Perfecting the Art of Blowing Your Nose on the Run

Some call it the snot rocket. I don't really call it anything. But placing a finger on one nostril while forcibly expelling air out the other nostril while running is quite a regular occurence during my runs.

I remember way back when I first started running in 1993. When I started running with more experienced runners, there was one guy that I thought had a particularly nasty habit of blowing snot out of his nose what must have been every 5 minutes.  But it actually helped my training as it always pushed me harder so that I would always be running either on the side of or in front of him to stay out of range of his boogers.

To me it appeared quite a nasty, barbaric habit.

But things quickly changed as I started acclimating to the life of a real runner. Yes, runners do nasty things at times.

What made me think of this is the lingering phlegm buildup I've been encountering after my recent bout with the common cold. After taking a day off work and running on Monday, April 4th, the nasal buildup has been steady.

It took my body another 8 or 9 days to start feeling like I wasn't running with lead weights attached to my shoes, but getting out there and running makes me feel better in the morning after and while battling a cold. I wake up with my sinuses congested, but within 5 minutes there's a rapid flow of mucus that I'm able to expel on the run.

For those seeking instruction on snot rocket technique, it is pretty much common sense. While running, take your right finger and place on the outside of your right nostril. Twist and tilt your head to the left as best you can to steer clear of your clothing. Then blow as hard as you can. Ah! Doesn't that feel better? Now do the same using your left finger. Repeated as desired.

Of course it is nice to have courtesy and make sure no one is behind you while participating in this procedure. And if you're slightly vain like I am, try to do this when no one is around, as someone driving that car may know you and be repulsed by what you are doing. Unless they are a runner themselves.

At the end of a run, I feel invigorated and my nasal cavity is cleared of all that nastiness inside. I'm ready for a great day.

So join the crowd and blow those liquid boogers out when you need to. 'Snot anything to be ashamed of.

First Cold of the Year - Thought I Was in the Clear!

I made it to April Fool's Day without a single day illness this year, but that came to an end yesterday when my sneezing went haywire on a day out with the kids.

In fact, up until around 2 pm yesterday, I felt perfectly fine. We went to the Los Angeles Zoo and, BOOM, it hit me. Couldn't stop sneezing, over and over again. And these weren't allergy sneezes. These were followed up by massive drainage and nose blowing ever since. Yep, my first cold of the year.

So I decided to stay home today and keep my germs away from my coworkers. It also give me a chance to update how my training is looking year-to-date.

Through yesterday, I ran 550 miles this year, about 100 miles more than in the last several years, yet 130 miles less than the mileage I was putting in back in 2004, the last year I ran a decent marathon (a 2:48 at the Long Beach Marathon).

So I have a decent base that, after I get over this cold, hopefully I can put to good use. I was considering running the Pasadena Marathon in May, but I don't have enough time to get enough decent long runs in.

But at least I was able to get 2 hours, 20 minutes of running in this past weekend pre-cold, for a total of 18.5 miles.

Back to the drawing board....hope this storm passes through quickly!

Run Streak Ended by Massive Rain Storm, 40-50 MPH Winds and Flooding

At least I have a good excuse. My 3 month, 5 day, running streak came to a halt this past Sunday due to the massive rain storms that brought 40 to 50 mile winds and 5 inches of rain to the Conejo Valley.

My plan was to run 16 miles in 2 hours, but when I awoke up to torrential downpours I decided I'd wait it out. I waited and waited and the storm got worse. We have a large trampoline in the backyard and the howling winds blew it across the yard. I thought we would love some trees but they managed to stay planted to the ground (but hundreds of other trees around town weren't so lucky).

Then I discovered that the rain gutters in the back side of the house were clogged. So in rain pouring down as hard as 2 inches per hour, I was out in my jeans (I lack proper wet weather clothes...native Southern Californian that I am), soaked, on a ladder. I had attempted to band-aid the rain gutter issue by placing the green waste bin under the area where water was falling down. But it was full within 40 minutes and immovable.

And there were the drains in the backyard. The rain came down so hard that every leaf and piece of bark in the yard was inserting itself into the downspouts, clogging them up. So I spent over an hours in a 2nd pair of jeans clearing the drains and sweeping the water towards the front of the house.

After a trip to Home Depot and a Pinewood Derby appearance, I was beat. My body was sore in new places on Monday. And after seeing and reading about how many trees were downed, running outdoors on Sunday would have been a treacherous experience. Guess I could have run at the gym...but I hate treadmills.

So while my run streak has come to an end, I'm actually feeling pretty good. I think I needed that day off, with or without epic rainstorms.

Hour and 45 Minutes, No Water, No Gels, But a Bit of Chafing

With nearly 18 years of running and 45,000 miles under my belt, you'd think I'd have learned from all my mistakes. But nope, from time to time, I subconsciously must seek some self-defeating behaviors. But it's all good!

Sportslick is a nice alternative to Vaseline to maintain chafe-free skin on long runs

           On Saturday morning I decided I should run for 1 hour, 45 minutes, or 15 minutes longer than my previous longest run of the year the previous Saturday. It was somewhat cool outside so I decided I would wing it and not bring any fluids or gels, like my typical 40 to 60 minute weekday run.

