Do you wanna be a warrior?

A warrior does not give up on what he loves. He finds the love in what he does.

He seeks vulnerability. He acts, he does not react.

He does not start, or stop becoming himself. A warrior does.

To be fast, be tense: manipulating your tension for optimal performance

Get fast, find your tension.

Recently a very good article was published in Running Times magazine. This article written by Steve Magness, breaks down the essentials of learning your optimal muscle tension.

What you can do to enter your optimal tension zone for the goal of the day. Are you running a recovery day? A track session? Tempo, hills or maybe racing? These different efforts all require something different from your body, obviously. But these requirements extend beyond your cardiovascular system. The impacts of skeletal muscle, over your entire body will have a great impact on performance and recovery of your total body running system.

I have found the kind of information found in this article very useful in my running career. I was first exposed to this kind of thought when running collegiate cross country at Fort Lewis College. I was able to make the connection with performance and muscle tension, the biomechanics of running. With this information I PR'd at every distance we competed in, running 27:08 for 8k and 33:29 for 10k. Knowing your body is the only way to get the most out of it!

Know what works?
This past weekend I was feeling lethargic and weary, prior to a 10k race. It is customary for me to become extremely relaxed prior to a race. If I don't concentrate on having a calm  mind, then I tend to get anxious and waste a great amount of energy before a race. Either I warm up to hard or too early, rather than do what works best for me.

Don't be afraid to chill out... a little

I have tried many ways of prepping for a race and it wasn't until I tried  sitting down, laying down, chilling out  that I found what works best at this stage in my running life. All this relaxation can be somewhat counterproductive though- essentially I can become too relaxed and feel flat and slow which is the norm...

Have you ever had that heavy legged sensation? Basically have slack in your muscle fibers. Just as if you had a tow strap too loose, you are doing work without the work getting done. Your wheels are moving but there is little response until the proper tension exists in the lever system. Increasing your muscle tension can solve this issue, if you know what to do...

Find your tension equilibrium
I find that a 15 minute easy easy easy jog serves to break a slight sweat about 30 minutes prior to racing. Then I like to do a few sustained surges of up to 60 seconds at marathon effort or so, so I feel like I am working, I give my body a chance to catch up to the effort I demand and then resume slow jogging. As race time approaches I will toss in some faster striders (3-5k) and perhaps some explosive hops to fully prime the muscles for the work ahead depending on how I feel. If I am tight I will skip these hops, already primed.

Find your sweet spot to you best running!

In the recent 10k race, despite feeling so flat during my warm up, I was able to implement a few tension increasing mechanisms and wound up running a fantastic race. Not because I became anxious or stressed, I was still relaxed mentally, but my body was tuned for performance, like Jimi Hendrix's guitar.

With some practice your PR's won't be accidents anymore and feeling great won't be like chasing the wind. So, I urge you to pay attention to your body during all of your runs. Whether your run feels free and easy or laborious and boring, you can usually pin it down to less than optimal muscle tension (or over training, in which case back off or rest). This technique is useful any time: for hard, easy, and maintenance running, even rest days... which are all about recovery and best done when relaxed. Incorporate your own relaxation methods as well. So go read those articles and you might find your running gets deeper and wider. For even more ideas check out Running Within and The Way of the Peaceful Warrior.

As you learn more about your body you will develop a deeper understanding of what you are capable of and your running will create a sense of empowerment within you. Your mind should always be engaged while running- there is truly a world of wonder to discover!! When you can blend these elements well, you will transcend your perceived limits and enter new realms of satisfaction and hunger.

Happy running!

Good things on the horizon!!!

Hey ya'll!! Hope the forecast is looking as promising where you are as it is here in the Blue Ridge Mountains.  Reports say we might see a 60 degree day this week... woah!! I was happy with an easy 6 in the 30's today, I am not greedy... gotta say it is still nice to have some cruchy snow on the trails though:)


24 Hour Tempeh Taco

To prove my altruistic persuasion I wanted to remind you all that you still have a couple of days to enter for your chance to be in the running for the Athlete's Plate nomination. Click there for all the details.

It is wicked easy to enter. Just follow and leave a comment on the linked post.

Enjoy your weekend of running, whether your running 20 minutes or 20 miles or more... whether you are racing for gold or sharing trails with friends or soaking in the quiet and solitude, remember that each step really is special, just ask someone who doesn't have the option!! It may be corny and easy to dismiss with a snarky or cynical comment, but we are blessed, each of us, to be able to live a lifestyle that promotes heath, stress reduction and a connection to our body. In this fast food world, it is comforting to know that there are people out there crazy enough to take time for themselves each day to run toward nowhere and arrive a renewed person, ready for the latest challenge. Congratualtions to you all!

