Puppy Running

Workout: (Yesterday) 2.7 miles with Bailey and 5.9 with Ike for 8.6 total

Ike and Bailey know how to run

(Today) 8.0 miles solo

Yesterday I ended up postponing my run until the evening because I was lazy and didn't get out of bed in the morning.  Both dogs desperately needed exercise, having been holed up all day while I was busy doing very important research.  I decided to split them up and take Bailey for the first part of the run, then swap her for Ike for the last 6 or so miles.  It would be ideal to run with them together, but that is an impossible task.  Their running styles are not at all compatible (Ike likes to run very fast and Bailey is in it for the experience -- i.e. she's slow).

Separating them was not an easy task.  Bailey was forlorn to leave Ike behind, and frankly Ike was mad at me. He loves running with me and knew that that was what I was doing (every time I touch the sneakers, he knows).  He cried at the door and the Garmin was taking an extensive amount of time to sync.  Finally, Bailey and I were off and we ran two laps of a nearby park.  Overall, Bailey's running is improving, but you wouldn't have known that from yesterday's experience.  She wouldn't budge from her slow and steady 10 min/mile pace and was totally resistant to any efforts on my part to speed things up.  In fact, every 5 or so minutes, she would just come to a complete stop and refuse to move as I tugged the leash.  So I would stop too, and watch her sniff the air, sniff the grass, and watch some stranger walk by.  After about a minute, she seemed to be over whatever it was that initially brought her to a halt, and we would resume our steady plod.  A few weeks ago, we ran 4.3 miles together (her personal distance record) and she seemed much more motivated than she was yesterday.  Sometimes she seems to really enjoy getting out on a run with me, and other days she just seems uninterested.  I can't say I'm not disappointed; I would really love for her to be a constant running partner.  I wonder if this is the universe preparing me for the possibility that I will have human children that reject recreational running?  That might be a rough pill for me to swallow...

While I don't know whether Bailey loves the running, I know she loves ME!  Yesterday when we were on our run, I tripped over my own feet (actually on a wooden step at the top of a rough and steep trailed hill) and went down hard on my shin and hands.  Bailey immediately came over to revive me and lick me back to health.  My face, hands and shin were thoroughly checked out before she felt safe having us continue.  Glad to know she won't leave me for dead if something serious happens.  She knows who buys the peanut butter in the house.

Ike, unlike Bailey, has thoroughly made up his mind about running, and he loves it.  As soon as he got on the leash yesterday, he took off at full speed like a sled dog.  I've found that trying to reign him in is more effort than its worth, so we typically do some or most of our runs on trail so I can let him off the leash.  Instead of fighting with him, I usually run hard and fast when he is on the leash, and then take it easier on the off-leash trail sections.  It's like a surprise tempo workout!

This morning, I ran solo because I wanted to do a route that had no off-leash sections.  Ike knew what was going on as soon as the alarm went off and was really annoyed at me when I shut him in the bedroom and left without him.  He's back at his house now, so tomorrow morning it will just be Bailey and she doesn't seem to notice me in the morning.  She is a late sleeper.

So that is probably more than you ever wanted to know about the time I spend running with dogs.  However, I love them both and running with dogs is a lot of fun and I think it is funny how different their personalities are. And for illustrative purposes, here are a few pictures from their adventures in the park this weekend:

Ike enjoying a juicy stick

Ike chasing Bailey.  She probably stole his stick

Bailey shaking it out

A brief moment where both are still; Ike is concentrating on the stick

Ouchy calves

Workout: 7.75 miles in 1:11 (yesterday)

Yesterday's run was quite uncomfortable, for at least the first 4 miles.  My calves felt very tight and were sending PAIN! and STOP! signals to my brain with every step.  It certainly didn't help that despite it being February, the temperature was 78F and humid.  I can't believe this is winter in Austin.  I could use a little more Boston right about now!  Running in hot or humid weather is not my fav.  In fact, it makes me noticeably slower and my muscles always feel sorer.  Ideal running conditions for me are dry and 40-60F.  Hook me up with some of that, weatherman!

