Terry Fox

Posted on 27 November 2011 by PapaTrio

The Terry Fox run was today. It was a weird event even for a fun run. I just wonder what Terry himself would think if he knew that his life and effort had spawned all of this. I mean he was determined to run across Canada, but didn’t make it. In some way though, if you take every kilometer run, walked, skated, or ridden on the Terry Fox runs held around the world, how many times would Canada have been crossed?

I ran five kilometers today at a good pace. Not as good as others, but I bettered my time from earlier in the week. I didn’t run with my watch, so I don’t know for sure, but I did push my cardio-vascular and muscular conditioning. I was wheezing pretty good and didn’t feel that I could push any more than I did. A friend said that she had finished around 25 minutes, and I had finished about nine minutes ahead of her… so. But those kinds of estimates don’t count for much, besides it was a fun run.

I don’t think I’ll ever run and I mean run seriously again in a fun run. I might jog through and I will definitely walk them, but run, no. There really isn’t much of a point. The beginning was a zoo with small children trying to ride bikes or scooters at the start and so many onlookers crowding in from the sides that the street had been narrowed considerably and then people joining from side streets… it was a mess. Not a proper start at all and really quite dangerous. After a couple of blocks though, the dense crowd thinned considerably and the real run began.

I had pushed too hard at the beginning just from being caught up in the excitement, weaving through the crowd, and my desire to get out ahead of it all. Still, it was a fun run and one that contributed to my fitness and my eventual marathon.

God bless Terry Fox may he rest in peace.

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Running Fast or Fast Running

Posted on 22 November 2011 by PapaTrio

Sunday 27 November is the Terry Fox Run here in HCMC. We’ve run every year since

Our route this year

2007 when we arrived. My original plan was to run the Bangkok Marathon on 20 November the week before and then this one. The floods in Bangkok have fixed that, but I still haven’t really prepared for the Terry Fox. Sure, I’ve been running 20 some odd km every Sunday, but I haven’t really been focused on speed.

I had always assumed that I could run the 5 km of the Terry Fox at almost a sprint. Tonight, I found out different. I ran it quite fast, 22.58 minutes or 4.5 minutes per km. I’m pretty happy with that time, but at about km 4 I could feel my legs weaken. I could focus and keep my legs pumping, but it took effort. My fast twitch muscles aren’t there, yet. I doubt I can get them by Sunday, but I’ll run another 5 km as fast as I can on Thursday. I’ll also do another 5 km at a more moderate pace. It should help.

I’ve known for quite a while that we need fast twitch muscles to sprint or run fast and slow

Full range of leg motion & arm motion for sprinting (source boknows.com)

twitch muscles to run slowly.  That seems redundant and obvious, but seeing is believing or in the case, running is believing. Right now, I have sufficient slow twitch strength to do the marathon, but if I’m going to reach my speed goal, I’ll have to start mixing in some fast twitch development. I’ve got to have speed Tuesdays at the very least where I run 10 km as fast as I can.

My cardio-vascular is in good shape. I realized tonight that my lung capacity is a great advantage. I was breathing hard, but not laboring. I was breathing easily my lungs working like a great bellows. I realized that I wasn’t even emptying and filling my lungs completely. I didn’t need to.

My heart rate elevated, too. Again, it did not seem strained. Last time I had my heart rate measured, it was beating a steady & slow 60 beats per minute — the low end of normal. I think I have the cardio-vascular to push my speed during the marathon. Now, to focus on building the fast twitch muscle fibers I’ll need.

A couple of links:

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Rain in the Streets

Posted on 12 November 2011 by PapaTrio

Last Thursday we had Sports Day 2011 at AIS. It was a great day; the rain couldn’t even prevent it from being a great day. Nothing like playing a hot sweaty game in the rain in Vietnam. However, that is where the fun in the rain stops. The drive home was difficult. Let me count the ways:

  1. My xe om (motorcycle taxi) was late. In fact I had to call her. Mr. Sang showed up; not Madame Cuc, his wife who is my usual driver. He said or gestured because of the rain.
  2. It has rained A LOT this fall even for tropical monsoon season. In fact, it seems to me that the monsoon has gone on overly long. The flooding was helped along by it being high tide during a full moon.
  3. The streets in districts 7 & 8 were flooded. Not just a little flooded but up to the hubs of the motorcycle flooded. Deep enough to flood a motorcycle engine. People were spraying rooster tails everywhere. Not only was the water cold, it was dirty and stinky!

