Funkadelic Happening

So May finally ended with a nice afternoon on the 31st and 14 inches for the month, officially.  Harris County (Houston) has generally received 25-30 inches of rain in April and May.  Our yearly average is 50 inches.  Now that a High pressure system is sitting in the 4 corners region, our rain is gone and we're not likely to get ANY rain for 2 weeks.  Although I see where Arizona is about to get some rain from a Pacific tropical system moseying thataway because the High pressure is providing the mosey.

This morning, it was 72 degrees with a dewpoint of 69 in Corpus Christi.  I went out at a reasonably sensible time of 5:30 a.m. for a 3-4 mile run.  It was last Wednesday or Thursday, when I last ran.  I was running along a sleepy freeway service road that had sidewalks for the whole 1.6 mile length.  I was scooting along at an 11:31 pace for most of the run.  HR was seen to be around 160, which is about right for the effort being expended and my cadence was set at 170 spm.  For this quicker pace, I was extending my stride length and saw one split at 11:22.  So, it was 3.21 miles.

I wanted to go faster because I wanted to see how things would go and I just need to go faster.  Thursday will be a  6 mile run.  Maybe do that route again, but twice.  Thanks for stopping by.

Sounds like a decent place to get in a run - and now you don't have to learn the kick turn to do it.

Mark B wrote:Sounds like a decent place to get in a run - and now you don't have to learn the kick turn to do it.

And I could still do a kick turn, too.  Thanks for coming by.  Have you downloaded the Funkadelic Happening app, yet?  It gives you points for every post!

-30-

As advertised, I ran 6 miles this morning.  Instead of doing 2 laps of 3.2 miles, I did one lap, then went the other direction for 2.8 miles.  I haven't seen a water fountain yet, but that's okay.  This run was slower (around 12:57) and so too was the heart rate.  I was hearing the boo birds wanting me to stop at 3.2, then 5.0, but I decided to keep going as I need to get the body toughened up.  I'm running again tomorrow (yes, 3 days in a row.  OMG!), either 6 or 9 miles.  Then, I'll do a rare Saturday run for 9 or 12 or something like that.

it was 73 degrees with a dewpoint of 70 and calm.

Those boo-boo birds are quite noisy around here at times, too. Glad you could outrun 'em.

I find they're noisiest when I'm just getting wound up into a new schedule, after taking some time off.

As a transition then, I got up but then went back to sleep due to be a little too tired from Tuesday and Wednesday's running.  I did get 9 hours sleep, overall!  So, I'll work on running in the morning before driving back home.

I ran 24 miles for the week, including 9 yesterday which was my first run in Houston since mid-May, which felt very nice.

I won't be doing any Houston runs until the project in Corpus Christi is finished.

24 miles... nice!

How long until the Corpus Christi project is done?

Muchas gracias, Senor The Colombian.

I should be done with this sometime in July, but July 31 at the latest.


Ran 3 miles this morning in a new pair of Kinvara 4's.  Saucony has come out with the Kinvara 6, but I can still find 4's.  And it looks like the 6's are 4's with different color schemes.

Ever since I started wearing the Kinvara 4 in October 2013, I've also had to purchase a replacement inner sole for each pair, as recommended by the PT. No big deal, but sometimes the inner sole and the shoe creak from their interaction.  This new pair REALLY creaks, walking down the hall in the hotel.  I think I'll put the new inner soles in the older pair of shoes I have with me.  If y'all have any other suggestions (I might trim the toe part of the inner sole to make it a bit shorter in the shoe), I'm all ears.


Well, this morning I did something different in the running department.  I did fasterwork.  Yes, fasterwork because I can't call it 'speedwork.'

So, I loosened up with a half mile run, stopped, turned around and ran faster for some short distance that by the 4th one, I was slowing down.  When I glanced at it, the Garmin said it was 9:something.  The distance was short, like 150 yards?  I'll have to wait until I get home to see what the distance was.  I can tell you that it was from the Yield sign on the service road to the 3rd telephone pole.  Then, I stopped for a bit, then 3rd telephone pole to the Yield sign.  I did that two more times and ran the half mile back to the hotel.  I read somewhere that I need to grow into fasterwork.  I remember Miche1e saying that back in 2013.

It really felt strange running faster.  'Strange' not as in hurt, just a weird ride.  But I can't get faster, unless I go faster.

I'm a big fan of using utility poles and signage as measuring tools on a run.

Nice job on the fasterwork. It's good to feel the wind in your hair.

Mark B wrote:I'm a big fan of using utility poles and signage as measuring tools on a run.

Nice job on the fasterwork. It's good to feel the wind in your hair.

If I had hair.

ounce wrote:

Mark B wrote:I'm a big fan of using utility poles and signage as measuring tools on a run.

Nice job on the fasterwork. It's good to feel the wind in your hair.

If I had hair.

Hahaha...the jokes never stop around here.

I think you'll find the fasterwork very beneficial...Michele know's what she's talking about.  I made significant gains when I added it to my training plan.  And I also enjoy doing it on the road rather than on the track.  It's more like the terrain you'll be racing on.  The track is nice if you want splits you can compare but utility poles are way more fun and after all isn't that why we run.

ounce wrote:

Mark B wrote:I'm a big fan of using utility poles and signage as measuring tools on a run.