Anyways, yesterday the calves were driving me crazy and I had to stretch them out when I was stopped at a busy intersection.  I attribute a large part of the discomfort to the humidity, but I know what the other culprit is: Heels.  Just the day before, I had worn wedge heels for a graduate student poster competition and industry networking event I had attended.  You are probably thinking these were some really high heels if it caused serious calf pain, right?  Nope, about 1.5 inches.  They are Dockers and as far as heels go pretty comfortable, actually.  I think the problem is really that I hardly ever wear heels.  I know they look stylish, but they aren't exactly conducive to doing wet lab research requires a lot of walking and standing, basically 8 hours of it every day.  Further, there aren't a lot of incentives to dressing my best when working in the lab.  Nothing like a splash of bleach or e. coli to compliment the outfit...Also, heels usually hurt my feet, which compromises my running, and I often put running as a higher priority than style...what can I say?  So needless to say, my feet are accustomed to flat, sensible shoes or going barefoot (which I do most of the time at home.  Don't worry, I don't do this in the lab.)

Wednesday's poster session required 6+ hours without sitting, at least two of which required me to stand graciously in front of my research poster, smile profusely, and expound the awesomeness and optimization of recombinant cell line development.  My feet were so tired and hurt so much when I got home Wednesday night.  So much in fact, that Bailey and I had a special couch potato session watching lots of TV with our feet (and paws) up.

On the bad side, the day of heel wearing carried over tired and tight muscles into Thursday's run.  On the bright side, I did win an award for my poster (the Baker Hughes Excellence in Research Award).  Boyfriend won an award as well (his was from Dow), which made me very proud.  We found out afterwards that the awards came with prize money from the sponsoring companies (sweet!) and were pleasantly surprised.  Neither of us knew that when we had signed up to participate.

What will I do with my winnings you ask?  Well, first I need to buy a new pair of dress shoes that are completely flat so I don't have a repeat fiasco of this nature.  I'm not kidding! A BME friend of mine was rocking the cutest and most comfy looking pair of professional looking ballet flats and I am going to find me a pair!  The balance of my winnings?  Why, I will use them to lavishly spoil my adorable pup-daughter, of course.

Bailey (left) and her cousin, Ike (right).

Lucky little Bailey has her cousin Ike visiting for the next few days.  Aren't they cute together??

Running in Oakland

This past weekend was a long, holiday weekend, which afforded a great opportunity for the Boyfriend and I to visit a friend in Oakland, CA.  He graduated from the same PhD program we are in, which is how we know him, and now he is working for the Man out in Cali.  We bought some cheap tickets on JetBlue and enjoyed a direct flight to and from SFO.  Our initial plan was to head to Tahoe for some skiing and boarding, but alas the winter has not been agreeable to those who love snow sports!  Tahoe has received negligible snow fall this season and the ski areas have had nearly daily highs in the 60s.  Definitely not conducive to skiing.  We skipped it and decided to do other, fun Bay Area stuff instead.

While I had previously visited the Bay Area (only briefly), it was the Boyfriend's first time.  We did lots of sight-seeing in San Francisco, ate good food, hiked the Marin Headlands, walked around a lot, went wine tasting in Sonoma, explored downtown Oakland, and rode the BART extensively.  We were gifted with four beautiful, sunny days with clear skies, which was very nice because we were outside A LOT.  No vacation is complete without some running (of course) so I also slipped in runs on three of the four days I was in Oakland.  Because of our friend's proximity to it, I found myself running around Lake Merritt in downtown Oakland.  This lake is actually a tidal lagoon from the bay, and therefore salt water. There is a path all the way around and one loop is 3.1-3.5 miles (depending on the exact paths you choose).  I was a fan of Lake Merritt for two reasons, 1) the scenery is absolutely gorgeous and 2) it is a safe place to run without traffic intersections.  I would highly recommend it for any visitors to Oakland.  The lake is adjacent to a lot of beautiful municipal buildings and churches, and there are green parks lining much of the shore.