Usually on my longer runs, I have a pre-run routine, but since this was kind of an ad hoc decision, I hadn't given much mental thought. But I did do the basics....bandaids on the inner circles of my chest (a.k.a. nips) and for chafing and blister prevention, some Vaseline on the inner thighs, some on the toes and heel and the backs of my armpits. You know, anywhere.

With some light sunscreen and a hat on my head, I ran off, feeling perky. Felt good outside, this last day pre-Daylight Saving time.

About an hour into the run I started feeling very slight irriation on the left side of my upper leg, where the inner thigh meets the running short. The telltale sign that something was amiss. But I've run thousands upon thousands of miles with no significant chafing issues that I didn't worry too much, though something told me perhaps I didn't put enough lubrication down there.

Sure enough, it became a true annoyance over the next 15 minutes, to the point I had to decide, should I cut the run short by 15 minutes to minimize the what was now obvious chafing issue, or do I grin and bear it. I chose the latter. I'm no wimp.

And so I continued running on a path I knew would achieve my 1 hour, 45 minute goal. Adjusting my crotch every few minutes (drivers must have wondered what I was doing), I made it home. But I was fully dreading the shower. Ooch, ouch, ooch, ouch as the water drove the pain factor up.

But I survived. Two days of Neosporin and other topical creams later, I was pretty much o.k.

So bottom line, make sure you LUBRICATE ADEQUATELY for your long runs. Take it from me.

And one other thing. I wore a cotton t-shirt on this run. Fortunately it did not do too much chafing damage, but the bottom part of my back felt a bit irritated from the shirt.  I usually where a "technical" top (e.g. a shirt made out of a synthetic material). But once again, I was feeling foolish Saturday morning.

Lastly, even with the red welts on my inner thighs, I was able to run 3 miles on Monday morning and maintain my running streak. It is now March 15th and I've achieved 3 months straight of running. I'll be taking a day off soon though.

Got Me a Run Streak Going on Nearly 3 Months!

Of course now that I wrote this, my streak is bound to end. Which wouldn't be a bad thing.

Miraculously (knock on wood), I've survived all of 2011 so far with getting sick. My runner friends will be amazed by this because of my long string of medical malfunctions.

But even on an average of 6 hours' sleep, I've been able to stay healthy. So it dawned on me that I haven't taken a day completely off from running for a long time. Looking at my monstrous Excel running log, I've been running daily since 3 days after the Tucson Marathon, or December 15th.

I got me a running streak!  If I can keep this up until next Tuesday, I'll have a 3 month run streak! Yippee!!

The reality of it is that I'm not a big fan of running streaks because they aren't particularly healthy. It's nice to have goals and to be dedicated to running, or anything positive for that matter, but it is perfectly find and a good thing to take a day off now and then.

But...since running "gets me going" in the running and makes me feel good, if I'm not sick or injured, I go for a run. Mind you, some days I run more, some less. My average daily run so far in 2011 has been 5.9 miles. From time to time I'll run 2 to 3 easy miles as my "off" day.

Since I don't usually track running streaks, I'll have to look back in my running log to see what my longest running streak is over the last 17 years. For all I know I may be in the midst of it!

On that note, so far this year I have zero races under my belt and pretty much zero plans, other than I bought an entry into the Calabasas Classic 5K all the way in November (great race). My longest run of the year so far was this past Saturday, with roughly 14 miles. Time to start thinking about my plans...

Marathoning: It's All About the Mileage

Call me a purist, but for me and all of my competitive running friends, marathon training is ALL ABOUT THE MILEAGE!

As I've discovered over the last several years, you can't fool your body into running a fast marathon without doing the homework. Putting lots and lots of miles "in the bank" is the way to go.

Forget about speedwork. If you are stretched for time, get more miles in.

I started running in May 1993. I gradually built up my mileage and for the year 1996 through 1999 average 3,500 miles per year (yes, that is an average of 9.5 miles each and every day).

That was a LOT of work, but those were my best marathon years, when I ran a 2:37 in 1996, 2:35 Personal Best in 1997, 2:37 in 1998 and 2:36 in 1999.

Things kind of went downhill after my 2:35 because I didn't let my body recuperate long enough and injured myself doing speedwork and too many races. That led to groin pulls, hamstring ailments and other problems.

That was a long time ago and I'm a lot older now, not to mention tired, working a full-time job with a family and kids while I blab away about my training and other topics here on Conejo Valley Guide. But I'm just happy to be training, fit and healthy.

Last year's mileage for me was 2,092, slightly higher than my 2008/2009 total mileage. I've averaged roughly 2,000 miles per year over the last 3 years. That's quite a bit less than my peak mid-1990s mileage, but enough to enable me to run moderate marathon times in the low 3 hour range at my advanced age of 46.

I've been tracking my mileage on an Excel spreadsheet that has grown to over 6,500 rows since May 1993. It shows I've run 44,993 miles through December 2010. Maybe I do need to get an oil change or have my filter replaced at least!

