Weather Windows (And Another Giveaway!)

Anti-Monkey Butt Powder has been gracious enough to offer a free bottle of Anti-Monkey Butt Powder to a lucky reader of this blog.  This time we'll skip all the Twitter and blog link hullabaloo and just comment on this post by midnight Saturday May 7 for a chance to win.  A winner will be announced on Sunday the 8th!

This has been a really wet April.  Like crazy wet.  Like more than double of an average April.  And it's not like April is normally a dry month.

But something really cool has been happening that's allowed me to get a lot of training miles in.  Weather windows.  And it's not like when a team is trying to summit Everest and they have a 36-hour window.  These windows are like an hour or two long, but somehow I find them.

Usually this happens during the week.  I'll pack my bag for the day hoping for the best, but prepared for the worst.  (To the point where I have often packed my rain jacket that I've only run in once.)  The funny thing is, that I haven't had to run in the rain all that much - and never in any crazy downpours.  I've almost always seem to nail a window in the middle of the day when there's simply nothing falling from the sky.

With the exception of last week when I dealt with a weird stomach bug and a social-schedule packed weekend, mileage has been low-hanging fruit.  When I get up early, there's no rain, if I run at lunch time there's no rain and if I need to train in the evening because of lunchtime obligation (which has been relatively rare the last few weeks), no rain.  I might have wet sidewalks to run on and there might be some big puddles to jump over/around/through, but the really annoying stuff that soaks you and makes you miserable has not been coming down when I've planned a run.

Things like this makes me think that God likes it when I run.  I find that pretty awesome, since I'm not all that fast and I'm not exactly changing the world out there running by myself almost every day.  But it's like He's got something for me with all of this, and that's pretty cool to think about.  And pretty scary.

Book Review: Relentless Forward Progress: A Guide to Running Ultramarathons by Bryon Powell

There are a lot of books out there about running.  A lot.  And you can find tons giving you instruction on running 5K's, half-marathons and marathons.  But for a long time there has been a need for books on running ultramarathons.  Yes, there are memoirs like Karnazes' Ultramarathon Man and Pam Reed's The Extra Mile, but there hasn't been a good reference how-to book for going longer than 26 miles, 385 yards.

Now that gap has been filled.  If you've done any ultra running or have poked around the internet for information on the subject, you probably recognize the name Bryon Powell.  Bryon is the proprietor of iRunFar.com as well as the author of numerous articles published in magazines such as Trail Runner and Runner's World recent Trail Running Supplement.  Relentless Forward Progress is both a reprint and expansion of the articles he's written as well as much of the information previously published on iRunFar.com.

With his ultrarunning experience, Powell could have written the entire book off the top of the head.  But if he did, he might have missed much that is still unclear to the ultrarunning community as a whole.  For instance he provided both sides to the argument for and against speedwork as preparation for an ultramarathon.  He enlisted superstars (as much as the sport has them) Geoff Roes (con) and Ian Torrence (pro) to pen these articles.  There are also short pieces by Krissy Moehl, Dr. David Horton, Jon Vonhof (author of Fixing Your Feet), Michael Wardian and many others.  It makes it abundantly clear that this book is not just "one man's opinion" (a disclaimer often affixed to ultra running advice found online).

Bryon's advice is thorough - he gives instructions about racing at altitude (much of which is totally new and very appreciated by an East Coast resident like myself), running in heat (which I had already figured out - pieced together from dozens, if not hundreds, of particles of information spread across the world-wide-web) and fueling during an ultra (which makes sense of the hundreds of bits of information spread across the world-wide-web for me).  He also touches on things you might not even think about until you found yourself in a pickle; symptoms for high altitude pulmonary edema and high altitude cerebral edema, hypothermia, frostbite, and heatstroke and even how to relieve oneself in the woods with a bit of decorum (both #1 and #2).

There are three sets of training plans in the book.  Two for 50K training, two for 40-mile to 100K training and two for 100 mile training, with each set including a 50 miles per week plan and a 70 miles per week plan (these are in reference more to the peak week of training, rather than the average).  You can probably find similar training plans online.  But what you won't find online is a thorough explanation on how to use the plans, incorporate speedwork (if you so choose) in the plans, modify the plans to work in "real" life and even a quick reference next to each plan on handling active recovery, back-to-back long runs, long runs, modifying the plan, speed work and training for course specifics.  Having not only the plans but instructions to make the plans work, really set this apart from any other ultrarunning reference (which is really all found online).

