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Earlier this year I started the 100 Push-up Challenge.  You know… train for six weeks and then be able to pump out 100 push-ups in a row.

Well I did ok for the first few weeks… Then I failed I think week 4 or 5 several times in a row and I quit. I was making them harder by putting my feet up on a physioball, thus getting a better core workout.  I was also in the middle of marathon training…

Needless to say my body didn’t appreciate the extra demands I was placing on it and something had to go.  So I quit.

Last week I talked about going into the off-season and looking to do some strength training.  I even alluded to the fact that I’d probably do the push-ups.  Well I am currently in the middle of Week 2.  For this first section I managed to get myself into the hardest category and the workouts have been pretty tough to finish.  I don’t plan on quitting this time around, even if I have to repeat a few weeks!  Part of the reason is that a bunch of people that I run with started the challenge, albeit a week later (somehow I missed the memo!).  So that gives some extra motivation.  Especially when some of the women completed more regular push-ups than I did.

Here are a few random snippets from the e-mails being sent around.

I think I have my grunting technique down after my 5th set last night!

I think push ups are a much better work out than running.  I am going to give up running and just do push ups.  On a long push up day..you could have jelly beans strategically located to be lapped up when glycogen levels get low.

Yes, we have a fun group! I’ll keep posting my push-ups in my “Week in Review.”  Are you doing the push-ups?? What week are you in? How are they going??

Technorati Tags: 100 pushups, pushups, strength training, core

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Some posts are pretty long (like this one) but to me it was important to set a foundation for the rest of the posts.  I hope you enjoy this series and I look forward to your feedback.

The Foreword, Introduction, and Chapter 1 really lay the groundwork for what is ahead throughout the rest of the book. I think the author, Warren Kay, makes it clear that he is writing from a specific religious focus, Christian, but that many of his thoughts and insights can be applied across the “spiritual realm.”

The Foreword is written by Kristin Armstrong, of Runner’s World fame and a Christian. I really enjoyed this quote:

People of faith talk a lot about the journey, about what it means to “walk with God.” We are all sojourners together on a path, regardless of how we regard our itinerary. This way of thinking is perfectly exemplified to me whether it is the start line of a race, the act of lining up on the track, or the gathering of girl-friends pre-dawn, stretching and waiting to begin. We are all on this journey together and if we can draw deeper meaning from our miles, we will find that we are well trained in every capacity for whatever lies ahead.

Armstrong talks about running as being part of the freedom that we enjoy in our lives. She claims that freedom comes from being understood and understanding and from a relationship with an “unseen Source.” In her words, this book will help us find that freedom.

Moving into the Introduction we begin exploring “spiritual running” (emphasis original). I think every runner can easily resonate with this quote from pg 3 “Running… helps us deal with life; it helps us cope with problems and celebrate triumphs.”

Kay dedicates a section to comparing yoga and running. Yoga can be somewhat controversial in Christian circles because of its ancient religious ties, while many say that it is a secular or non-religious exercise. One of Wikipedia’s definitions says “Outside India, yoga is mostly associated with the practice of asanas (postures) of Hatha Yogaor as a form of exercise.” The section ends saying that

Running does, indeed, provide an efficient way to burn calories for weight loss; it helps tone muscle and is great for cardiovascular health. But recently, men and women across the country have recognized that, like yoga, running can also be a spiritual exercise - a means to spiritual enlightenment or spiritual fulfillment. (pg 4)

Continuing to understand where Kay is coming from I’ll highlight the three aspects of healthy spirituality that he see as most important and are impacted by running:

1. Right relationship with ourselves
2. Good relationships with others
3. Fostering good/healthy relationships with the Divine or sacred reality (which he and I both refer to as the God of the Bible).

An interesting suggestion that he makes is to incorporate your running journal into your prayer/spiritual journal or vice-versa.  Many committed to a spiritual belief keep a journal of their thoughts, experiences, and revelations throughout their daily life. Almost all of us runners keep some type of running log  - most of which contain a section for notes or comments.   It would be easy to start tracking information from the spiritual realm in those notes. I’m going to try it and see what happens.  Hold me accountable by tracking my log online.