I also enjoyed running in the dry, crisp and cool mornings.  Oakland definitely has a dry climate, and the difference was stark compared to swampy Austin.  Furthermore, the mornings were always cool (35-40F), which is a very nice running temperature for me.  On our last day there, I even got the Boyfriend to run 4.5 miles with me around the lake, and it was a very nice treat to have him come along!

Back in Austin, which means back to my usual (i.e. boring) running routes.  The weather is fluctuating between cold and damp and warm and humid.  I guess if everyday was like a vacation, we wouldn't need  travel to take a break!

From Texas to Boston: Running in the Cold

Apparently the start of December, and winter, in Massachusetts was incredibly mild this year.  That all came to an end just before I flew from my cool but temperate central TX to my parents' home in the Boston area.  I arrived on Christmas eve, in the afternoon, and had packed and prepared for morning runs every day of my visit.  After all, what is a vacation without regular running?  While the Mass air felt very chill to me as I left Logan airport, I put it out of my mind, taking solace in the knowledge that I had packed tights, long sleeved wicking shirts, gloves and a running hat.

Christmas morning arrived with grey skies and very cold temperatures.  I woke up and checked the thermometer outside the bathroom window, which registered between 10 and 15 degrees Fahrenheit.  I briefly contemplated returning to bed, given that I had not tackled such temperatures in nearly a year.  However, the thought of doing so was shameful enough that I instead pulled on my tights, two layers of long sleeved tech shirts, gloves and a hat.  Before I could sink into a small and cold puddle, I put on my Garmin and headed out the front door.  The cold air sent a chill through me immediately, and because the Garmin had not located satellites, I was forced to continue standing, very still, for about 2 minutes.

Shortly after I started running, my muscles and extremities felt much more comfortable and I could feel blood circulating throughout my body.  My face still felt cold and raw and there is an unpleasant feeling that settles in your throat from continually sucking in chilly air.  Nonetheless, the simple act of running brought my body temperature into balance.  That is, unless I found myself stopped at an intersection.  A lack of motion meant the immediate return of frigidity.

Toward the end of my run, the wind had picked up and the tips of my fingers and toes were permanently and uncomfortably chilled.  This was especially surprising because I was wearing fleece mittens.  I cannot remember another time that they were not sufficient to keep me warm.  When I finished the run (a hearty 8.43 miles), I took a very nice and deserved hot shower and drank some hot tea to return my body temperature to normal.  The rest of my family still lives in Mass, and therefore this weather was not out of the ordinary.  I, however, was very pleased by my fortitude.

The three days following Christmas have brought considerably milder weather and with it easier and more comfortable running conditions.  On the 26th, I headed out with a hat and gloves, but quickly shed the gloves at the trail head where I was running, and retrieved them before heading home.  On the 27th, I went into Boston and ran along the Emerald Necklace.  The weather was in the high 30s, warm enough for me to go sans hat and gloves!  And while the trend continued this morning, the weather has now changed again, with temperatures in the 20s tomorrow and a very heavy wind chill to accompany it.

Getting out of a warm bed for the prospect of a run in the cold air is not often appealing to a groggy runner.  What I have learned over the years though is that more often than not, with the proper dress and a consistent pace, one will be warm enough.  So tomorrow, and the rest of the time I am here in Massachusetts, I will remind myself that the chilly conditions are nothing that a little running can't cure.

Happy Holidays!

The Art of Running in the Dark

Daylight savings in autumn is a pretty exciting day for perpetually tired students like me, because it means a glorious, extra hour of sleep.  After that, though, all the excitement is gone and you are left with longer and longer periods of darkness.  For most of us this time of year (in the northern hemisphere) this means periods of running in the dark, whether it is pre-dawn or post-dusk.  My running is no exception to that, and I have been logging quite a few miles in the dark of late.  As I was (yet again) running in the dark this week, I came to the realization that there are quite a few tricks that I feel are important to making this a satisfying and successful experience.

