Rejuvenation

Rejuvenation

I recently read an article which mentioned that many elite runners run with a cadence of 180 steps per minute.  After reading this, I looked online to see if I could find 180 bpm music to accompany me on my runs.  I know that music is a controversial topic for some runners.  I don’t use it frequently; however, it can provide motivation, especially on dreary winter days…  How does this topic fit into this week’s blog?  After writing, rewriting, completing, and proofreading this week’s blog, I was back online looking for more 180 bpm songs to add to my running playlist.  Low and behold, guess what song I found on the list? Read on…

Am I dating myself if I start quoting Bob Dylan?  Maybe I am, but he and I agree on this… The times they are a changin’.  This applies to several aspects of my life, as well as my running. Last week, my blog focused on how overwhelmed I was feeling with the bump-up in my training mileage.  However, I think I frightened several of my friends, running partners, and perhaps…blog readers.  So this week, I’ll tell you about several changes that took place which rejuvenated me. 

Daylight-saving time went into effect and is providing a welcome break from the afternoon darkness.  Don’t get me wrong, I love having the alarm go off at 4:30 AM, but the prospect of being able to run after work is a motivator.  It’s completely uninspiring to go into work in absolute darkness and come out of work into a world devoid of sunlight (especially since my classroom has no windows).  Behold! Daylight-saving time and the tilt of the Earth (which, as a science teacher, I had to throw in) are now working in our favor!

Thanks to my friends at Run VT, I picked up a new pair of running shoes this week.  If you consider yourself a runner, you know the power of a new pair of shoes! These are the lightest and, thus far, most comfortable shoes I’ve worn.  Thanks to these new shoes, I’m sure to score a PR during the VCM.  Of course, it helps to have never run a marathon before… this makes a PR guaranteed (as long as I can reach the finish line).  As a side note, I also picked up my first pair of compression calf-sleeves. I’m sure that my new “wearables” are making me a fashion statement, but the statement may not be a positive one!  As a side note, whatever happened to having “normal” color choices in footwear?  Am I the only one who thinks that orange, day-glow yellow, and fluorescent green don’t necessarily make a color combination that I want to wear?

I had a meeting with Brian Loeffler at On Track PT.  He gave me some great advice on my running stride and form, as well as some stretches to help my aging body.  Seeing yourself run on video in extreme slow-motion is interesting and very revealing.  Who would have thought, since humans have been running for millennia, that there was a plethora of information to be gleaned by watching slow-motion video of your legs in motion?

I ran 15 miles yesterday, which is a personal best for me in terms of long distance.  I couldn’t handle the thought of yet another cold, blustery, slush-covered run, so I headed for the indoor track.  Who knew I’d ever need to use the third digit of my lap-counter!  The best part was that I felt strong throughout the entire 120 laps and didn’t fall asleep immediately upon arriving back home. 

               So, yes, Mr. Dylan was correct:  The times they are a changin’.  In fact, the future is looking quite bright (and, no, it’s not just daylight-saving time)!