The final point I’d like to pull from his introduction is that running is another form of spiritual discipline.  Christians and others have disciplines which draw us closer to God, help us live out His commands and draw us into a closer relationship with Him.  Those can include prayer, tithing, reading Scripture, fasting, attending church, going on retreats, and many more. I would agree that with the proper approach to running it can be an act of worship to God and can become a part of one’s spiritual discipline.

I would second Warren Kay’s thought process that as a Christian my thoughts, comments, and reactions will be based on that belief system - to which I hold dearly - but many of these can be applied to any form of spiritual practice. My purpose in doing an in depth look at this book is to present mine and Kay’s thoughts but to also stimulate discussion about the spiritual.

Chapter 1: Let’s Get a Few Things Straight fills in some important background details from the running world - talking about Jim Fixx and the running boom and motivations for running.  Kay makes it clear that this book is “different than the organized institutional religion that has developed in this coun

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try; it harkens back to a more basic way of being spiritual” (p. 15).

Running meets the three criteria laid out for spirituality - experiencing ourselves for who we really are, being part of a community, and the opportunity to think about our relationship with “the ultimate reality of the universe.”  Running is also one of the most natural things that a human being can do - children run and enjoy it; even making games out of running.  It isn’t until later in life that people begin to see running as a chore or punishment. There is a great quote on p 19:

… running is one of the most natural and spontaneous activities we engage in…

As a form of play running can produce feelings of “transcendence”  or the runner’s high.  Kay quotes from Roger Bannister’s autobiography about the feeling he got as a child running and the joy he gets from running.  Kay would argue that this feeling and sense of joy comes from God and is part of the running experience.  I had never thought about the runner’s high being a gift from God but could see the connection.  Taking pure pleasure in an activity can be a form of worship and I think that is where the connection is the strongest.

This first chapter continues by examining Jeff Galloway’s 5 stages of a runner: Beginner, Jogger, Competitor, Athlete, and Runner. I won’t go into all the specifics but I think I am somewhere between the athlete and runner stages - the athlete is focused on competition  but judges running based on effort not times (like the competitor) while the runner has a balanced approach to life and running is one of many parts.  I still very much need a race to train for and find it hard to be motivated just for the sake of running at times.  Kay states that “spirituality can be experienced on all levels, but certain stages may be more conducive to spirituality than others” (pg 24).   Each stage has its own unique challenges to truly experience the spiritual realm whether it is the self-consciousness of the beginner or the ultra-competitive drive of the competitor and athlete.  Kay makes it clear that the opportunity does exist for every runner to experience the spiritual while running if the focus is correct.

I’ll end with this quote which is also serves as a segue into the next chapter:

Spirituality can mean as little as an appreciation of the beauty of God’s creation or the enjoyment of the gift of friendship.  Spirituality can also mean much more - and the activity of running can make a big contribution to that experience, but this leads me to the next chapter. (pg 25)

Technorati Tags: Sacred Art, Running, Spiritual, Warren Kay

Monday was a needed rest day after hitting 14 miles total over the weekend! I also restarted the 100 Push up Challenge getting out the required 36 and doing 11 for the max out section for a total for 47 pushups.  I also started The Core Performance book today. Some time I’ll talk more about it, but today was a “Movement Prep” day.

Tuesday I found I was a little sore from the Movement Prep activities, but still went out for an easy 5 mile run along the Greenway in 38:55.  It was a chilly 26 with wind blowing from the West.  Nothing too exciting except for a view squirrels that ran with me for a little bit on their fence highways.  Today’s core workout was movement prep and physioball. I should say this is the first of a 3 week core foundation period.

It snowed Tuesday night and there was a layer of snow on Wednesday morning.  This was heavier than a dusting but melted mostly off the roads and sidewalks.  I ran 3.5 miles around Powderhorn and ran in the soft snow.  It was a nice change of pace. The temps were a little above freezing so it was also a little slushy in some places.  Today’s push up workout included the required 38 and 13 on the max out.  Regeneration was the core workout for today, my legs were still a little sore from the movement prep sessions the last two days.