There was some information that seemed extraneous, such as the inclusion of Eric Grossman's article on in-race management in the Highland Sky 40 which felt more like a piece of poetic prose than an illustration on how to adjust when things are quite right in a race situation.  Also the "Protect-A-Place" article by Dakota Jones had me pretty lost.  I also didn't find much "How to Fall" to much help - but that's because I don't fall (well, only twice - and once was a  freak occurance).  (I promise you I will post about it the next time I do fall - but you may be waiting a while -its been two years, so check back often.)

Also, I would have liked to have seen more addressed on chaffing issues - Powell's advice on nipple chaffing is to just use a band-aid, which I can tell you from experience that it takes a bit more than that if its an issue for you.  But it is a pretty individualized issue in that everyone experiences chaffing in different places in different ways, but perhaps we'll see more on the topic on iRunFar.

Perhaps the best thing about this book is that Bryon recognizes that it's not complete.  It includes a "call for feedback" and he will be publishing supplements to Relentless Forward Progress on iRunFar based on that feedback.

For the bookish runner (like myself) Relentless Forward Progress deserves a place on your bookshelf - maybe next to the Jeff Galloway book you picked up when you started running, since this is really the ultimate guide for the beginning ultra runner.

The official release date for Relentless Forward Progress is April 29, but it is already out on Kindle and can be purchased at iRunFar.com.

Update:  This week to celebrate the release of Relentless Forward Progress, iRunFar is celebrating a week full of giveaways!  Go to iRunFar.com for details.

An Open Letter to the Holiday Czar

Dear Holiday Czar,

I'm not sure who is involved with assigning Holidays.  Like say, Earth Day.  I imagine there must be a Holiday Czar since the government has a Czar for just about everything else.  If there is no Holiday Czar, please forward this letter to whoever is in charge of assigning semi-Holidays like Arbor Day or Earth Day.

You see, the celebration of Earth Day has me concerned.  I mean, do we celebrate Earth Day only because Earth is the planet we live on?  What about Mercury Day?  Or Uranus Day?  Why is Earth the only planet with a Holiday?

This strikes me as incredibly racist and anti-extraterrestrial.  Xenophobic, even.  Why do we think that our planet is so much better than all the other planets in the solar system?  Just because it supports life we think it's so great that it should be celebrated ahead of any other planet?  Jupiter has 13 moons - why can't we celebrate that?  Earth only has one lousy moon.

Speaking of moons, why isn't there a Moon Day?  It captured our imagination for so long, until we went there 40 years ago and realized it's just a big rock.  And how about Sun Day?  Oh wait, there's one of those every week.  (Wait a minute...Moon Day...Mon Day...Monday...you can ignore this entire paragraph.)

Another option would be to make Earth Day more inclusive.  Call it Solar System Day...although that would exclude so many stars and other worthy planets.  Galaxy Day?  Same issue.  Universe Day?  Well, depends on what you think of the concept of Multiverse.  Let's go with Omniverse Day to allow for the potential existence of other universes.

I mean, isn't that the real spirit of Earth Day?  A respect for all living things and the systems that sustain them regardless of what planet, galaxy or universe they reside in.

Cordially,
Jeff Lorow
http://another-mile.blogspot.com

Gear Review: Anti Monkey Butt Powder (and Get Your Running Team Sponsored!)

Recently I had the opportunity to try out Anti Monkey Butt Powder.  "Monkey butt" refers to the "soreness, itching and redness that affects one's backside as the result of friction and sweat".

Without getting too graphic, it's a problem for runners of long distances.  There are a few solutions.  One is a lubricant like bodyglide liquified powder, which works great,  but the problem here is application - if you're in a fifty mile race and you crew hands you the bottle, you have to use your hands.  Which is unfortunate for the person behind you when you grab that handful of pretzels at the aid station.

With a powder however, there's no need to contact your nether regions.  You just dump a little Anti Monkey Butt Powder in the back of your shorts and you're protected!

Having used Anti Monkey Butt Powder on my last three long runs, I can say that it works.  I finished all three runs (all lasting over three hours) without any monkey butt whatsoever.  (Something I can't say after my long runs last fall.)

If you want to try it yourself, you have a few options:  you could order it on their website, buy it at a number of stores, or if you'd rather not pay for it you could have your team sponsored by Anti Monkey Butt Powder:

They are offering sponsorships to ten lucky teams that will receive that will be randomly selected to receive:

$100 American Express Gift Card (for supplies, travel, etc.)