I also track the number of minute run each day. As of 12/31/10, I had run 15,744 minutes in 2010, which equates to 262 hours. Damn, that's a lot of time! But worth it.

95 Year Old Woman Runs 60 Meters in Under 30 Seconds for World Record!

This woman is an inspiration for sure! She runs and works out and at age 95 recently ran 60 meters in 29.86 seconds. Ida Keeling is 4' 6" and 83 lbs and started running at age 67, which means she has been running for 28 years now. I started running at age 28. My goal is to run 60 meters in under 30 seconds when I'm 95 too!

Stark Reminder of My Need to Start Training Harder at Bubba Gump in Long Beach

I'll make this one quick. I was at Aquarium of the Pacific this past Super Bowl Sunday morning with my kids. We thoroughly enjoyed the aquarium and then decided to go grab a bite to eat.

Adjacent to the parking lot is a Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. Restaurant and my 7 year old love shrimp. So we stopped in for lunch.

I've not missed a single day of running so far this year, which is good...though nothing to brag about. But my training has had zero direction. Just go out and run as much as my schedule allows. Well that's where I digress back to Bubba Gump's where we were treated to the following at the table:

Then there's another sign underneath that one that says "Stop Forrest Stop." Yes, I was reminded of my running while eating fried food in Long Beach.

Amazing, simply amazing, how Bubba Gump Shrimp was completely borne out of the movie Forrest Gump. Forrest Gump came out in 1994 and BGS first opened in 1996 and now has over 30 locations, including 3 in Japan.

But I digress again. It is now midnight and I best be getting to bed. I've got a running streak to tend to in the morning.

Seven Weeks Ago I Drove Past the Location of the Tucson Shooting

Twenty eight days into 2011 and I don't have a lot to write about. But that's o.k. Funny thing is, I was in the same boat a year ago with this post "Training Without Any Goals in Mind."

Call it my new year's lull. Or just recuperating from my late fall marathons. But really what it comes down to is...running is not high on my list right now. I went through the same thing a year ago.

I was about to write about other stuff when it dawned on me, I wonder exactly where the horrific Tucson Shooting took place on January 8th. It certainly was on my mind the fact that I happened to be in Tucson last December to run the Tucson Marathon but I had not taken the time to actually look at the location of the cowardly attack.

The Safeway supermarket is located at the corner of Ina Road and Oracle Road. To get to my hotel, I drove west on Ina Road and made northbound turn on Oracle Road. So tonight, to my surprise, I discovered that on Saturday, December 11th, I literally drove past the fateful location of the Tucson Shooting, exactly 4 weeks prior to the date of the attack.

View Larger Map

I also drove past that same location, southbound on Oracle Road, after the marathon on December 12th.

This attack sickened me as I'm sure it did all of you. Very, very sad. Let's hope that Gabrielle Giffords continues her recovery. Yet another reminder that any of us could be at the wrong place at the wrong time. And a reason to pursue everything that you want and can in life and to not hesitate in so doing.

Quick New Year's Update - Tracking Mileage

At this time of year I usually update my annual mileage tally. I've been tracking my mileage since I started running on May 5, 1993. But I haven't gotten around to it yet.

Yes, times have changed. In my early days, I would carefully update my daily mileage in an Excel spreadsheet each day. Back then I would literally drive the course that I ran in order to log an accurate mileage count (this was back in the days before anyone could buy a mileage tracker like a Nike Plus). I had a hand-drawn map of the mileage for different courses in my neighborhood.

I updated that simple spreadsheet at one point to track both mileage as well as time spent running, then added a column to show a rolling 7 day and 10 day average. There is a "comments" section to the spreadsheet where I indicate if I was sick, injured, was travelling or ran a race.

This spreadsheet has become a monster, with over 6,000 rows. But I continue updating it. Not quite as regularly though...

The last time I updated this spreadsheet was at the end of last year. Yes, probably this coming Friday night I will be on the computer updating a year's worth of running escapades onto this spreadsheet. I obviously don't look at this spreadsheet often any more. But I do feel compelled to continue updating it as long as I'm alive and running.

There's an old fashioned side of me that has not given up use of a daily planner book. Every day I jot down the duration of my run and the estimate mileage. I no longer drive my courses. I have no need for that level of accuracy. I do have a Nike Plus somewhere in the house but I haven't seen or used it for several years. I feel no need to track mileage to that degree of precision (perhaps in 1993 I would be saying otherwise).

I estimate my mileage based on how fast or slow I feel I ran that day. Having logged over 45,000 miles since 1993, I now have a pretty good feel for my pacing, be it a 7 minute, 7 1/2 minute or 6 1/2 minute pace. It takes me just a quick moment to jot down my time and my estimated mileage each day. No worries if it is off by two tenths of a mile. It is close enough.

Yes, times have indeed changed. But I still have to update that darn spreadsheet. May have to take my body to Jiffy Lube at 50,000 miles. At 100,000, I may need an engine replacement.