Losing Myself with an 8 Mile Run

After treading the asphalt last week through Burbank and Glendale for 20 miles, we had a much needed recovery run this Saturday that was only 8 miles. That’s right; you know you’ve entered new territory when you tell someone who absolutely hates to run that you are running “only 8 miles.” It’s worth it just to see the look on their face. 

We were warned in advance that it would most likely rain on us, and the sky was overcast more than usual. I was going to put on my rain jacket, but I couldn’t seem to find it in the jungle that is my closet. As I was again running behind schedule (thank you Batman reruns on IFC), I just went ahead and put on my black Nike jacket and headed to my car. I also took the time to clean my sunglasses which proved to be filthier than usual. I hate it when those spots obscure your view while you’re trying to protect your eyes from the sun. I’d get a new pair if I could afford it, but anyway.

I arrived at Griffith Park just in time to hear Coach JC tell my fellow Team to End AIDS runners that if they decided not to run 20 miles last week because of some injury or pain they were experiencing, they did the right thing. There’s pushing yourself to do more than you ever thought you could, and then there’s taking it easy when you don’t feel so hot. So far during this marathon training season I have taken it pretty easy, not wanting to overdo anything. The only time I ran faster than I should have was when I had that interview with Ethan Hawke on his movie Predestination. Thank goodness I didn’t miss out on that!

This 8 mile run kept us inside Griffith Park as we ran past the Gene Autry Museum and the golf course. This allowed me the opportunity to watch a golfer lose sight of his clubs as they rolled away from him. Fortunately, he caught them just in time and those who were passing him by congratulated him on a great save. Still, with him being a golfer at Griffith Park, he probably has it a lot easier than the rest of us financially speaking.

I guess this is time to admit that I didn’t do my maintenance runs this past week. We’re supposed to do two of them throughout the week to keep our bodies in gear, but I decided to take an extra few days off from them which eventually turned into taking the whole week off from running. After this run I confessed my sins to Coach JC and he laughed and said, “You’re body always knows when you haven’t done your maintenance runs.” How true.

The fact is that I was lagging behind everybody to where I was running by myself for the last few miles and caught up in my own thoughts. The past week had me struggling to get any work done as I had to deal with someone from my past who is far too bitter to let go of the past, and I was once again reminded of how tedious it can be to transcribe an interview. And once again, I did not have an interval timing watch on me so I ended up losing track of when we were walking and running after a while. I could make out my fellow runners from a distance, but after a while they just became a blur.

Thankfully Winston, who I stayed behind with when experienced problems during our 18 mile run, waited up for me to make sure I was alright. Even he wasn’t sure if we were running or walking, and my Runkeeper app didn’t want to indicate where I was pace-wise. It was nice to have the company though as we made our way back to Zoo Drive where the breeze hit our faces in a most refreshing way.

I did make it to the finish line eventually, and I burned a lot of calories that I will more than likely put back into my body before I know it. One of the many things to keep in mind about running is that it can really increase your appetite in a way few other physical activities can. I found myself tearing into a package of Chips Ahoy cookies at the finish line to where I wondered just how bad my addiction to all things chocolate is. 

When it comes to runs like these where I end up falling behind everyone else, I usually come out of them feeling like I let myself down completely. But this time around I didn’t get into a state where I was beating myself up mercilessly. There were certainly things I could have improved on, but I really didn’t do a bad job. Regardless of how long it took me, I did run all 8 miles and crossed the finish line just like I should have. 

According to my trust Runkeeper app I ran for two hours and had an average pace of 14:22 per mile which was a little faster than usual for me. I burned 1,253 calories, but those calories will, of course, will be reentering my body at some point. 

For this next week I need to take care of a few things: I need to get a new pair of running shoes, a watch with interval timing and some new compression gear. My compression tights and underwear, which have gotten me through four LA Marathons, now have holes in them and need to be replaced. On one hand you could say I now have blessed clothing (their holy, get it?), but it’s time to get some new threads. 

A big thanks also goes out to the mentor of the Lucky 13 pace group, Jenn Alonzo, who continues to keep a good eye on us throughout each and every run and greets us at the finish line with a great big smile. Following this run, she also held a fundraiser at the Veggie Grill in the Farmer's Market next to The Grove. It's the kind of place where you look at the menu and become convinced that they do actually serve meat, but you should know damn well that they don't before you enter the restaurant. This is a vegan establishment through and through, and the fact that they have natural sodas instead of Coke and Pepsi should clue you into that.

DO YOURSELF A FAVOR AND MAKE A DONATION TO AIDS PROJECT LOS ANGELES. IT'LL BE GREAT FOR YOUR KARMA.

