Hello? Are you listening?

You're Not Listening: What You're Missing and Why It Matters by Kate Murphy
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Everyone needs to read this book. Seriously. If you think you're a good listener, read this book. If you don't think you're a good listener, read this book. If you're frustrated by trying to have conversations with poor listeners, read this book. Listening is an art that takes practice. It's not just about putting away your phone or inserting "listening words." Imagine all of the interesting stories and communication opportunities you're missing when you don't truly listen to other people. Okay, I'll now step down from my soapbox and go listen to the rest of this book. And then, perhaps, I'll listen to it again from the beginning.

Get it as an audiobook or ebook from your local library, or purchase it here.

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A Little of This, A Little of That

I am a cafeteria runner. No, that doesn’t mean that I plan my routes around my favorite eateries, though, now that you mention it that’s not a bad idea. 

As runners, we’re inundated by information and advice from books, magazines, websites, coaches and fellow runners. Topics covered range from running form, nutrition and hydration to which shoes to buy, how to lace them and which anti-chafing product to use (Aquaphor!). And that’s just a start. Don’t forget about stretching, strengthening, cross-training, watches, socks, shotblocks, apps, maps, trails, sales, races, paces – I feel a song coming on. This can be overwhelming whether you’re a seasoned distance runner or tackling your first couch-to-5k. If I’m being completely honest, and why shouldn’t I be, I love this stuff. I’m a total information junkie when it comes to running. Sometimes I think I enjoy reading about running more than actually getting out and doing it.  

I’ve had a lot of gurus over the years. I started out with Jeff Galloway, moved on to Dean Karnazes, jumped on the barefoot craze, or rather, the concepts behind it. Then it was Matt Fitzgerald, Keith and Kevin Hanson, and Danny Dreyer of Chi Running fame. With the exception of the last one, I’ve fallen in and out of love with all of them. I’m still in love with Chi Running. But here’s the thing - while I don’t worship at the feet of any of these coaches, I’ve learned something important from all of them. I don’t agree with everything they say (Galloway says runners shouldn’t do yoga – what?!?!), but that doesn’t mean that I can’t hold onto the things that work.

Are you seeing the cafeteria analogy here? Here’s a selection of what’s on my running plate:

Galloway – run/walk is a fabulous plan. It really helped me get my brain around the idea of doing my first half marathon back in 2009. You can break your run into little bite-sized nuggets of 4-minute intervals rather than thinking about how many miles you have left. Galloway has many anecdotes about seasoned runners who have improved their marathon times by switching to a form of run/walk.

Karnazes – okay, I don’t really think of him as a coach, but reading his book 50/50 inspired me to finally run my first full marathon. I mean if he can run a marathon a day for 50 days, I can run one (or two or three) in my lifetime, right? What really moved me, though, were his stories of the people who came out and ran with him during his adventure. Imagine choosing to run your first ever marathon along side this guy! 

Christopher McDougall – again, not a coach, but his book Born to Run introduced barefoot running to the masses for better or worse. Yes, Vibram got themselves into big trouble by promising people the moon and delivering injuries instead, but the wisdom behind barefoot running is still there. We need to make our feet stronger, and many runners will find themselves in better condition with fewer injuries by transitioning to a more minimal shoe. Just don’t go out and run 5 miles in your 5 Fingers when you’ve done all of your previous running in nice cushioned shoes.

Fitzgerald – Matt is all about strength training and fuel. His books finally got me to the gym and onto the bike. I can do pull-ups now, and that can’t be a bad thing. I still turn to him when I’m looking to change up my weight-lifting routine. I find his heart rate method of training a little too complicated – or maybe I just don’t want to invest in yet another watch.

Hanson brothers – the jury’s still out for me on these guys. Their radical approach to marathon training requires way more mileage than other plans, with lots of tempo runs and speedwork and only one rest day per week. I felt like I was in the best shape of my life while I was doing a somewhat modified version of their plan (I replaced one easy run day with cross-training on the bike). I also got my first, and hopefully last, stress fracture on their plan, so maybe it was too much for me. The upside is that the injury put a spotlight on my form issues.

Chi Running – I’ll confess that I didn’t love the book. However, after trying and failing to read it, I had the opportunity to attend a one-day workshop with local instructor, Laura Houston, and I was hooked. I use some of Danny’s body loosening exercises before every run, I visualize weird things like running with my arms wrapped around an exercise ball and riding an itsy-bitsy unicycle. Of course one of the most important concepts, running with a metronome to fix your cadence at 180bpm, is something I haven’t embraced. It’s not that I don’t believe in it, it’s just that the metronome really starts to irritate me after a while. I’ll keep trying, Laura & Danny, I promise!

This is certainly not an exhaustive list, either of what I’ve explored or of what’s out there. The message here is to take your running coaching in stride – pun intended. You don’t have to subscribe to any one method hook, line and sinker. Running is not a one-size-fits-all activity, so keep both your mind and body open to new ideas and find what works best for you, while keeping in mind that can change from year to year. Now stop reading and go for a run!