10 Anti Monkey Butt Powder T-shirts

10 Anti Monkey Butt Powder hats

10 bottles of Original Anti Monkey Butt Powder

10 bottles of Lady Anti Monkey Butt Powder

The contest runs until May 31, so act fast.  

The official entry form can be found on Anti-Monkey Butt Powder's Facebook page.

Fifty Pounds

Quick note:  Donald over at Running and Rambling is having a Merrell Barefoot Trail Glove giveaway.  For a chance to win a pair go to Running and Rambling and check it out!

In January of 2004 I bought a scale.  I set it on the floor and stepped on it.  215 pounds.  Being a skinny kid, I never imagined that I would weigh 215 pounds.  For a long time such a size seemed unimaginable to me - as a freshman in high school I was 5' 9" and 120 pounds soaking wet. But I started filling out by the end of high school and then through four sedentary years of college I started packing on pounds.

I had tried running before and never could keep up with it.  It was just too unappealing and easy to skip.  So I bought a bike.  From Wal-Mart.

It was January, so riding every day was out of the question, but I got out now and then.  I rode for about a mile the first time.  My quads ached for days.  But I slowly built up my mileage and was riding ten to fifteen miles by summer time.  My weight dropped to about 190.

Summer time came and so did the Tour de France.  I started jonesing for a road bike.  When my Wal-Mart mountain bike got a flat that refused to be fixed, I took this as a sign, junked the Wal-Mart bike and bought a Schwinn Fastback Sport for about $500.  A few weeks later I rode fifty miles for the first time.  I was hooked, but winter was coming.

I knew that to keep this up through the winter I needed a goal.  I knew that I'd just be disappointed if I rode in a bike race, so I decided to train for an Olympic distance triathlon; 1 mile swim, 25 mile bike and a 10K run.  So that kept me going through the winter.  I trained at the pool at my alma matter (Messiah College) and used their treadmills and stationary bikes when the outdoors was too cold to bear.  It was enough to get my weight down in the low 180's.

During this time I began dating Beth - so my training wasn't ideal.  Given the chance to spend an evening with her or an evening at the fitness center, I usually chose the evening with Beth.  (This was before my acceptance of pre-dawn training.)  As a result, my time at the 2005 Keuka Lake Triathlon was a sluggish 3:45.

A few weeks after completing the triathlon Beth and I were engaged.  I wasn't training for anything at this point, but I managed to get on my bike a couple times every week when the weather was nice.  I was exercising, but I wasn't training.  When I look at our wedding photos now, I always remark on how big I looked.  My weight then was in the low 190's.

After the wedding, Beth wanted to do something big before her thirtieth birthday, so we trained for the Harrisburg Bicycle Club Three Creek Century.  We had a great, fit summer usually riding over 100 miles every week.  I knew this wasn't going to last, so even before we had completed the century I was thinking about my next challenge.  That's pretty much where this blog picks up - the 2007 Harrisburg Marathon.  It was then that my weight first dropped below 180.

Since then my weight has plateaued, dropped, plateaued, increased (thanks to a reduction in training associated with Adele's birth), dropped, plateaued and dropped.  Saturday after my long run I stepped on the scale:  165. 

The significance didn't hit me at first, it was only days later when someone else was relaying their weight-loss story that I realized I am now fifty pounds lighter than I was eight years ago.  And as confirmation, after my workout this afternoon I checked again - still 165.

Into the Wild...Again

The other day the Outside Blog announced that the family of Christopher McCandless of Into the Wild fame (or, I suppose infamy depending on your point of view) will be releasing McCandless's journal entries and photos in a book and DVD both entitled Back to the Wild. 

I had read Into the Wild a couple years ago and felt a tinge of jealously over McCandless's lifestyle.  He lived on the road, seeing so much of the country with no worries about getting to work on time, paying his rent on time or keeping up with the proverbial Joneses.  (Or the literal Joneses.)  He wasn't worried about a retirement nest egg, health insurance or having an estate to pass down to his children.  He just lived life as it came and loved it.


It actually parallels, in a way, a bit of a story that Eastern University professor Tony Campolo told at the National Youth Workers' Conference I attended several years ago.  He had a group of students that decided to take Jesus's words at face value.  They sold all they had to live and minister among the poor. 