I took Thursday off from running but still did my Prehab 1, 2, & 3 workouts for the core strength.

On Friday I ran a brisk 3.25 mile run on my Metrodome loop. I ran in shorts because the temperature I saw said 39.  When I got home the temp was at 31.  My legs did get a little cold out there, but it was fine.  I did my 44 required push ups and barely squeeked out the 13 in the max out section.  I skipped the core workout because it is “Strength” and requires a gym and I didn’t feel like going!

Saturday was the first Polar Bear run for me of the year.  It was an excellent run, I got to catch up with some guys I hadn’t seen in awhile plus meet some new ones.  We ended up running 10.66 miles along the Mississippi River.  On the way out there was a fairly strong headwind that made the 30 degrees feel a lot colder but on the way back I took of my ear muff and gloves. There was a dusting of snow on the ground but it went away.

Having church on Friday nights frees up Sunday morning to go on the group run. We met at Jensen Lake in the Lebanon Hills Regional Park we skipped out on some of the major hills (at least that I remember from last time) and had a really nice run making two big loops. For most of the run I had no idea where we were! It was 27 degrees with a dusting of snow on the ground and it snowed off and on during the run.  We ran about 10 miles in just over 80 minutes, all on trails.  The trails alternated between single track hiking and wider horse trails.  A good way to finish off the week.

Mileage Totals:

Running - 32.4

Biking - 14

Brooks Running will donate 5 cents for every recorded view of this video to breast cancer research.  It is a kind of cute and funny.

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Do runners really have an off-season?? Does any athlete really have an off-season???

“Off” might not be the best word to describe what happens between the end of one season and the beginning of the next. Maybe down time or to use a more technical term: periodization.

Periodization is often used in the triathlon world to help them focus on the three different sports within their event.  Runners also sometimes use the term in training, such as a base period, a hill period, and a taper period.

Webster defines the off-season as:

a time of suspended or reduced activity ; especially : the time during which an athlete is not training or competing

If you tear it apart and redefine it as: a time of reduced activity or a time during which an athlete is not competing, then we can have a real off-season. Most athletes of all makes and models probably don’t take more than a few weeks off with out any physical activity.

In college we would take 2 weeks off at the end of cross-country and then start base-building for track.  Then when our track season ended we took 2 weeks off and started the process all-over again for cross-country.  In our program we had some flexibility but that was the expectation and you suffered the consequences for your action or inaction!

So what does all this babble really mean to you and me?  For the most part we should be doing some type of cardiovascular workout all year long.  Lots of research has shown that two-three weeks is a safe amount of time to take off without any real detriment to your overall fitness.  For some of us, after our fall races we’ll take some time off and then bounce back up and run all winter long.  Most people cut back completely on their running.  I think the key is to find a nice balance during the winter down-time.  It is important to keep the cardiovascular system strong and healthy all winter long - so any type of cardio work is a must.  This is a good time to let your legs, feet, hips, or whatever to completely heal.  Use the bike, elliptical, or row machine.

I ran through the winter last year, trying to avoid the dreadmill at all costs. I was training for an April half-marathon so I needed to be running as much as possible.  Beyond running though winter is a good time to pick up some other activities - here in Minnesota many runners cross-country ski to maintain fitness.

This winter I am really going to focus on building my strength.  During our down-time, off-season, or winter period it is a good time to focus on the other important aspects of running.  Things like a strong core that can really improve your running form and stamina.  Or what about flexibility?

YES!! This winter I am going to work hard on my core and maybe hit some weights at the gym.

I have all the equipment I need at home to work on my body’s core.  I just need the focus and determination.

Will you help hold me accountable?  I haven’t decided on what exactly I will do, but just the idea of work.  It will probably include push-ups, maybe even 100 of them.  Stay tuned for more details…

Do you have a cool number? Send it to me.

This race served as the USATF-MN Cross Country Championships.  As with collegiate championships this year it was a 10k.  Fitting for the mid-November race, it was cold and snowy when I awoke.  By the time we got to the race course, another golf course, the snow had stopped falling but the ground was very wet and soggy.