Embrace it.  If you are going to spend a significant amount of your runs in the dark, you really ought to enjoy it, which I think one can do by actively focusing on the nice things about it.  I enjoy running in the dark because it feels so much quieter.  This in turn makes it easier for me to meditate and mull things over.  Furthermore, I find that traffic is often less in the early mornings or late at night.  If you time it right, one can also enjoy a sunrise or sunset during the run.  This time of year, one can also enjoy the holiday lights better in the darkness.  Sometimes I pick a running route that takes me through a particularly well decorated neighborhood and it makes me feel festive.

Gear up.  A few adjustments to your normal running attire can make a dark run much more enjoyable and safe.  First, swap a dark colored shirt for a bright/light colored shirt.  Any gear with built in reflective elements is a plus, but certainly throwing on a white shirt is extremely easy to do, so no excuses! You can also clip a cheap, flashing bike light on your clothing.  This makes you easy to spot for any cars.  If the area you are running in is not well lit or has particularly bad footing, consider using a head lamp or hand held flashlight.   Alternatively, you can pick a route that you know is well-lit and has smooth terrain.  That is what I usually do; I avoid off-road paths anytime I know I am running when it is dark out.

Know thy enemy.  My primary concern while running in the dark is cars.  This is particularly problematic in Austin, where many roads (1) lack sidewalks and (2) lack street lights.  This means I am often forced to run in unlit streets.  The good news is that Austin is pretty cycling friendly, so most of the roads have shoulders.  First, I always run against traffic.  This is strongly recommended for runners, because it supposedly allows cars to see you sooner.  I usually take a defensive approach with cars, though, and assume that I need to take safety into my own hands.  I like running against traffic, because it makes it easier for me to know when a car is approaching.  As they get closer, I can gauge whether they are moving away from me and giving me plenty of passing space and if not, I will jump onto the curb.  My secondary concern is vulnerability and isolation.  As a female runner, I never want to put myself in a situation where someone could hurt me and I would be unable to get help.  While I enjoy running in remote and natural places, I skip this at night because it is so much harder to avoid danger.  I stick to well lit/populated areas with a decent amount of traffic.  If traffic is a problem, one can also choose residential neighborhoods with lots of houses and people in those houses.

Perfect the Art.  A major problem I experience while running in the dark is temporary blindness from the oncoming traffic's bright lights.  This makes me somewhat uncomfortable, because many of the roads I run in have potholes or other contour aspects.  In this case, I do my best to look at a distance where I can make out the road surface.  Additionally, I tend to press my feet into the pavement with confidence.  I also use this technique when running on slick or icy surfaces.  Literally, I apply a little extra pressure when my foot hits the pavement.  This should increase the friction between my shoe and the road, and help keep me upright.  It might all be in my head, but I can assure you that I have never fallen using this approach, and I have taken my fair share of face plants while running.  Usually these falls occur during the calmest of weather on smooth, flat road in full daylight, much to my embarrassment. 

Right now in Austin, the sun sets around 5:30pm.  I set out for a run at 5pm and selected a route that looped south along the Shoal Creek trail and then back along roads and through UT's campus.  Because the second half of the run would be in the dark, I intentionally ran the trail section first and was well onto paved road before it was too dark to see.  It was a grey, cloudy and drizzly day, preceded by an entire weekend of rain.  The weather was cool, in the low 50s and wet.  It reminds me of New England, and I love it!  After the hottest summer on record in Austin, I am finally in my element.  And for that, I don't mind logging a few miles in the dark :)

The race that was not

Back in the middle of the summer, I registered for a half marathon.  It was the See Jane Run half marathon, which would be held for the first time in Austin, TX on October 9th.  Even though October can be quite hot in Austin, I wanted a race to motivate my summer running, and the convenience of a fall race in my backyard was highly appealing.  It all seemed so ideal.  Until October 9th, that is.