As unusual as these lives are, I truly believe this is how we were meant to live.  Actually - this is how we were created to live.  We are constantly searching for Eden.  Whether it is through the Paleo Diet, MoveNat or barefoot running, we are trying to be in tune with nature, shedding all that is plastic and artificial around us and relying solely on God.

This is when things get messy, with the temptation of sugary sweets, oversized recliners and uber-cushy shoes that make you feel like you're walking on a thick carpet made from unicorn wool.  The artificial is easy and comfortable and seeking Eden is difficult and prickly - which sounds like a contradiction, but Eden is gone, so we are seeking something that can't be found in this life. 

This world is a fallen world, so a life without toil is risky - McCandless faced challenges in finding food, getting transportation and eventually died of malnutrition (due to eating poisonous potato seeds) in Alaska.  Campolo's students have faced judgment and conflict from their parents, peers and others from the comfortable, middle-class lives they left behind. 

What it comes down to is what these people have done takes extreme courage.  We think getting up for work every day is hard, but what is more difficult is stop getting up for work and live a life without the security of a home, bank account or credit card.  Life without a net.  It's not a lifestyle I'd choose - but I respect and understand the choice of those who live it.


For more on McCandless's journeys see backtothewildbook.org

Sony W Series Walkman Winners

And....the winners of the Sony W Series Walkman music players are Alyssa and Tabb.  I'll be in contact with you both (Tabb - couldn't find an e-mail, so I've tweeted at you) to get your address to send you your Sony W Series Walkman.  For those of you who didn't win, it is still available at www.sony.com/runningmate at the discounted price of 48.99.

Congratulations to the winners and thanks to everyone for participating!

Running in Circles

Reminder:  You have until midnight on Saturday (Sunday morning) to enter to win one of two SONY W Series Walkman digital music players.  See Sunday's post for details.

In 2008 when I ran the Harrisburg Mile it felt awful.  I had beaten my personal best in the mile (that I had set during the Presidential Physical Fitness Test in high school), but I was gasping for  breath, my legs felt like they were going to explode and my lunch was near the top of my esophagus. 

That's what running fast does.  It hurts.  It makes you out of breath and your legs feel like pieces of concrete and you're half-expecting to see your pre-race Clif Bar at any moment.  The better that you can handle that, the faster you can race.

Okay, that's just part of the picture.  I mean, a 6:30 mile doesn't make all runners feel that way. I mean, for some runners 6:30 is a relatively easy pace.  So there's more to running fast than embracing the sensation of feeling like your innards are about to become outtards. There's improving leg strength, form, VO2 max and the ability to clear lactic acid from your muscles.

But for me, embarking on speed work has been about learning to suffer.  So far this year I've made four trips up to the Mechanicsburg High School track to run 800-meter repeats.  Two before the Chambersburg Half Marathon and two since.  And I have five more planned before the Pittsburgh Marathon.  The funny thing is, I like it.

Okay, there's nothing about running in circles for 30-60 minutes that's fun.  Unless you're a numbers geek like me.  Just like fantasy football, speed work has become about the numbers.  It starts with a goal.  The first time out it was simply five 800-meter repeats done between 3:23 and 3:31.  That was pretty easy, so then the second time out I went for six, none slower than 3:29 with the first being the slowest and the last the fastest (I achieved the under 3:30 goal, but did not get them in descending order).

This explains why I never was that into speedwork before.  It's often said that the easiest way to work in speed is by using fartleks (a Swedish word meaning "speedplay").  You just go for a run, then pick a spot to run hard towards, recover, pick another spot and so on.  This is just not  regimented enough for me.  If I go out for a fartlek, I might get one interval in.  Might.  There are no goals to shoot for or times to hit.  It doesn't demand the focus that track workouts do and so I lose interest quickly.

So now I'm actually looking forward to my training leading up to the Harrisburg Mile this year. I'll be mixing in some shorter intervals (I'm thinking a 200-300-400-600 stepladder as well as regular old 400s) which will take these numbers games to whole new level.

Gear Review (AND GIVEAWAY!): Sony W-Series Walkman

I normally don't run with music.  There's a couple reasons for this:

1. It can be dangerous - I like to be able to hear when cars go by, and I sometimes cross some busy streets and since my reaction time is sometimes slowed a bit from fatigue, I need to know as soon as possible if a car is coming, and that means enlisting all my senses.