Happy running.

Loopy Tuesday!!! 1000's in the Rain Redux

Not sure why the running Gods conspire for rain whenever 1000's are on the menu- but they do!  Tonight I made it out to the App. St. track with standing water on the inside of lane 1 and me garbed in pants and jacket for the first time this season.  Kind of exciting though I am not all that eager for the covering of skin to be a neccessity... today it was more of a luxury for the way home.

After an extended warm up, my little locks frosted with the microscopic droplet of mist, I arrived at the track to find not a soul on the ring of fire.  I'd have the fog-enshrouded oval to myself and I would run 5 loops of 1000m at 3:25; 5k pace with a 400m recovery.

A few strides and I was underway, checking the splits at 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m and finally coming in stressed out at 3:30 for the first 1000m.  I was trying to stay undercontrol- surely accomplished that, but I seem to be working against myself.  Not running free- which is the point of any running, but especially when on the track.  Free and fast!

I decided and committed to not checking my watch except at the end of each 1000m, to feel the moment of the turn, the straights.  Onto number two.  The rain was getting heavier and I focused on the arm swing and drive. 

'Run FAST' I told myself.  With this in mind I could feel my body's momentum pick up so slightly and feeling this speed I was able to hone in, not on effort but on the rate of speed in space. I came through in 3:22 and felt much better as well.  More relaxed, more open, more at ease.

Now I was calibrated.  The rains continued to pour down on me.  Cleansing the thoughts and allowing the moment to be all there is.  Ripping through the ether, driving so smoothly out of, then entering each renewed step.  Water splashed from the track surface, drops coating my face, and with each exhalation a fine spray blew outward from my mouth.  Number 3 3:25.  Right on the mark.

As the recovery came to a close I was feeling water logged and threw the "dry-fit" off to the side.  Getting down to business for number 4.  Allowing myself to extend a little further and open the stride with more freedom at this point. 

'This is the hard one,' I always think.  'The second to last. Make it count.'

As my thoughts tried to wander to the next 300m, to the turn ahead I reigned the mind in and brought upon a concert of the elements.  The rain had eased and in its place was a silent, soft breeze.  The air was weightless and my breathing was deep, rhythmic.  This place is rarely visited, this place where the body is tuned into the intense work at hand, moving along with the exact effort required.  Nothing wasted, no thoughts but for the job at hand.  Number 4- 3:23.

As the grey sky became tinted and lightened with an ambiguous sun I reached the beginning of the final circuit of 1000 meters.  This one I could go for and see what was left.  I did not want to strain the body in the colder conditions, but feeling loose enough I did want to strain the spirit- allowing it to grow in this brothe of fatigue.  The elements were there today to find a special ingredient.  Now, I would drink of it.

"600m to go, now ratchet down, a little further, a bit faster, right here.  Nice."

Holding the speed for 300m, emmersed in this feeling of the world spinning around.  The whirl about your head as your mind is held to one singular thought- while the body works in concert with what is asked.  After initial feelings of resistance the bodies is able to realize the goodness of this movement and now with mind and body together they each ask for more.  They plead.

300m to go and now it is all there, almost.  The surface is being glided over, are the feet even touching the ground?  Running tall, striding out, arms driving ahead it is pointless to distinguish between running and flying.
A final turn now.  It is time to go all out.  These few seconds of complete speed are what will be remembered! The relaxed mind, while determined for success has a compliant body to rely upon.  The spirit is soaring above these earthly elements giving rise to these fleeting feelings which fade like so many steps behind us.

Euphoria is the lingering impression we carry with us.  Another physical deposit to the fitness bank, a progression of toughness in the mind, and the ever important cultivation of the soul's soil.  All completed, experienced one moment at a time.  Don't get ahead, nor behind- but simply be.

Feeling Your Run; Actually

A gentle 9 miles in a flurry of snow fall. The hilly terrain allowed me to practice patience as the hill dropped below, crested and I was released to feel the energy of the downhill pull me toward it. I tried to focus on this feeling. How the varying degree of climb actually felt. I ran with strength and not speed, with patience and not hurry and the climbs became so interesting. The tension would slowly build in my legs, then- my legs would adjust and adapt and I felt normal in this climb.

As the hill would relent I could sense the release of its grip and my stride opening up without a change effort. These are innate things we know, but to fully experience them is something else. To back off the pace on these easy days and allow the gasping of breathe to occur another time, to renew the self in this type of run. It was essentially a runner's renewal through the medium of a hill.