A storm passed through Austin (early in the morning) and for the first time in three months (literally), we were blessed with soaking rain.  I woke to rain and thunder around 4:30am.  The race start was 7am, so I was unconcerned at the time.  My alarm went off at 5:30am, and there was still rain with occasional thunder and flashes of lightning.  Thinking this might cause a race delay, I booted up my computer and quickly checked my email and the race website, figuring if there was a change, it would be posted there.  Nothing.  Well, I have run my fair share of workouts and races in the rain, and being a hearty New Englander by birth, I was unphased.  I finished getting ready and was out the door by 6am.

The line of cars to approach the parking lot was long and moving slowly.  I got there by 6:15 and then just creeped along.  I knew I had plenty of time, so I didn't panic.  I finally got close enough at about 6:25 and realized all the cars were being directed to turn around and leave.  "Race is canceled" someone yelled to me.  I unrolled the window to confirm.  I drove further up to double check with someone of authority.  I expected to talk to a race director or volunteer, but sadly they could not be found.  There was a police car, no one else to be seen.  They confirmed the race was canceled and sent me home.

When I got home, I had an email waiting from See Jane Run.  They informed us that the race had been canceled; they had been asked to cancel the race by the police because of lightning and rain (i.e. asked, not told).  There would be no rescheduling or refund.  The email was time stamped 6:24am.  The race start had been 7am.  By this time, 6:45am, the lightning had completely stopped and the rain was more of a drizzle.  By 8am, it was not raining at all.  The sky cleared and the early morning was greeted with sunshine.  Needless to say I felt pretty disappointed and adamant that See Jane Run race organizers had made the wrong call.

The next day, I got on their facebook page to express my disappointment, ask some questions, and try to make some sense of their decision.  While lightning poses a threat to runners, it seemed obvious to me that the correct call would have been a delayed start.  SJR had permits and plans to keep the half marathon course open for five hours.  A 30 minute delay would have been enough time for the lightning to clear completely and would still have allowed the majority (if not all) of the field enough time to run the course.  The radar for Austin clearly showed this storm was fast moving.  SJR organizers claimed they could not delay the start because of permits (I guess they never considered ending the race at the same time regardless).  They also used the excuse that the rain had resulted in flooding of the starting area.  While lightning presents a legitimate safety concern, flooding does not, and I have never heard of races being canceled because the ground is too wet.  In fact, I ran many a gnarly and soaked cross country race in high school, trudging through ankle deep mud and water.

Furthermore, SJR race officials should have stayed at the course well past 7am and explained to all of the runners arriving what was going on.  Instead, they were nowhere to be found, and one police officer was left to inform all the participants that they race was canceled.  When I asked SJR organizers about this point, they became very defensive, and didn't understand why runners would want to talk to race organizers instead of police (!).  They then told me that at 6am when the decision to cancel was made, all the organizers went inside to get dry and started tweeting, facebooking and calling radio stations.  What they failed to realize was that by the time they emailed the participants (a mere 36 minutes prior to race start), nearly everyone running the race had already arrived or was in transit.  Organizers' time would have been better spent talking to all the participants instead of calling radio stations.

Finally, I was disappointed by the way SJR organizers handled the criticism they received.  Thousands of women paid to partake in a race that was abruptly canceled and clearly did not have a backup plan in place.  Given how quickly the weather changed, many participants questioned the legitimacy of the decision.  While organizers did make an effort to distribute souvenir items, including wine glasses and t-shirts, they did not seem to grasp that a lot of people were disappointed that they didn't get to run a race.  In fact, they asked the public to consider how disappointing it was for them (organizers) after days of hard work.  This argument is completely insensitive to the fact that registered runners trained for months (and paid) for a race they never got to run.  Instead of explaining how they made their abrupt decision to cancel the race, they defensively stated that they had over 20 combined years of racing experience and therefore made the right call.  Then, when asked why communication regarding the event being canceled wasn't better, they stated they weren't FEMA and can't be expected to have the best communication.  I am, however, skeptical.  While this runner only has 14 years of race experience, she thinks its pretty obvious the race organizer should stick around the race start and talk to participants, instead of heading inside and out of sight a full hour before the race was scheduled to start.  While some people did post comments that were below the belt, the majority of them were fair criticism.  Sadly, SJR organizers were unwilling to accept any criticism.

