Run Simple – Book Review

August 19, 2014August 20, 2014 by Harold L. Shaw, posted in Book Reviews, Reflection, Running, Running Tips

As someone who has been through a couple of running booms and has seen running go from basically: running shoes, shorts and t-shirt (maybe a painter’s cap or some kind of stopwatch), with a notebook to log your runs — to where it is now.

You know what I mean the:

GPS Watches
Heart rate monitors
Smart phones/apps
Fitness Trackers
Music/ear phones
Compression Gear
Hydration Gear
Belt pouches
Back packs for running
Tech Fabrics – socks, shirts, shorts, jackets, etc.
Online Training Logs
eZines, blogs, forums
The Internet and instant answers to all your running questions – information overload
Online Coaching
Online Shopping
Proliferation of high quality treadmills

Then there are so many running shoe choices, figuring out which ones are going to work for you is a whole different post?

I am not a Luddite when it comes to technology or adding/trying new stuff to help me become a better runner, if anything the opposite was the problem for a long while.

Unfortunately, I still get to feeling overwhelmed by all the “stuff” that seems to go along with or becoming a part of running in today’s world. So over the past couple of years I have looked to simplify my running where I can.

What do I really need to be happy as a runner?

Obviously not as much as I used to think, but a bit more than just a loin cloth.

I got some Amazon gift cards for my birthday and was looking for some new running books to read.

When I read the reviews for – Run Simple by Duncan Larkin, it intrigued me – a lot.

It seemed like something right up my alley. Continue reading “Run Simple – Book Review” →

Running With A Dog – What I Have Learned

August 14, 2014August 14, 2014 by Harold L. Shaw, posted in Running, Running Tips

Bennie doing his best to get me to run again

or should that be What Have I Learned – either way,

I have learned A LOT.

Let’s back up a bit, I started running with Bennie back in May.

He is our hyperactive, spastic, long-legged Jack Russell Terrier, who has a mind of his own and is easily distracted.

We got Bennie over four years ago from the local Humane Society and he came to us with many, many things he needed to unlearn. The biggest one is that if you let him off the leash or he escapes, he becomes the poster child for the poster – “live life, like they left the gate open” and will run off.

He also sucks when it comes to being on a leash. The few times before May, that I had tried to run with him it was crazy and just a little dangerous.

Who would have thought that our lovable little Bennie, would become a demon when you tried to run with him.

Needless to say running and training him to run with me has been an adventure, but we recently ran over 4.0 miles and had fun, so he is learning what is expected of him.

There have been two major benefits from starting to run with him: Continue reading “Running With A Dog – What I Have Learned” →

Racing Flats – Do Make a Difference

July 16, 2014 by Harold L. Shaw, posted in Reflection, Running Tips

Back in February, I wrote the post Racing Flats Who Needs Them.

I was wrong!

Yeah I am admitting that I was completely wrong.

Racing flats do make a difference for me when I use them.

However, I now believe the benefit is much more than just the physical part of how a racing flat is made or how light-weight it is.

Racing Flats

In that post I did say. Continue reading “Racing Flats – Do Make a Difference” →

12 x 20 Second Strides – RunLog 7-8-14

July 9, 2014 by Harold L. Shaw, posted in Injury Rehab, Running Tips, zz-daily training

TheWife is on vacation this week, so my schedule is slightly different from it usually is. In other words my schedule is more about what she wants to do and I get my runs/workouts in around that.

Last night she was spending the night with SD2, so I got to entertain myself around the house, which meant that I got bored (which can be dangerous). Bennie is great company, but he ain’t much of a conversationalist and after his last walk I decided to finish up my Kinetic Revolution workout.

A part of this workout was doing 12 moderate effort repeats focusing on my arm swing and keeping my stride shorter and quicker. I changed it up to being a speed workout.

What in the hell are you doing Harold?

This is one of those do not do as I do posts and if you have an injury and need to rehab it, do not be like me and actually listen to your medical professionals or coaches for what you should be doing after an injury.

You ran a tough run yesterday morning and it was still in the mid 70’s with a lot of humidity. On Monday your Chiro fired your ass, because you wouldn’t take his advise to take a couple of weeks off and here you are doing speed work the next day – are you f$%*&$#+ nuts.

Probably.

At the same time, get over it.

I know my body better than anyone else and I am feeling 100% better than I was a couple of weeks ago.

So in spite of the Chiro’s recommendations (which I acknowledge are based on sound medical advice) and what many others would consider to be common sense, I am going to fail or succeed doing it my way.

Stubborn old bastid that I am.

Continue reading “12 x 20 Second Strides – RunLog 7-8-14” →

Kinetic Revolution 30 Day Challenge – Looking Back

July 6, 2014July 6, 2014 by Harold L. Shaw, posted in Reflection, Running Tips

Back on June 1st, I started James Dunne’s (Kinetic Revolution) 30 Day Challenge and this morning I finished it.

Yes, it took a little longer than the planned 30 days, but life tends to get in the way of running or exercising from time-to-time.

Disclosure: I have no formal or informal relationship with James Dunne or Kinetic Revolution and I have not received any compensation for writing this post and no post was expected from me, for participating in the free to all – Challenge. The below are simply my thoughts and experiences with his 30 Day Challenge.