As per usual, I had a slight fever & soar throat after being exposed to so much dirty nasty water.

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Bad Day

Posted on 8 November 2011 by PapaTrio

This was the worst day EVER! Let me count the ways!

  1. I got up at 5:00 AM to complete work that went wanting the day before violating the procrastinator’s creed: Always put off until tomorrow what should have been done yesterday. What a horrific start to a day: not being able to put something off until tomorrow!
  2. On the way to work, we had the Vietnamese equivalent of a fender bender. Our motorbike was hit by a taxi! A taxi! It’s always a taxi! I’m sitting on the back of the bike while were wending our way slowly through a left hand turn through the oncoming streaming of traffic. I kept thinking,”If he doesn’t do something, he’ll hit us.” That’s a fairly normal occurrence in HCMC. Then, “He’s getting pretty close, I’m sure he’ll turn…” Again, not too unusual. “He’s about to –” BAM! He never knew we were there until after he hit us. The moron.
  3. Twenty minutes later we get pulled over and ticketed for crossing a busy intersection against the light. So, I walked the last three blocks into work.
  4. I figured the day was pretty shot, so I decided to get rid of the old moldering brains that were left in the biology refrigerator from a couple of weeks ago. Man, they were STANKY! They were graying, hard in places, and sticking to the Tupperware. Worst of all was the brain juice. The stank reminded me of decomposing shark that I had smelled in high school. Nothing takes you back like smell. Not only can I still SMELL them, I can still TASTE them.
  5. On the way home, I had to stop at the bank to get a new random-number-generating security device. After a very confusing 15 minute conversation on a very bad phone connection, the metallic tinny androgenous voice on the other end told me the device was the wrong one. For some reason they seemed to think that my last successful log on being in October was important. Then, after getting me to read the 15 digit identity number on it, she told me it was the wrong one. Then the woman at the desk who called the person on the phone talked to them for 15 minutes only to tell me that (a) I had the wrong device, (b) I had last logged on in October — I told you it was important, (c) I had the wrong device, & (d) I had last logged on in October — see what I mean? I tried to reassure her that I knew all of these things, but she repeated it all twice more. Then as I stood to leave figuring I’d just go home and search for the right one, she told me… to go home and search for the right one. Then in a friendly voice she invited me back anytime for some “help.”
  6. I didn’t run today. I have a headache.

Dinner was GREAT. Lasagna. Now I’m not going to loose any weight, am I? On a bad day, you can find the grey lining around any silver cloud.

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Lemons, anyone?

Posted on 5 November 2011 by PapaTrio

It’s like I always say, When life gives you lemonade, ya gotta make a few lemons! It is official, the Standard Charter Bangkok Marathon 2011 is cancelled. However, it has been re-scheduled for 12 February 2012! So, let’s make some lemons!

I’ve got 14 weeks to go! I’m in pretty darn good shape right now. I could do the marathon tomorrow, but not in the time I’d like. I could do 30 km tomorrow and be closer to the time that I’d like. But, with 14 weeks, I can (a) take a weekend off to catch up with some other chores, (b) work on developing my speed (cardiovascular & faster twitch muscles), (c) complete my distance training, & (d) start working more intensively on my core conditioning!

I’m pretty psyched even if the wife isn’t.

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Running Buddy

Posted on 3 November 2011 by PapaTrio

Recently, I started running with Faye our new PE teacher on Wednesday evenings. She is starting running again after moving to HCMC and is interested in doing a marathon sometime in the spring. We’ve managed two runs during the past two weeks.

Running with Faye reminded me not only how much fun it could be to run with a partner but how important a partner is to running. As Faye pointed out, “It’s a good thing I don’t have your phone number!” She didn’t need to finish the sentence for me to understand what she meant. With our busy lives, especially at home after school with our families, it would be so very tempting to call & cancel. But, without the number, well, you hate to stand a partner up.

Faye proved to be good company during the run, too. We would run in relative quiet with little or no conversation, but then delve into some anecdote about a past running experience or better yet, about some place we had lived. She told me about Dhaka & I told her about Korea. It seemed a fair exchange.

Just the conversation alone is worth running with another because it distracts you from the discomfort that is inevitable when you run distance. It keeps you from getting bored and focusing on yourself. And during those especially difficult runs, it keeps you going through the hard parts. It makes gritting it out so much easier and successful. It’s harder to talk someone else out of finishing the run than it is yourself.

I also realized that I needed her to keep me focused on training goals. Without a sane person around who would need to keep running shorter slower distance, I tend to talk myself into speed runs every night! Or, why not extend this one out to be another 20k? That way I’ll do a full marathon in two days!