Rough Use or Hard Shock May Cause Damage

I received a free sports watch when I sent a gift subscription of my fave running zine to a friend. I haven't figured out how to use it yet, but I did find the following important information on the small sheet of paper included with the watch:

1. You can wear it while swimming or washing car, but don' t press any buttons in water.
2. Do not wear in broiling or freezing environment.
3. Do not wear it in puissant electric field, static or high cycle environment. [what does this even mean????]
4. Do not drop on hard ground. The watch can bear normal shake but not hard shock. Any rough use or hard shock may cause damage. [true, so true...]
5. Do not wear in the places having gasoline, detergent, spraying agent, adhesion agent, oil paint, etc., their chemical action would damage sealing ring, watchcase and watch surface.
6. Do not stretch the watchband too tightly around your wrist. The tightness is reasonable when your finger can insert in.
7. The watchband is made from resin, so  If you find any white powder on the watchband wipe them off with cloth, the powder would not cause any hurt to your skin and clothes. The resin-made watchband may aging, crack or break when bear sweat or damp. Wipe off the dirt or drip with soft cloth as soon as possible
8.  The watch is made of precision electronic parts, don' t open the cover by yourself. If there is water smoke or drips inside the watchcase, ask approved specialist to disassembly and repair at once, or the inner parts may damage caused by corrosion. [I do hope my watch never starts smoking...]
9. Keep well the operation instruction and other attached files for necessary use in the future.

I skipped some of the less humorous ones. I sure wish they'd devoted as much space to the actual instructions as they did to the "Notice" section. 

2012 - the year of the marathon

Last month I read a book by this crazy ultra-fit runner named Dean Karnazes. It's called 50 50: Secrets I Learned Running 50 Marathons in 50 Days-and How You Too Can Achieve Super Endurance!

The fittest man on earth.

Yes, you read that correctly. 50 marathons in 50 days. What the title doesn't tell you is that there's a third '50' to factor in. 50 states. That's right. He traveled to a different state every day and ran a marathon. Repeat 50 times. Okay, he's superhuman. This didn't kill him. As the saying goes it made him stronger. Kids, don't try this at home. Now, what I learned from the book, aside from how very cool and fit and kind of insane Dean Karnazes is, is that maybe I too can run a marathon. I've been running half marathons for 2 years now and completed #6 on 10/29/11. #7 will be in beautiful Huntington Beach on 2/5. Sunshine here I come! I've maintained that the 13.1 mile distance is plenty for me, thank you very much. Sprinkle in some 5 & 10ks and an annual Ragnar relay and that's a fine bit of running, don't you think?

The fittest woman in this picture.

So, what changed my mind? One of the most incredible things about Dean's story was the number of first time marathoners that joined him on his runs. These were mostly small events limited to 50 participants. After all, there aren't organized marathons 7 days a week. One would think these races would attract the elite runner who wants the chance to test themselves against a well-know athlete. I'm sure they were there too, but the stories that made it into the book were mostly about the newbies who got out there and did it. Hmmm. I guess I could join that club, eh? So, I'm tentatively adding the Newport Marathon to my calendar. June 2nd is the date. I haven't registered yet. Soon...

Into the deep end...

So, the time has finally come to do this. Since my brain won't shut down I'll put some of my inner rantings on the screen and see if it entertains anyone. Food, music, running and interesting human interactions, in no particular order. And, of course, my dog and the freaked out cats.

Freaked out cat.

I'm painting my basement stairwell and in order to do this I have to occasionally make the basement off-limits to the neurotic creatures known as my cats. The most paranoid of the two is convinced that any change means death is just around the corner. So, once I managed to get him out of the basement (after the goof hid down there and then proceeded to run up the freshly painted stairs) he then hid under a table and yowled as if I were trying to take him to the vet. He is not deprived of food, litter box or comfy places to sit, and if the basement door were open he would happily snuggle with his brother in the living room. Ah well, the white kitty paw prints on the concrete basement floor are pretty cute...

Super fast with a killer 'stache.

I haven't run for a week and I can feel it. I got the cruddy cold that's out there and then it's just been so dark and gloomy. I'm running a 15k race in a couple of days, though. That'll get me going. After that, training must begin again. Only 6 weeks until the next half-marathon in sunny SoCal.  I've been reading more about running than actually running these days. I just finished a biography of Steve Prefontaine. He didn't live long enough to have much of a life outside of running, but it was still very interesting. As a casual runner, it's surprising to be able to draw parallels between what I do and what he did. I'll never run a 4-minute mile - hell, I don't know if I'll ever run an 8-minute mile - but there's still something compelling about his story and some things that I can take and apply to myself.

Thus ends blogpost numero uno.