Earlier in the run... near halfway I could sense something around me. I had been following the grade of the river for a few miles. I watched as the water made its way down the course. Large icicles dangled, growing from the mist around the river's drops... snow falling gently in my tiny universe. Still feeling something in my presence I heard a twig snap. I looked over my left shoulder and slightly behind me. There, ran a small doe, pacing off me on a peaceful Sunday morning.

I have read of these encounters, deer and elk running with humans... but to be honest it never seemed really plausible. But today, for a short moment I was fortunate to have that joy.

A succesful weekend! 38 miles total, two very hilly runs. I thought a lot of those brave runners on Mt. Mitchell this weekend, running 40 miles is unreal winter conditions.

Footprint

Though this foot falls freely
so quiet and light
Though I may move swiftly
nearly hidden from sight
Though I sometimes startle
that being, so deaf
Through a specter
such is intent.

Could I be somehow grander--
Each step shall reveal
Could this step which I land on
be an external ideal?

Sure, the eyes may be pleased--
Sure, the ears may be believe--
that the goal of this race
to gather applause (like the breeze).

But- We, know of the essence!
For We, have felt it before!
So we move on with Stillness
like the Waves to the Shore.

Though our strides seem so empty--
and our faces hang numb
while our sweat pours with fury!
It's no race
(though won)
which gets done...

Let's Explore: Milestones, Meanings and Maybes

Milestones provide to us a sense of accomplishment. Just imagine, if you were to go and run a new distance and have no idea at any given time, where you were in that distance. How would you, how could you determine what the best course of action would be, for any given variable?

Feeding Time
With this in mind, we need to understand that milestones are simply feedback.

"At some arbitrarily determined point, I was moving at this rate and felt this way". As a runner, as a person, I think that this type of evaluation is healthy and helpful; though, balance is essential.

Bionic ? Running
I wear a watch when I run. A Timex Ironman with such gadgets as a 30 lap memory and 3? alarm clocks... I run for a certain period of time at a perceived exertion and extrapolate a distance as I go... Seldom do I have the feedback of actual mileage markers, set hard and fast. Instead I rely on how I feel when I reach the used jeep dealer at the top of the first hill of one route, or when I have to duck under the fingers of a twisted branch on the edge of the river when I run on another. These beacons spur me on, they tell me "today you are improving" (whether I am fast... that day or not, success is the choice to be out there).

Laser Runner?
There was a time when I believed (else I was not a Runner) for whatever reason that I had to know my pace for every mile,each half mile even... and this brought about a great sense of anxiety to my running, in fact, it was not mine at all. I can recall thinking that I was not fast enough, run faster, run faster... you must!

The results were inconsistent training, plateaued racing, Injury and ultimately no sense of growth. In other words, the recipe for a short lived, cyclical, seasonal runner. Each spring I'd start all over after months and months of watching television. I even wrapped myself into some poor lifestyle choices... using the 3 W's (whiskey, weed, wine) to escape (hide from) some personal issues which of course waited and festered and rose like smoke to the surface at just the wrong (right?) time. This served to take me farther from being who I am meant to be... call it my destiny if you will...

"You cannot run away from a weakness..."
At some point and for some reason I finally took a good look at myself, not exactly who I was at that moment, because in the grand scheme I was a pretty mild case, an ordinary guy (which is exactly the issue here) but more importantly I looked at the projection of who I was becoming... more mild, more passive... life slipping away, not taking an active role in ANYTHING.

I did not like what was in front of me. Despite all the advantages surrounding my life as a middle class white kid in America with the ability to travel wherever and do whatever I was squandering under the guise of some cynical ideal concerning society. I needed to get out of that hole called judgement and "get busy bein' born."

I began setting goals, small ones like: I will only drink water today and I won't smoke anything, this morning, at least and see how that goes... just milestones to gauge progression. Were the moments in my life improving? or was I receding? Or in the words of Bill Lumberg, "was this good for the company (i.e.... me)?"

Life is Momentum
In time it became habitual to make good decisions, decisions I could be proud of, not the kind you hope nobody asks you about... and recognize the poor choices immediately. A funny thing happened. I began listening to my body more, I began running more. I stretched out to new distances, at paces I never dreamed of... sometimes barely "running" at all; I was moving so SLOW... But- I was moving forward, I was happy. Discovering some new things about myself stripped away all of those cynical traps which are so easily set and fallen into and which seem permanent while you are in them... just as permanent as this life seems now.

Running became something different through this process. I developed a deeper understanding of what running can offer and more important to any relationship, what I can offer to running. The community, the beginning runner, a person who hadn't run since junior high, a kid who happen to see some guy running through his neighborhood, and maybe even a spark to a more experienced runner losing sight of why he/she was logging so many hours out there!