The course was 4 laps meandering around the golf course hitting a few good sized hills each time and rarely more than a couple hundred yards of flat terrain.  Knowing the course would be hilly and wet I secured a new pair of cross country spikes. They did a good job for me.  I didn’t slip and fall and I don’t really remember sliding at all while climbing the hills.  The Nike Zoom Waffle XC 7 did an excellent job.  With the waffle it is only a 4 spike bed. My toes hurt a little bit from jamming but I think that is due to the hills and I should have cut my toe nails!

Each lap was 2,500 meters long and the only distance marker on the course was the 1 mile mark.  So if you wanted to do that math that’d be 1600 meters which means that each lap after passing it you had about 900 meters to get to the finish line.  This was helpful on the last lap.  I felt really good at the start and went out with a few guys from my team.  We sorted around a little and ended up with a pack of 3 until about midway into the 3rd lap. At that point I started dropping back a bit.  I tried not to let them gap me too much and we all finished within 20 seconds of each other. It was a little disheartening to see Chris pull off the course in front of me during the 3rd lap as I was starting to get tired, but I struggled on and it looks like he’ll be ok.

I didn’t have much of any kick at the end but the finish was also kind of uphill. The cold made it a miserable day. On the way home a bank thermometer said “32″ so it was right around the freezing mark for the run.  Most of us ran in long sleeves and shorts.  Once you got moving your legs weren’t too cold, until you stepped in a puddle or something! There was no precipitation for our race, it was snowing/sleeting for the women’s 5k.

The course had 2 bad spots.  One was over a 90 degree turn around a tree that was on the edge of the rough. The other was a hairpin turn around 500 meters to the finish.  Both of these caused me to slow down a little, even though I tried running them a little wide.

I finished the race in 43:09 which is 6:57 pace. (That is faster than last week’s 6:59 pace for a shorter run!) I was 6th on our 3rd place team and 32nd out of 39 overall.  The winning time was 33:23 by Christopher Erichsen of Collegeville TC.  As I was coming around the hairpin turn on my 3rd lap I saw the gator in front of the leaders and vowed not to let myself get lapped.  (I didn’t!) Our women’s team placed 4th in their 5k (which was 2 laps of the same course, run after our race).

Technorati Tags: USATF-MN, Cross Country, XC

I ran Monday 3.25 miles on my Metrodome loop. It took me a meandering 24:35 to do it, but it was warm and sunny.  The temperature was around 50 and it felt pretty good.

I stayed up pretty late Monday night writing a blog post - not a smart idea because I was really tired and slept in Tuesday morning. Plus I had to be at work extra early to make sure our students handled the election without any problems. Everything went smoothly and at 4:30pm when I left they were at 76% voter turnout without counting the absentee ballots.

We stayed out late on Tuesday watching the election returns with friends.  And I had another early morning with a meeting on Wednesday. Pretty much everyone there was exhausted - it was a school related meeting and our referendum passed!

Luckily the weather held out for one more day. Thursday I got a nice 4 mile run in on my Park-Downtown loop.  It was raining but in the 50’s so it felt really good actually. I ran it in 30:07.  I’m glad I got one last run in with pretty nice weather.

I skipped Friday so I would be well rested for Saturday’s race.  It snowed though.

Saturday morning was the USATF-MN XC Championships. It was a 10k on a cold (32f) morning.  It was snowing when I woke up but the ground was just really soggy.  I ran the 10k in 43:09 on a pretty hilly golf course.  More on that later though!

Sunday was a nice cold 8 mile run.  The temp was around 27 when I left and it was snowing off and on throughout the morning.  We met at the Sibley House and ran south along the Minnesota River for a nice, fairly easy hour.  The final time was 64 minutes.  This was my first time on that trail and it was fairly scenic. I was surprised at how good I felt after the 10k.  My toe still hurt a little bit but nothing major.

Total Mileage:

Running - 21.5 miles

Biking - 22.3 miles

Along the Mississippi River in St Paul
October 2008

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