Nice job on the fasterwork. It's good to feel the wind in your hair.

If I had hair.

I was talking about NOSE HAIR, silly! Sheesh.

Mark B wrote:

ounce wrote:

Mark B wrote:I'm a big fan of using utility poles and signage as measuring tools on a run.

Nice job on the fasterwork. It's good to feel the wind in your hair.

If I had hair.

I was talking about NOSE HAIR, silly! Sheesh.

Well, my barber keeps my eyebrow's close and cuts the ear hair, so I'm glad you clarified the actual location.  I have a moustache, but I keep it waxed so it doesn't blind me.

nkrichards wrote:

ounce wrote:

Mark B wrote:I'm a big fan of using utility poles and signage as measuring tools on a run.

Nice job on the fasterwork. It's good to feel the wind in your hair.

If I had hair.

Hahaha...the jokes never stop around here.

I think you'll find the fasterwork very beneficial...Michele know's what she's talking about.  I made significant gains when I added it to my training plan.  And I also enjoy doing it on the road rather than on the track.  It's more like the terrain you'll be racing on.  The track is nice if you want splits you can compare but utility poles are way more fun and after all isn't that why we run.

Thanks for stopping by, Nancy.  We try to reach a certain audience that wonders what the admins were thinking to let us post here.

I am surprised that we have a telephone pole and street sign loving bunch here.

-30-

I believe I've hit the conversion wall regarding energy conversion from glycogen back to ketones.  This 8 mile run I did this morning was one of the most torturous runs that I've never paid money to run.

1. I fell down hard before mile 1 by not seeing where the driveway was lower than the road.  Bruised the left, medial big toe bone where the metatarsal meets the proximal phalanges.  It tore a hole in the 2 thin layers of the upper on the left shoe and poked a small hole in the skin, plus a bruise to come.  Also landed on the right ulna, forward of the elbow joint.  No breaks, but the ulna hurts when I rest it on the desk.
   
2. New course along the service road.  Because the sidewalk is covered over in places, I decided to run on the service road.  Running into traffic, it wasn't so bad, but coming back it was full of starts and stops or getting on the sidewalk that's covered with freshly cut weeds.  I might consider running back on the other side of the freeway, so I can run facing traffic.
   
3. All of the stops and starts messed with my groove and my time was slowing greatly on the return 4 miles.
   

I had a first half split of 12:55 and a 2nd half split of 14:35.  Switching over to ketones from glycogen will do that.  It'll take weeks to get fully adapted.  Until then, I'll just suck it up and keep running.  There was one piece of the run where I was running on the smooth edge of a corn field.  It was still a little soft from all the rain, but it was consistently flat.

Edit:  And it was 75 degrees with very little breeze, but that didn't matter too much.

ounce wrote:I believe I've hit the conversion wall regarding energy conversion from glycogen back to ketones.  This 8 mile run I did this morning was one of the most torturous runs that I've never paid money to run.

1. I fell down hard before mile 1 by not seeing where the driveway was lower than the road.  Bruised the left, medial big toe bone where the metatarsal meets the proximal phalanges.  It tore a hole in the 2 thin layers of the upper on the left shoe and poked a small hole in the skin, plus a bruise to come.  Also landed on the right ulna, forward of the elbow joint.  No breaks, but the ulna hurts when I rest it on the desk.
   
2. New course along the service road.  Because the sidewalk is covered over in places, I decided to run on the service road.  Running into traffic, it wasn't so bad, but coming back it was full of starts and stops or getting on the sidewalk that's covered with freshly cut weeds.  I might consider running back on the other side of the freeway, so I can run facing traffic.
   
3. All of the stops and starts messed with my groove and my time was slowing greatly on the return 4 miles.
   

I had a first half split of 12:55 and a 2nd half split of 14:35.  Switching over to ketones from glycogen will do that.  It'll take weeks to get fully adapted.  Until then, I'll just suck it up and keep running.  There was one piece of the run where I was running on the smooth edge of a corn field.  It was still a little soft from all the rain, but it was consistently flat.

Edit:  And it was 75 degrees with very little breeze, but that didn't matter too much.

Ugh. I'm glad you only seem to have impact injuries. Still. Ugh.

And making that transition away from glycogen? Yeah. One giant bonk. I know it has benefits, but it's rough. Good luck.

Well, this is my third time to do ketones, so it comes with the territory.

During lunch, I drove by where I fell.  As it turned out, the driveway I used to get to the street wasn't just below street level, what I tripped on was a curb that was built to keep people off the driveway.  Never seen that before.

Tonight, my big toe metatarsal is not affected by movement, but it is bruised on the medial side of the foot plus the top of the foot, medial to the big toe's ligament.  The elbow and ulna is swollen, but I have full range of motion without pain.

So, I'm still able to run at normal speeds.  But I won't run tomorrow.  I will run Friday, before driving home.  Thanks for stopping by.