I still struggle most days with that idea of not running. Now- I greet the idea. I spend a minute with it. I say, "you DON'T have to run. But- I know you want to, because it makes you a better person." In a few minutes I am a half mile from the car, with the meditative stare, the rhythmic breathe, the tantric bounce... I have transformed. I, am again, a runner.

This is my 100th post on In Clean Air and it seems appropriate to dance with this idea of milestones. While I did not set out to do this thing in particular, I am glad it is here, it is good. We should have as many good things around us as we can stomach! Happy running, happy living. The course is the future! Let's explore...

Crunching, Slipping and Climbing

For those that aren't aware, which would be everyone I presume, I have a bit of a trail network in my backyard, literally it is my backyard. The process is ongoing and currently I have about 4 miles on site with access to adjacent acreage allowing a loop of about 6 miles without repeating. Part of this is the Dragon Trail which I loop around a (long) mile at a time to do hill circuits occasionally.

Well, with all the winter we have been receiving this winter I have not had much occasion to get out there on the Dragon Trail this year. BUT- sometimes it just feels right to get there and slop around in the woods, so **Lil' got her "shoes" on and we ran along for an hour this weekend.

The Run:)
The course meanders through rhododendron and up to our christmas tree acreage where a loop is completed with some flowing downhills and progressive uphills. After this section, we zoomed downhill through the woods for the next 15 minutes over untouched trail, aside from a deer or raccoon and even one turkey... the cool winter air brushed us and soon we were riverside for a minute to reflect and for Silly Lily to do some swimming and drinking. What a nut!

Watauga River in Winter

The Climb!
Well, then we turned and headed back uphill to get the day's work in. Halfway up the gradual climb things felt great and we had even pushed a few times.

We then reached Aster's Ascent. Here, severe switchbacks give 500ft of elevation over the next half mile on primitive deer trail. This is the most direct route up to the highest point on our land. Severity was compounded by the slippery slope and the breaking of the underlying crust during each footfall. What great work though!

Training Effect
The power needed to run this type of terrain is normally demanding, in "ideal" conditions; and that I precisely why I run this trail. This day though, we required additional body form checks to minimize slipping, increasing (hopefully) mechanical efficiency. No matter how well we ran, the physics of the conditions demanded a greater workload. Another half mile later we were back up to the christmas trees and getting in a nice cool down as we stared out across the Watauga River valley and up toward Beech Mountain.

Time is Running Out...
These types of runs are only available in the winter and really provide a wonderful training stimulus to the entire body. The arms are pumping, the quads are burning and the heart is pumping at maximum volume... and those lungs are doing their best to deliver sweet oxygen. 5k season is nearly upon us...

I was pleased with my body's ability to handle this run pretty easily and very proud of my mentality when it got tough. I thought, "Form, form; move ahead... up this climb. Push."

These moments will come back to us. They will benefit our racing. We cannot expect to train one way and race another. Success is a choice. Running is momentum. Once month until Leprechaun Leap 5k:) Can I make it 3 in a row?




Like winning free things??? Go see Adam at 'I am Boring'




**This was Lily's longest run ever, she extended another mile and we did not loaf as we had before. When we were finished she slept for about 5 minutes and then was running wild again. What an animal!!

A Purity Filter

Hey Ya'll,

Hope that things are good in your neck of the woods, or whatever ecosystem you may inhabit. Just wanted to share something with you all. I know that for me, one of the keys to training and racing... in fact living, is to be in the moment, the Be Here Now kind of thing.


Just read a great example of this courtesy of Tom at Run Now and wanted to send out a little inter-web ripple for you all before the weekend is here. You may have a long run (which may be looming imposingly over you) to complete and these running "tasks" might seem like meaningless check boxes to fill in.


Just a quick reminder of the kind of mental space we might want to consider for ourselves as we are tempted to be swept up by the frantic world around us.


Do not whip through this life, but let it ease through you, as if you were a filter for capturing all that is wonderful and a cleanser for all that needs help being cleansed.


So, with each step, as your momentum carries you through this complicated world, just breathe in... and think about how pure these moments are. As you exhale, you are delivering a small piece of that purity to the world around you... and we all thank you for doing so.

Let's be flexible and yielding, yet rooted firmly in our selves.

High Country Sampler

Watauga County, NC is my playground! Just a quick look in High Definition of where I get to have my fun. The kayaking takes place just below my house... via the Dragon Trail. The video is only a couple of minutes so check it out!