Training for the Men's 4-Miler Race 2013, Charlottesville, Virginia

I'm back, and training for this year's Men's 4-Miler Race on June 16, Father's Day. I hope a lot of Charlottesville area men will sign up. It's a great race, and a worthy cause (men's health initiatives at the University of Virginia Medical School). My overall health has been very good. Last A1C was 5.9. How are you doing? I hope this post finds you in good health, and that walking and/or running are making a difference in your overall improvement in blood sugar control and mental health! Stay safe out there. Rob

Brand new pair of Nike Men's Running Pants for sale:

Consistency is the key

I have been following the terrific running podcast "Phedippidations" for many years, and have even recently been enjoying his short(er) diatribes called "Intervals." Right now, you can hear it in Steve Runner's voice: Even Steve is struggling with keeping his running consistent. We've all been there. For me, my "regular" runs became more inconsistent after finishing a very satisfying 13.1 mile race in early December. I backed off on my running on purpose, in part to recover, in part to see how my aging body would feel after a demanding schedule and race, in part to literally "enjoy" the holidays after obsessing for 3.5 months on getting all of my runs in four days a week. But now I am at the point where the weather is warming, the days are getting longer, and I need to set some new, if even modest, running goals for myself. So I signed up for the Martha Jefferson 8K on March 10 and have programmed my "training" schedule backwards. It is not a long race, but a great fundraiser and one of the largest local races in Charlottesville I have yet to run. Depending on how my training is going, I'll either run it "just for fun" or I'll let'er rip on race day. Steve Runner always encourages us to "pick a race." It's great advice. Once you do, you'll realize that the most important part of your running is not how you do on race day, but how consistent you are in getting your runs in amongst your daily schedule. Make running a priority. Put it in your calendar as a standing appointment. Make running as fundamental as eating and sleeping. I look forward to reporting back on my progress, and giving everyone a pre-race assessment. Until then, check your blood sugars and hit the trails with some sport beans and water at the ready.

Today is my New Year's start at keeping healthy for another year! Last year was my best running year thus far, so my hope is to be able to repeat that experience. Keeping the pounds off is at the top of my list. How about you? Are you setting some reasonable goals to make 2012 ear your healthiest year yet?

The Men's 4-Miler, June 19, 2011

Well friends, the new race course and event were fantastic. On Father's Day this month, about 500 men in Charlottesville lined up at 7:30am in the parking lot of Scott Stadium at the University of Virginia to run the revamped (men's only) 4 mile race. My personal record for this event (back when it was held in Free Union) is 31:58. I was nervous about the new course, hills, etc. but what slowed me down more than anything was the humidity. It was fairly brutal, at 90 percent humidity and air temps of 72 degrees. My finish time was 32:48, or an 8:12 pace per mile. Not bad, but not a personal record. I started out well, with a mile 1 split of 8:05 and a mile 2 split of 7:59, but then I lost a lot of steam. (Note about the course: While the reports were that the first two miles are slightly uphill [true] and the last two miles downhill [untrue]. Some hill training at miles 3-4 would definitely help. My final two miles were slower than the first two, not exactly a recipe for a PR. But what a great event. Here in Charlottesville, the Women's 4-Miler is such a mega-event, selling out in 48 hours. It's nice to see the men improving on their participation, and for proceeds of the race going to the Department of Urology at the UVA Medical School for prostate cancer research and overall support of men's health initiatives. Hope to see more of you next year. Who knows? Maybe the men's race will become the super mega-event like the women's race!

I'M BACK!

After a long respite from blogging, I'm back. It is 10 days before the Men's 4-Miler race here in Charlottesville, a wonderful event that I would not miss. Injuries are minimal to non-existant at this stage. Yoga could be the missing link in my running lifestyle. A couple of quick tips that come from listening and reading from other people who know diabetes management and running much better than I do:
1) Hydrate. It's hot out there already (heat index today in Crozet is 105). It is almost impossible to drink too much water, so drink it all during the day so that even if you run in the early morning, you will not dehydrate during your runs of one hour or less. More than one hour? Take water with you.
2) Practice breathing. Tara Stiles, yoga guru, inspires us each day to learn that a good, deep breath helps your body relax. Lord knows life is stressful out there, so add some routine to your days where you practice being quiet, breath deeply, and let go. If you add yoga positions to that, all the better. Check out her website at www.tarastiles.com

Anterior Tibialis Tendinitis

My running the past two weeks has been inconsistent, due to a recurring and extremely painful left lower leg injury. I have been trying to diagnose it myself, and think I've found the answer (isn't the interweb wonderful?). I think I have something called Anterior Tibialis Tendinitis, most likely caused by an extremely tight soleus muscle. I should have kept massaging the soleus in both legs during the latter stages of training for the Charlottesville 10-Miler. By restarting my soleus-targeted massaging (using the wonderful devise by www.tptherapy.com) the pain has started to subside. I ran 6 miles yesterday virtually pain-free, and hope to rebuild slowly and maintain the massaging 2-3 times per day throughout my next stages of training. My fingers are crossed in hoping that the pain will stay away, and I can continue to run throughout the summer and fall.