Man Made Hill

Finally back to form after a forced vacation of no crunches, squats or track work; kettlebell swings, push-ups or fridge cleaning!
You have to pay attention to your body when it sends you persistent pain signals.
So I headed to the track this morning and ran some laps at my tempo pace (8:15) - felt pretty good!
A rest does do a body good.
Then I ran over to the only hill in our neighborhood.

This Google Earth image was obtained
before hill formation.

Here is the story about this hill. At first there was just an open rough area surrounded by houses and a filbert orchard. Then – the powers to be decided it should be a park. So in came the crew. They built a kid’s zone with a whole lot of cement sidewalks.
(But did incorporate some nice tile work.)

Next they added a bark mulch path – albeit a very short one...
Then they built a hill! Not a huge hill, I’m guessing a 40 foot mound. I was wondering why they built such a hill as we don’t get much snow in Eugene... Except last year – then it turned into kid’s nirvana!

When I powered up it today, I felt a little silly. But at least I’m getting my hill running technique figured out. Lean forward – take short steps.
Next Saturday is my first ever Trail race and I have a feeling the elevation will be greater than this man made hill!

Running Hills Where There Are None

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Race Report Scandia 10k

Another “I feel great at the finish race!” (That’s two 10ks in a row.) My time was about the same time as last year but I did stop at every water station. (I’m testing out this routine – as I usually don’t drink anything till after the race.)
Happy with some of my splits too!

This year, the mint fields were already harvested, but there was still a lingering distant whiff in the cool morning breeze.



One guy ran with his Thor horns on to honor the Scandinavian Days. Next year I’m going to braid my hair.



I Love the homemade direction signs.



After I found my pace, I slipped into an observational trance - noticing the way other runners held their arms. I tend to run with my arms at waist level. For several years I ran with a dog and had better leash control with my arms at that level.
But what I witnessed was crazy:

• Arms bent at a 45º angle with hands almost touching their chest.
• Arms slapping about like they were dislocate at the shoulder.
• Elbows sticking out.
• Hands like propellers.

It appeared, as runners began to fatigue, there was greater arm movement...
What do your arms do? Improve your running or just go along for the ride?
Arm Movement in Running

More Highlights!

Port-o-potty chat: “More people here than last year – yeah, in this line!”
T-shirt Talk: “Don’t Vote Me Off”
Farthest away t-shirt - Tempe AZ

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Really Old Pulse Monitor

1881 direct sphymograph
Apparently invented by E.J.Marey



No, I’m not running with that on my arm!
In fact this weekend – I will be running my race [Eugene Half-marathon] sans the Garmin. But I will be wearing a watch!

Advantages

• I can set my own pace. (Occasionally sneaking a peak at the mile markers.)
• Frees up my left hand. (It’s too big to wear on my wrist.) So I can give by-standers the High five.
• Won’t be distracted by scrolling through screens.
• Don’t have to worry about negative splits. (Well might do some math along the way.) “Most athletes perform better if they run the second half of a race slightly faster than the first half.”
• Less chance of getting mugged and robbed. Though I will still have valuables on me, such as a cell phone and mp3 player. And my lucky dollar.

Disadvantages

• Have no idea how fast I'm starting. (Must start slow…)
• Have no idea how far I’ve gone – if I miss a mile marker.
• Won’t be able to map my memorable run in Google Earth.
• No handy compass. Never know - might get lost along the way.
• No one will ask me, “Just how fast are we going?”

Trivia

• We owe the second hand on watches to physician Sir John Floyer (1649-1734), who used it to time his patients' pulse.

Above image - Wellcome Images - 2000 Years of Human Culture

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Tech4o Watch Review

Thanks Tech4o for sending me a running watch to review. Unfortunately, this review might be a tad biased as I already have an ongoing addiction with a Garmin Forerunner 305.

Product:
Tech 4 O Acelerator Pulse Womens Watch
with heart rate monitor chest strap.

Test:
Took it out on a 2 mile walk after I calibrated my walking and running strides. [This took a considerable amount of concentration - as I kept losing count of my steps and had to start over!]

Pro:

• It looks nice!
• Has a big number display.
• Comes with a 34 page manual.
• Has a power saving mode - you can actual put the watch to sleep when not using it.
• Chronograph mode saves up to 50 laps.
• Has a calories burned display.
• They have an online manual.

Cons:

• Difficultly setting it up. (And I’m very savvy with these kinds of things ; )
• Never did figure out Exercise History mode.
• It has 11 menus to scroll through.
• Heart rate monitor did not pick up until I returned home.
• The normal sensitivity did not work for me. I guess I don’t swing my arms enough. So took about a half mile to re-calibrate this setting.

Summing up:
I guess I'm totally spoiled with my Garmin Forerunner. I can glance down and see distance and speed at one glance. And best of all; I can come home - upload the data and goggle over my run in Google Earth.
*
Now if NIKE needs a shoe tested, send me an email. I just noticed I have 386 miles on my current shoes.
PS. I have a HM race coming up in 3 months!

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