Most of all, though, Faye reminded me of my old running buddy, Susanne! We ran every step of our training for the Singapore Marathon 2008 together. We ran every step of the marathon together too. That had to be one of the high points of my running habit that marathon. I never would have done it or the others without her.

Singapore 2008 with Susanne!

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The Next Day

Posted on 24 October 2011 by PapaTrio

Typically after a big run, I’m stiff the next day. I have trouble walking down stairs at least in the mornings. But, this morning. Nothing. Nada. I’m fine. Maybe I’m finally getting there.

One of the things that I’m struggling against right now is boredom. Anytime I have to extend a run, I run out of narrative, get bored, start to focus on the discomfort of running, and want to cut it short. Literally, I am running out of things to talk to myself about as I run. I have no problem for the first 90 minutes (18 km), but after that I’m dry and desperate to find a topic any topic that is captivating enough to distract me for the next 15 minutes or so until I can finish.

I have been able to to grit it out, but it is unbelievably difficult. I’m amazed at how difficult it is. I have to focus on, running through this; visualize yourself finishing; and, finally, keep those legs moving. It is the only thing that works. Sad, isn’t it?

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Toe 2 Heel

Posted on 23 October 2011 by PapaTrio

Tonight’s run was great! Probably one of the best long runs I’ve had all year. I felt great all the way to the last two km and then it was “just keep your legs moving” bit. That always works for 30 or fewer minutes for me.

My toes look as terrible as ever, but sustained no new damage during the run. That size 12 toe box really did something! And that size 12 heel did something too! I’ve got two big blisters on the inside of each heel. Nothing that my gel insoles won’t fix I reckon though. So it is party on!

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New Shoes

Posted on 23 October 2011 by PapaTrio

The Bangkok Marathon is coming up 20 November. My current running shoes are a moving environmental disaster area. If they stop for more than a day, the EPA shoes up. There is no way the airline will allow me to bring those anywhere near an airplane, so I’ve had to get another pair.

That old pair of shoes were Mizunos! Incredible shoes. Very light. Great support. I loved those shoes and am loathe to part with them.

 

My new Wave Creation 11

The new shoes are Mizuno Wave Creation 11′s. The link is for 12′s. I suppose these leftovers from last year. The only flaw with the old pair was the size. They were size 10′s. One size larger than I normally wear. My feet — thankfully unphotographed & unposted — have been suffering, especially my toes, as my distances have gotten longer. My last 20+ k run left me with a huge blister on my left big toe and a very annoyed callous on the outside of the fourth toe of my left foot. I’ve got blood blisters under four nails including the aforementioned left big toe nail.

The Mizuno Wave Creation 11′s are size 12! Yep, that’s right. Twelves! Plenty of toe room. Hopefully, my arches will be okay. If they cause problems, I’ll get insoles. Tonight is my first run with them!

Can you tell which one is a size 12 & size 9?

Huh? What about that? Those boys are big! Plenty of toe room in that toe box. I’ll let you know how it goes.

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Drive Byz!

Posted on 21 October 2011 by PapaTrio

Okay, so the name is a bit obnoxious, but so am I, I suppose. Okay, I have my obnoxious moments but mostly I guess I’m a smart alack cynical sarcastic old curmudgeon whose had children way too late in life. Also, I love culture. I mean real culture not weddings & ballets & art museums, but what happens when two people want to occupy the same space culture. How do those people go about negotiating who occupies the space and if you’ve ever lived abroad then you know what I mean.

So, I’m going to be posting several types of posts here:

  1. Photos that I take as the passenger of a moving motorbike. This arrangement is akin to a taxi and takes place across most of the known world but is largely unknown to North Americans & Europeans. These motorbike taxis are unlicensed and a use at your own risk kind of thing. Here in Vietnam they are called Xe Oms, and you see all sorts of weird stuff as you drive a long through this traffic. I’ll post those pictures and lament the ones that got away.
  2. Observations of the behavior of that traffic made from all ways that I view it, but primarily from the back of the xe om and while running. Though I reserve the right to use any observations that I may make from a taxi, private car, bus, bicycle, or other imaginative mode of transportation.
  3. My experiences running and preparing for marathons, half-marathons, fun runs, vertical runs, & triathlons. I run a lot. On the order of six to seven hours a week. I have a lot of time to think and by posting those thoughts here it doesn’t feel so much like wasted time. Honest.
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