich area. In short, Buffalo is where it’s at.
So whether you find yourself sick of staring at a wall or TV screen while running on a treadmill or you’re tired of running down the same old streets, Ellie and I have found that a simple change can make us pretty excited to to go out and run. We’re excited to explore a new neighborhood, see the houses and yards with fountains (seriously, some of these mansions are ridiculous), and try out some new terrain.
Running on Cheese
Last night was the second official workout following our 10-mile training program, and I have words of wisdom to share with you all with regard to what I learned during it.
Don’t eat a cheese platter with beer and expect to have a great workout.
I mean, I’d imagine most of you are probably rolling your eyes at me because this seems like common sense. I have to admit, I too thought it was a bad idea as I was getting ready for the run . . . and then shortly into my run . . . and definitely after my run.
My evening began a bit different than usual, I met Brindy and Tino, who you may know from the weekly weigh-ins, at a relatively new restaurant down in the Cobblestone District of Buffalo. This is situated adjacent to the First Niagara Center, home of the Buffalo Sabres. This part of Buffalo is often overlooked for every day use, only really ever popular during sporting events and concerts at the arena. Strikingly uncharacteristic for the three of us, we ventured to the new Lagerhaus 95, a German beer-and-pub-fare kind of place. Overall, the food was pretty good, the price was reasonable, and it was something new.
After dinner I headed home, expecting to work out relatively soon, before it got too late, but that plan didn’t really pan out. Instead it quickly became 10:00 p.m. and we still hadn’t gone for our run. By 10:30 we finally managed to get all ready to go and got outside. The run was tough. And to top it off, finishing a run after 11:00 p.m. is even worse. Not only were we both tired, a little cranky, and now sore, it was clear that neither of us had had a fun time.
It was an interesting departure from our first run’s success on the program, which if you remember I talked about how great it was to have a set schedule. Today, I am not so happy to report on the other side of the double-edged sword. Having a set schedule can really suck, too. We felt like we HAD to go out, no matter what, despite our gastrointestinal displeasure and late start time. Don’t get me wrong, we aren’t going to abandon the plan. I just wanted to comment on how quickly we experienced both sides to a training program.
The silver lining, I suppose, is that our set schedule did get us our workouts, no matter how unpleasant it was. Looking back on it today I am glad we did end up sticking to the plan. I just know from now on, on a Tuesday, Thursday, or Sunday, I wont be eating a cheese platter with beer again.
Have you ever stuck it out and worked out despite numerous reasons NOT do it? Would you do it again?
Training Programs, Body Dips, and RSS Feeds!
The Training Program
Ellie and I officially kicked off our training program on Tuesday, and it feels great knowing that we have a schedule to follow. I never used to like the idea of having a scheduled format to follow, but now that I am actually using one, I am pretty excited about it. We ended up taking a step back, away from the original half-marathon program we were intending to do. Instead we are now following a 10-miler program. Over the next twelve weeks, we will build up to that goal. After that, we will jump right into the half-marathon program, right in time for the Boston Half!
I like this program a lot. It is relatively easy at first. I feel like it starts at our actual current level, rather than something that would be tough to achieve. Though it is only a three-day-a-week schedule, it does ramp up after the first few weeks, and I am actually looking forward to that. Here is a link to the program. Take a look; this website offers other programs for all ability levels.
Body Dips
Need half your body weight in help? No Problemo!
Because yesterday was a rest day, and because I had a ton of energy, I headed to the gym. (OMG! I KNO, RITE?!) I wanted to make sure to give my legs a good rest before my mandatory, scheduled run on Thursday, so I felt like it would be a great opportunity to throw in some weight training. When I got there, the elliptical called out to me so I did a warm-up mile on it. Next, I headed to what is probably my most favorite machine in the entire gym. The Assisted Pull-Up, Body-Dip thing-a-ma-jig. Basically, this machine allows you to do chin-ups and body dips, while assisting you with some of the weight. If you can’t lift your entire body weight, by changing the machine settings you can offset as much or as little as you need it to.
I’ll be honest with you guys, I needed the machine to assist me with about 100 lbs of my weight. I probably could have used less, but I also wanted to do a lot of reps to get my upper body working. I am going to try to make a habit of using this machine, and I’ll keep you updated on how much I need it to assist me as I progress!
I actually really enjoyed my time at the gym yesterday. I was there only for a little less than an hour, and that might have been the secret to my enjoyment. I got in, did a couple of exercises that I really wanted to do, and got out before I got bored and frustrated. I am going to try to make this type of gym-blitz a habit.
PS: New RSS!
I have been working on getting an RSS feed from our online tracking system up and going. Workouts that are submitted to the tracking system will display in a side widget! This is an opt-in feature only, don’t worry! Let me know if you want your workouts displayed for everyone to cheer you on, and I will flag your account as public. I will probably be tinkering quite a bit with this feature, as I have never worked on this type of system before. I hope it is a nice, welcomed addition!
Weigh-In Wednesday May 9th: Sleepy Weeks
Hello Hello! This week was a pretty . . . relaxed week, so lets dive in and look! (Note that I’ll be updating the graphs throughout the day as a couple of slackers finally wake up and report in!)
Weights
Distances
Looks like running races is a great way to keep your mileage up. Congrats to Mark, Amy and Sue again for their weekend races!
Overall, I think we were a little lethargic the past couple of weeks. I like to believe it is because of a lack of monthly challenge! Either way, lets pick it up next week!
Map
We added an additional 172 kilometers to our voyage across America. This puts us right smack dab at the Louisiana-Texas border. Yay! Fun fact for the day: Did you know that google maps has a limit on the number of points you can place on a map? I sure didn’t! Apparently you can only utilize points A-Y!