So clearly you can tell that I was: (1) disappointed I didn't run a race that I trained and paid for.  I don't even like wearing the shirt, because I don't feel I earned it!  I also wasted two weeks on an unnecessary taper.  (2) I think the right decision would have been to postpone 30-60 minutes.  I have previously run races right here in Austin, TX and they were postponed for weather related safety reasons.  The lightning was long gone by the time the race would have started, and a little rain never hurt anyone.  (3) Communication by race organizers was abysmal.  They jumped ship too quick (not staying at the start to talk to people) and after the fact became defensive and unable to accept criticism.

In fairness to SJR, I will mention what they did that I think deserves kudos. (1) They donated all of the medals for the race to Medals for Mettle, a charity that gives race medals to children fighting debilitating diseases.  (2) They are offering a reduced, $30 entry fee to the half marathon next year.  I personally will not chose to run another SJR event, because I was extremely disappointed by the organization they demonstrated.  However, I think that whenever an event is canceled and refunds are not possible (entry fees had already been used to pay for costs that could not be recuperated), a reduced or free entry fee is the best way to resolve the issue.

So that is my race that was not.  Now its November, and I haven't run a race since an Easter 5k.  Fortunately, I have something on the calendar for December, which I will be sure to talk about in an upcoming post.

How does my garden grow?

First, happy world vegan day!  Eat lots of plants!  Lately, it has been getting easier and easier for me to consume massive amounts of plants.  Why?  Because I have 192 square feet of garden right outside my front door.  That's right, I'm the proud parent of a raised bed victory garden.

Homegrown cucumbers
(white is heirloom variety)

In August, I moved and one of the perks of the new house was a front yard that got plenty of direct sunlight.  In August, it was a dirt patch, what with the long, hot Texas summer and lack of rain.  Boyfriend and I, as well as two neighbors (one of which has a masters in agricultural sciences) undertook the task of turning this area into a fertile, plant growing space.  Our neighbor has been the real mastermind beyond the project, which took off quickly.  First, we built 6 raised beds, each 4 feet by 8 feet.  Next, he installed a drip irrigation system, complete with timers.  We can set when and for how long each bed gets watered, and it happens in the wee hours of the morning all on its own!  For each bed, we marked off each square foot and then the planting began!  One of the advantageous of hot hot Texas is two growing seasons.  Although August was too late for many crops (like strawberries and tomatoes), it was early enough for corn, squash, peppers and cucumbers.  Now that fall is in full swing, we have filled out the beds with other delicious plants including fresh herbs (sage, mint, dill, parsley, cilantro, basil, oregano, thyme and lavender), leafy greens (spinach, kale, collard greens, chard and many many lettuces) carrots, beets, beans, broccoli, onions, cauliflower and cabbages.

Fresh picked salad and beans

Of course, different plants grow at different rates, so we haven't been able to harvest everything yet, but we are already enjoying the fruits of our labors.  We have a bumper crop of cucumbers, so many that we are giving them away and turned more than twenty of them into pickles.  I picked a massive bowl of beans the other day and I frequently eat salads composed of our own, freshly picked greens.  I have sauteed up our kale and add our swiss chard to my smoothies.  On two occasions, we have made homemade pesto with our own basil.

Both boyfriend and I are really enjoying the gardening and love to look at it everyday, up close and personal, to see all the changes that are occurring.  Of course the fresh taste of homegrown food isn't a bad perk either.

Check out the youtube links for my narrated tour of the garden:
http://www.youtube.com/user/amlanza?feature=mhee#p/u/0/WAmbT79wFaU
http://www.youtube.com/user/amlanza?feature=mhee#p/u/1/qTQtwTPo8PI