Kinetic Revolution 30 Day Challenge Banner

At the beginning of June, I was not running consistently, getting very frustrated with the problems with my hamstring and was grasping at straws to get back to running, as you can see below in my previous three weeks my running sucked, before I started the Challenge Continue reading “Kinetic Revolution 30 Day Challenge – Looking Back” →

Karma Can Be a Bitch

June 10, 2014June 10, 2014 by Harold L. Shaw, posted in Reflection, Running Tips

Yeah - the face of disappointment. Finish - Patriots Day 5 Miler Photo by David Colby-Young — Yeah – the face of disappointment. Finish – Patriots Day 5 Miler Photo by David Colby-Young

Yeah that’s right, Karma can be a bitch and when I stopped and looked back at what I have done over the past couple of months, I realized just how big a one.

What in the hell are you talking about now?

Back in April I had a couple of bad races (you can read about them here and here), about which I pissed, moaned, whined and all those other things that a disgruntled runner, who “knows” they can do better, grumble, grumble, grumble — ad nauseam. In other words “What’s Your Problem – Harold”.

Guess what – after these rants about being “unhappy” with my running – Karma showed up and proceeded to show me just how well I had run.

Since April 30th, I have battled my hamstring issues and haven’t run nearly as well (if at all) since then.

I give up – Karma wins. Continue reading “Karma Can Be a Bitch” →

Kinetic Revolution 30 Day Challenge

June 1, 2014June 1, 2014 by Harold L. Shaw, posted in Injury Rehab, Running Tips

As “everyone” knows by now, I am a more than a bit of a ramshackle mess and I have decided to really work on rehabbing this old body.

Yes in other words I am trying to get it back to where I want and where it needs to be for me to be able to run pain-free or at least as pain-free as possible.

Over the course of the last few weeks, I have done a lot of the routines in Bruce Wilk’s – The Running Injury Recovery Program and Matt Fitzgerald’s Brain Training for Runners and while the routines are working, I am not completely…well satisfied with how it is going.

I have followed James Dunne and his blog Kinetic Revolution for a while now and I like/respect the information that he provides. A little while ago, I saw his 30 day challenge, but decided that due to my hamstring issues that I wasn’t ready to do it yet.

Fortunately for me, starting last Thursday, I found part of the solution for me and my hamstring has come a long way and when I read Dan’s post over at Run, Rest, Repeat

TODAY’S @JUNEATHON: BROUGHT TO YOU BY THE LETTER H

I got more intrigued by the

Kenetic Revolution 30 Day Challenge — Kinetic Revolution 30 Day Challenge

and I decided to watch more of the videos on why I should join the challenge and got motivated to go ahead do it.

So yes, I signed up for the Kinetic Revolution 30 Day Challenge and I plan to go through the entire cycle.

Even though I already worked out today, I went ahead and did the challenge activities: Continue reading “Kinetic Revolution 30 Day Challenge” →

Cleaning-Up This Ramshackle Runnah

May 15, 2014 by Harold L. Shaw, posted in Reflection, Running, Running Goals, Running Tips

It is time to clean-up this ramshackle runnah and get myself back to running consistently.

How in the hell are you going to do that Harold?

I keep writing and talking about how I am going to improve my running, change things that need to be corrected and yet I never do. It seems when I get near to being successful or close to my goals, then I suddenly change directions again, so I can’t meet them.

It is almost like I am scared of succeeding or doing well.

So I have a LOT of work to do, to get to where I want to be both physically and mentally with my running.

That Ramshackle House

When things get bad enough at that neighborhood ramshackle house, the town or county forces the owners to clean and and fix it up the property.

They might bitch and moan and say “hey I have the right to do whatever I want with my property”, but at the same time the powers that be, (in most locales) have the authority to make the owners clean-up their frigging yard.

Even though it might be a battle and take several interventions or what seems to the owners to be “official” meddling before the yard get to where it is acceptable or looking good. Continue reading “Cleaning-Up This Ramshackle Runnah” →

Race Day Anxiety So Much More than the Jitters

May 14, 2014August 9, 2014 by Harold L. Shaw, posted in Racing, Reflection, Running, Running Tips

CGAS Cape Code 5K - 1985 — CGAS Cape Code 5K – 1985

A lot of you out there will not understand what the big deal is about race day anxiety.

You probably think of it as just bad case of pre-race jitters and are thinking – “get over it, running in a race is not a big deal – look at how many runners do all the time.

Well you are wrong.

If you have truly experienced an race day anxiety attack and an attack is what it is.

It is debilitating, embarrassing and not just just that you can simply “get over” and go run your race.

How do I know?

I ran one race in 25 years, because of how race day anxiety made me feel about running in a races.

Where did it start?

Continue reading “Race Day Anxiety So Much More than the Jitters” →

A Different Look at Running in Winter

December 4, 2013December 4, 2013 by Harold L. Shaw, posted in Reflection, Running Tips

I am getting to be a grizzled old fart, who has done a lot of stupid shit, while running in the winter-time. Most of the time I have not had too many problems getting back to where I started in one piece, other times I have made mistakes, ah hell Iet’s just say it like it is – I F#@&’ed up and had to find a place to get inside or relied on someone else to make sure I was safe.

In other words I got lucky, nothing too bad happened to me. Well nothing that a good unthawing and a hot drink couldn’t take care of.

What in the hell are you talking Harold?

Running outside in the winter, is dangerous as hell, if you do not respect it.

To put it in the words of a winter survival instructor that I used to know.