View Larger Map
Ask 2FNS: When to Work Out?
Following the theme of yesterday’s post, during dinner a couple days ago, a friend of mine asked me a question that she wanted answered in a blog post. I didn’t want to rush an answer, though we talked about it briefly at the table. Rather, I wanted to carefully read some actual science-y papers on the subject before writing anything that seems like it could be taken as advice . . . so here we go.
The Question: When is the best time to work out? In the morning, at night, or even in the afternoon?
This is a pretty tough question to answer, to be honest. But I want to approach it based on a pros and cons list, just to put it in perspective because I don’t think there is a right or wrong answer.
Morning Time
Pros
- Consistency: I feel that if you can get into a morning routine, there are not a whole lot of things that come up to disrupt you or make it so you can’t get your workout in.
- Gets it out of the way: Along with consistency, getting your workout done for the day early is really a big benefit all day long. It makes you feel great knowing your good to go and usually wakes up your body, energizing it for the day!
- Revs up your body: No matter what, I guarantee you wont skip breakfast after a good workout in the morning. This is a great way to get on a normal eating schedule, which should make you not as hungry (a.k.a. likely to scarf something you’ll regret) at 11:00 a.m.
- Racing: This is something that I’ve been thinking about a lot lately. Most road races are in the early morning, and if you aren’t used to running at this time of day it can really throw you off your game. If you’re a racer or thinking about getting into road races, there is a huge benefit to being used to waking up early and going for a run.
Cons
- The snooze button: If you are like me, mornings are tough. On cold, damp, dreary days I find it extremely difficult to get up early. Although if you get in a good routine, this is avoidable. It just that getting into that routine can be a nightmare.
- Not as social: It is tough to get in a social workout, like a run with a friend, because everyone has different routines in the morning. Some people do really well in a group setting, so this isn’t an issue, but for others this could be an issue.
- Avoid the afternoon slump: Exercising around lunchtime is a great way to spend your afternoon, and it’s probably the time of day your body would get the most out of the workout, getting it amped up to finish out the (work)day.
- In between meals: You’ll be nice and hungry for lunch or dinner (depending at what point in the afternoon you choose to work out) and you’ll feel like you’ve really earned it! You’ll be less likely to graze during your down time before your workout, knowing that you have to be ready to go out there and put up some mileage (see one of the cons of nighttime running).
- Social: If you can get some coworkers or friends who have similar schedules together, you can make a regular outing of it. It also makes you all more accountable if you have it penned in every weekday or every Saturday afternoon that you’ll be going out with such-and-such group of friends.
- Inconvenience: Most people can’t work out during the day, whether due to work schedules, limited lunch breaks, lack of a nearby gym or safe running trail, what have you. So this is not a possible option for many.
- Time commitment: It is easy to have quite a lot of other things to do during the day, so I could see working out getting pushed to the side in favor of working through a lunch break, hitting up the grocery store when it’s not mobbed with people, scheduling all those appointments during the one hour a day you have to yourself, and so on. Working out in the afternoon can be quite the adjustment for a lot of people.
Nighttime
Pros
- Relieves stress: It feels great to get in a good workout after a long, stressful day. You can feel the annoyances just melt away as your are cruising down the street. There is something very peaceful about just going out and running in the evening air.
- Removes guilt: Knowing if you have been bad or good with food all day makes knowing how hard you should push yourself during your workouts. If I know that I’ve eaten bad foods all day, you bet your butt I will make double effort on my runs that night.
- Gets rid of extra energy: Along the same lines as relieving stress, it’s great to run early enough so that by the time bedtime hits, you’re ready for it. Having extra pent-up energy at the end of the day stinks when you have no way to release it. Also, Ellie and I have found that it works great for Audrey, who needs about an hour of good exercise every day. By the time six o’clock hits, she has tons of energy, we have tons of energy, and everybody get tuckered out by a nice evening jog through Buffalo.
- Social: It is easier to schedule an evening run with a friend or make it part of your social, hanging-out time.
Cons
- Stuff comes up: If you are like Ellie and me, you have random stuff come up all the time. Be it a quick dinner with a friend or a random other thing we need to do, it is easy to put your workout on the back burner in order to get other things done.
- Other stuff comes up: If you’re like Ellie last night, you can relate to this one. You eat dinner (which happens to be more acidic than usual) and you wait what you felt was long enough before hitting the pavement. Once you get into a groove, you start to feel a pinch in your side. The pinch grows into a nauseous feeling until you have to cut your workout short in order to keep dinner where it belongs. No fun for anyone.
- Safety: While night runs are great and the air is usually nice and cool, running in the dark can be a safety hazard. Whether it’s visibility (don’t wear all black!) or security (don’t run toward obvious drug deals, unlit paths, or vans with no windows), it’s important to take the necessary precautions of wearing reflective/bright clothing, running with a friend or dog, or finding a better time to work out.
- Revs you up: Working out actually boosts your energy (as we read was a benefit for morning runs), and if you wait too late at night, you’ll have trouble getting to sleep. This can actually counter the benefits of the workout by not giving you restful sleep.
As you can see, these are just a few pros and cons for these options. At the end of the day, you should pick a workout time that works best for you. If you’re undecided or unsure, dabble in each, maybe trying one at a time for a while so you can get a feel for it and how it works with your lifestyle. I think each has its value, and I honestly think that a combination of all three could be the best option. Some days it is great to go out on the town and socialize with friends, so consider getting your workouts in early. But other days it is kind of nice to actually workout with friends, so the evening is the way to go. And on weekends, you can take some time in the middle of a lazy day to go outside or to the gym. Either way, whatever works for you is what works.
I’m curious as to what you guys think other pros and cons are. Whatcha think? Let me know!