 

Running With a 'Seven Psychopaths' Hat

It was a little colder in Griffith Park this morning, but still not cold enough to where us Team to End AIDS runners were forced to wear layers of clothing. Even though it is now the week before Thanksgiving, we still have 70 degree days out here in Los Angeles. Still, it’s nice to be able to wear my shorts in November as my jeans are proving to be a little too tight around my waist… Yes, I said too much.

On this day we were to run 8 miles, and I made sure to have some breakfast before I went. It came in the form of a cookies ‘n’ cream flavored Promax energy bar. Those usually do the trick even though I usually prefer the chocolate chip cookie dough flavored bar as that flavor continually proves to be one hell of a guilty pleasure. 

Once again, I was delayed by the IFC channel as they were showing re-runs of the 60’s Batman series. God I loved watching that show when I was a little boy. Does it hold up after all these years? No comment.

Today I decided to add something new to my run and decided to wear my Seven Psychopaths dog face hat that I got at a screening of the movie at Arclight Hollywood. It’s the same one Sam Rockwell wore in the movie, and I never got to wear it in public before so this seemed like the perfect opportunity to make use of it. Upon my arrival at Griffith Park, it didn’t take long for the hat to become a hit with my fellow runners. Some of them were disturbed when they saw the Seven Psychopaths logo on the back, but others were aware of how much fun that Martin McDonagh film is to watch.

There was one problem though; I forgot to bring my Ironman watch with me. For some bizarre reason I put my Bluetooth headset in my pocket instead. Don’t ask me why because I don’t have a clue. Needless to say, I wondered why I would put that in my pocket instead of the watch. Scientists are currently looking into this situation and we will be in touch with you as updates arrive.

Coach “GOOD MORNING T2” JC had us doing warm ups again and also talked to us about particular running injuries we need to look out for. When he said that, I started hearing Laurence Luckinbill’s dialogue from Star Trek V in my head.

“Your pain runs deep. Each of us hides a secret pain. Share yours and gain strength from it.”

Of all the Star Trek movies that could come to mind, I just had to come up with the worst one of the bunch. Still, I enjoy watching Star Trek V even if it’s for the wrong reasons. It also asked a lot of important questions about God and the meaning of life. Case in point: “What does God need with a starship?”

This week took us outside of Griffith Park and down Victory Boulevard to our familiar running grounds. For several in the group, this was the first time they had run down these streets of Burbank and the first time they got a look at the beautiful houses on it. They serve as a reminder of how much money we don’t make these days, and all I can say to that is the following, “Thanks a lot Burbank! Geez…”

 

My fellow runners continued to comment on my Seven Psychopaths hat, and some asked how warm it was making my head. Truth be told, I haven’t worn a hat to keep my head and ears warm for ages. I typically wear one just to keep the sun from burning my head off, and even then I don’t wear hats much as they rarely ever fit my head comfortably. Heck, the last time I wore a hat for the purpose of keeping warm was when I visited New York back in the early 90’s during winter. My mom insisted I put one on as we were walking down the street, and I was convinced that I wouldn’t need it. It took walking down only one book to realize how mistaken I was. 

I do have a confession to make; I did not do my maintenance runs this week. I deeply apologize for that as I have no excuse, and saying that I had no time to do them is like saying you don’t have time to read a book. You make the time! For what’s it worth, I did go on some long walks from my apartment to The Grove, and I walked with purpose each time as I headed out to see Dumb and Dumber To (disappointing) and The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 (good but not great). Walking there can take a good 15 to 20 minutes for me, and it also allows me to save money on parking which is a skill worth learning when you live in Los Angeles.

But although I failed to do them, I still did well on this run and did not fall behind. All the same, I do need to make the time to do my maintenance runs. 

I also tried to keep up with what I call meditating during running as I kept checking my body to make sure I had the right posture. I kept fearing that I was leaning over too much and not keeping my chest open. When my chest is open, more oxygen comes into the body and my body loves oxygen A LOT. My mind still wandered here and there as I kept thinking about Star Trek V and I kept pondering how I survived my video interview with Tommy Lee Jones this past week.

So that concludes another week of training for the 2015 Los Angeles Marathon. Next week will have me out of town for a Thanksgiving vacation, but rest assured that I will continue running no matter where I am, be it on the road or (heaven forbid) on a treadmill. Besides, with all the food I’m going to end up gobbling down, I’ll need to run as many miles as I can to burn it all off.

FUNDRAISING UPDATE: The fundraising train keeps moving along at tremendous speed, and I’m hoping you can get on board as these donations are always put to immediate use! As of right now, I have raised $761 which puts me at 76% towards my fundraising goal of $1,000 for AIDS Project Los Angeles. I truly believe we can make it to goal before the end of 2014, so let’s make it a reality!

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