It's Freakin Freezing!

Winter has arrived early here in the Washington, DC, metro area. There were brief snow showers today that moved through downtown DC, and tomorrow’s high is expected to reach a balmy 38, but with the good old windchill, it will feel like it’s in the 20’s. Perfect running weather, not! In the immortal words of Dr. Evil in the first Austin Powers movie, it’s freakin freezing in here!

Now I don’t mind running in cold weather. In fact, my fastest races generally have been when the weather is cold. The temperature at the start of the 2002 Chicago Marathon was 34 and the mercury only made it up a few degrees more by the end of the race. However, the wind was pretty calm and the sun was out, which made for pretty racing conditions. Here in DC, however, we’ve had the unfortunate combination of cold weather and lots of wind, which makes an early evening run feel like an excursion into Antarctica.

What to do? Dress in layers, lots of layers. Most experts recommend that runners wear a base of “high tech” material, a shirt that “wicks” away moisture, followed by either a similar type layer, and finished off with a running jacket or shell. Well, there’s the recommended way, and then there’s the Matt way.

As I prepared to go out for my run last night, I started with a cotton t-shirt, followed by a long-sleeved cotton shirt, followed by a good ole fashion sweatshirt. No high tech materials. No fancy synthetic micro-fiber shirts to wick away moisture. Nope, I went old school, Rocky Balboa-style. I actually own a few pieces of this new fangled high tech running gear, which I always wear for races, but when it comes to training runs and getting back into shape, there’s nothing like going back to basics. Tomorrow morning during my tempo run in Siberia-like conditions, the gray sweatshirt will make another appearance.

Running Shoes and Throw Momma from the Train

I keep a fair share of running shoes around my apartment, about eight pairs right now (see below). Most are retired from active duty, except for my sweet pair of Asics GT-2130’s (also see below) with the Superfeet inserts for additional support. Running shoes, more than any other item, are essential for running. A good pair will keep you pain free, injury free, and hopefully blister free. All of us have a different preference; I’ve tried Nike’s, but they caused knee pain. New Balance gave me horrible blisters. Brooks, Mizuno, and Saucony just don’t fit right and Reebok has never done it for me. That leaves me with Asics, the Japanese brand that uses gel for cushion. These bad boys always are comfortable, never cause blisters, and never let me down.

You may ask why on earth I keep old pairs of shoes. The 1987 classic comedy movie Throw Momma from the Train, starring Danny DeVito and Billy Crystal, provides the answer. About midway through the movie, DeVito wants to show Crystal his coin collection, which consisted of a bunch of random coins ---- quarters, nickels, dimes, etc. Crystal looks incredulously at DeVito wondering what was so special about the coins. Then DeVito takes out a specific quarter, identifying it by the year, and explains that the quarter was change from a ball game at Yankee Stadium that he went to in his youth with his dad. Each coin had a similar story and memory.

In the same way, my shoes look like nothing more than a pile of worn out, well, shoes. When I look at my shoes, though, I see more than laces and cushion, insoles and arch support. What I see is my running history and lots of memories --- finishing my first marathon in Chicago, setting a personal record in the half marathon in New York, walking for the first time after surgery, running the first race in my comeback. Sometimes when my motivation is low and I don’t feel like going out for a run, I’ll look at my old pairs of shoes and usually within a few seconds I’m out the door and making new memories that will last for years to come.

Eight pairs, all Asics!

The Asics GT-2130s

Dispatches from the Road: Phoenix

As most of you know, I tend to do a fair amount of traveling for my job --- about 10-20 trips a year. This week I’m in Phoenix for a three-day conference and am staying at the Arizona Grand Resort, replete with golf courses, pools, and a water park. It’s quite a nice venue, so nice in fact, that the Arizona Cardinals stayed here last night before their big game tonight against the San Francisco 49ers (it’s a real site to see 330 pound offensive linemen and 250 pound linebackers walking around your hotel).

Anytime I travel for work, I try to get in a few runs, and this trip is no different, except for the fact that Phoenix is basically located in the desert. There’s lots of cactus, palm trees, and golf courses. There’s also lots of little creatures wandering all over the place that I’d rather like to avoid --- snakes, scorpions, things we as runners normally don’t have to contend with running the DC area.

Somehow during yesterday’s run, I managed to avoid all those nasty little critters. I did, however, see some beautiful rock formations and lots and lots of golf courses. There are also tons of strip malls and retirement communities. My impression of Phoenix is that it’s sort of like Florida, only in the desert. Bring on the 3 pm early bird specials!

I have found that running while on travel provides me an opportunity to see and explore a new city or area, and I normally take away something memorable from each of my runs. In Seattle it was the beauty of Puget Sound, in San Francisco the impressive Golden Gate Bridge, and in Chicago the amazing skyline. What I’ll remember most from my runs in Phoenix is the sign I saw outside a church yesterday, which read: HEAVEN IS NO TRICK, HELL IS NO TREAT. I bet most kids avoided that church on Halloween.

More Photos from the Rockville 10K

The photographers were out at yesterday's Rockville 10k. This was the first time I ever wore sunglasses during a race. Given how well I did, this might turn into a tradition.

Before the Race

Nearing the finish line

Rockville 10K - It's Morning Again

It's morning again in my running world. Today I am running faster and more often than ever since my surgery. With a newly strengthened ankle, I’ve run six races already this year and am scheduled to run two more. Yesterday morning in Rockville, I ran a 10k in 49 minutes, 5 seconds, a time much faster than anything I’ve run this year at a comparable distance, and with this improving trend, I can look forward with confidence to the future. It's morning again in my running world, and with tons of hard work, training, and rehab, all under the supervision of my personal trainer Anne, my running is stronger and better than at anytime in the last two years.

(For those of you who don’t “get” this post, it’s a take-off on Ronald Reagan’s popular “Morning in America” tv ad from his 1984 re-election campaign. The picture above is from yesterday’s race and I’m the runner on the left hand side wearing a long sleeve shirt and sun glasses.)