As stated earlier, I didn't run this morning.  And I can report that aside from a little tightness in my left quad, the rest of me is limber and not hurting.  Also slept almost 8 hours, too.

Tomorrow will be an 8 mile run again, except I'll run southbound on the northbound service road on the return 4 miles.  Should be interesting.

Earlier in the week, I was whining about the new pair of shoes, the new pair of innersoles and a whole lot of creaking.  I brought two pairs with me for this week.  So, I put old innersoles in the new pair and the creaking was exactly the same as when the old innersoles are in the old shoes.  That would tend to tell me that the two pairs of Kinvaras are not the problem.  I wonder if I sanded some of the heel cup on the innersoles would reduce the creak?  Thoughts are appreciated.

You sure it's not YOU creaking?

You'd have better luck testing he shoes when they're not on your feet. Flex and twist them and see if you can replicate the creak. Sanding may or may not help if it's creaking in the middle of the insole. I'd examine them closely before launching into surgery.

Glad your tumble resulted in only minor bumps and bruises. Whew!

Mark B wrote:You sure it's not YOU creaking?

You'd have better luck testing he shoes  when they're not on your feet. Flex and twist  them and see if you can replicate the creak. Sanding may or may not help if it's creaking in the middle of the insole. I'd examine them closely before launching into surgery.

Glad your tumble resulted in only minor bumps and bruises. Whew!

My bones creak to the beat of "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" by Creedence, so that's not it.

Well, I know it's not forward of the plastic cup/base because the ball of the foot and toes are fine.  I've tried putting a thin layer of Vaseline on the base, but that didn't help.  I might just find the receipt and try to return them for another pair or use more Vaseline.  When all else fails, blame the manufacturer. 

I don't think I can put enough pressure on the innersoles to make them squeak when not on my foot.

I have orthotics that make a pair of shoes creak.  I've tried everything, and well, they still creak.  I don't even notice it any more.

My sister-in-law loaned me "Cholesterol Clarity" by Jimmy Moore and Eric Westman, MD.  Interesting read and I thought of you.  They talk about the Ketogenic Diet, the pros and cons of a low fat "heart healthy" diet vs a low carb diet and many of the things you've mentioned in previous posts.

There is so much conflicting information out there that it is really tough to make sense of it all!

Glad to hear that you weren't hurt to seriously when you took a fall earlier this week...careful.

When I was testing a pair of Nikes that had the little space for a footpod in the midsole, the spot where the plastic foodpod holder met the midsole wasn't glued tight enough and it squeaked ALL THE TIME! I couldn't fix it, and it drove me nuts. Check and see where different types materials come together (like where hard contacts soft) and see if that might be the spot. I don't think lubing would help. Adhesion, maybe...

nkrichards wrote:My sister-in-law loaned me "Cholesterol Clarity" by Jimmy Moore and Eric Westman, MD.  Interesting read and I thought of you.  They talk about the Ketogenic Diet, the pros and cons of a low fat "heart healthy" diet vs a low carb diet and many of the things you've mentioned in previous posts.

There is so much conflicting information out there that it is really tough to make sense of it all!

Glad to hear that you weren't hurt to seriously when you took a fall earlier this week...careful.

Yes, the ketogenic diet is not a way of existence that your cardiologist would probably like.  I have a book of Jimmy's.  YOU probably wouldn't get any flak from your doctor if you cut out sugar, rather than go LC/HF.  The problem with statins is they lower all cholesterol, not just LDL and cardiologists think LDL is the demon.  What would be great would be to have a 'boxing match' with the two sides debating and see what happens...not play to the audience but really discuss the issue.

And on the fall, thanks.  I didn't fall today!

Mark B wrote:When I was testing a pair of Nikes that had the little space for a footpod in the midsole, the spot where the plastic foodpod holder met the midsole wasn't glued tight enough and it squeaked ALL THE TIME! I couldn't fix it, and it drove me nuts. Check and see where different types materials come together (like where hard contacts soft) and see if that might be the spot. I don't think lubing would help. Adhesion, maybe...

I put the old pair's innersole in the new pair and there was minimal creaking.  I'm content.

Friday's 8 mile run was much better than Wednesday's 8 mile run.  It was still very warm (79 or 80 degrees), but the journey back was on the other side of the freeway's feeder, which was better manicured because it was predominantly businesses that wanted a nicer looking front.  And an east breeze at my face was very nice for its cooling effect.  So, I didn't have to constantly look over my shoulder, nor jump from weed covered sidewalk to roadway.

1st half pace was 13:07 and the 2nd half pace was 13:45 for an average of 13:26.  The cadence slowed during the second half, which gives me something to work on, as the summer rolls along.  I'd like to start running longer, but with my unfamiliarity with the area makes it tougher to measure out safe routes.

I ran 20 miles for the week.

This week, we have a small tropical disturbance that destined to become Tropical Storm Bill, just before making landfall north of Corpus Christi, Tuesday morning.  This will bring some much unneeded rain to areas within a triangle of Corpus Christi to Houston to Oklahoma City.  In a normal June, we'd be saying "C'mon and squeeze all that moisture on us!", but not this time.  So I may not be able to run as much, this week.