2.  Armbands annoy me.  They sometimes chaffe and they always make a long-sleeved shirt feel weird.  I sometimes use them to put a flashing light on if I'm running in the dark, but otherwise I prefer to be without them.

There are times when having some music or podcast in my ear is nice.  Like if I'm running on a "dreadmill" or even my lunchtime runs around the business park which are getting boring seeing that same two-mile loop two times every day. But I rarely do this because of  reason number 2 above.

And this is the reason that when Sony contacted me about doing a review and giveaway of their W Series Walkman it was a no-brainer.

As you can see in the picture, there is no real cord on the W-Series and there is definitely no annoying arm band.  It all functions from the two bluetooth-style pieces that rest right on your ears.  The cord wraps around the back of your head/neck and those strangely-shaped earpieces fit snugly into your ears.

I have to say that at first I was concerned that I'd look like Lobot from The Empire Strikes Back, but the earpieces are considerably smaller than the interface worn by Lando Calrissian's assistant.








Setting it Up
The Sony W-Series Walkman was very easy to set up.  The installation files are all loaded on the Walkman itself, you just connect to your computer using the supplied USB cable a run the executable set-up file.  It includes a nice content transfer program that allows you to click and drag songs from iTunes, Windows Media Player or My Computer onto the Walkman (it is compatible with mp3, WMA and AAC (iTunes) audio files).

Functionality
At first I wasn't sure how I'd be able to keep straight what button does what while wearing the player.  But it didn't take long for it to become second nature.  There are four controls (three buttons and a lever):  One on the left side allows you to switch from "shuffle" to a specific playlist (I generally prefer "shuffle").  On the right side there are two buttons and a lever.  By pushing in the lever you can play or pause, pushing it forward skips the song and pushing it backwards goes back one song.  The two buttons are the volume buttons.  You can imagine it would be tough remember which one was up and which was down.  But Sony had foreseen this problem and if you want to turn the volume up, you push the taller button.  If you want the volume lower, you push the short button.

When not using the Walkman, you connect the magnetic ends (see the "content transfer" picture above) to turn it off and there is a plastic case included to prevent the ends from separating and having it accidentally turned on and draining your battery.

Comfort
I've worn these on three runs each of about 35 minutes - my lunchtime runs.  I was concerned that the weight of the units on my ears would cause them to bounce and I'd have to pop them back on repeatedly.  This was definitely not the case.  The units come with three sizes of earbuds to attach and if you have the right size you'll feel the unit move some but it isn't coming off.

In fact, I would say that my first test of the W Series Walkman was my best test.  I wore it for my morning strength training, which included push-ups, chin-ups and jumping.  I never felt like it was going to even come close to falling out.

Downside?
There were only two things I didn't like - and one can't be improved.

The first (the thing that can't be improved) is that there's nowhere to see an artist/title for a song that's playing.  But I guess you're not going to have that if you have a unit strapped to your arm, either.  But there were a couple times out running when I wanted to check on that but couldn't.  This disadvantage is well compensated for in the comfort of having the unit on your head instead of having a cord flopping around attached to a unit strapped to your arm.

What could be improved is an audio-output jack that would allow you to attach the unit to a speaker unit, say in your car.  It's a minor inconvenience and doesn't really jive with having the unit turned off when not on your head (by connecting the two magnetic ends).  Ultimately, that's not what the W Series was designed for.

The Part You Probably Scrolled Down Looking For
This is the very exciting part of this review.  This is the part that not only do I have a Sony W Series Walkman to give away, but I have TWO Sony W Series Walkmans (Walkmen?) to give away!

Please stop squealing like a little girl and read on.

Being my first ever giveaway (and a darn good one at that) I'm offering up to three entries per person.

The first entry is for commenting on this post.  Easy enough.

A second entry can be obtained by including in that comment a link to your blog post which directs others to this post to win a Sony W Series Walkman.

You can get a third entry (or second if you don't have a blog) by tweeting about this contest with a link to this page.  Include a link to your tweet in your comment.

You have until Midnight (Eastern Daylight Time) Saturday, April 9 to enter.  At that time (or shortly thereafter) I will use the free services at Random.org to determine the winner. (Excel spreadsheet - random sequencer to re-order the entries - two random number generations.)

If you don't win or can't wait until next Saturday, SONY is offering the W Series Walkman at a discount for $48.99.  (Regular price is $60).

*Product provided by SONY.