Fruddled Gruntbugglies

Category: Running

  • Fall Fun

    Fall Fun

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    I ran my second half marathon of the season yesterday. My goal is to try to run that distance about once a month from October through April or so. I definitely think it’s doable, but every time I run a half, I wonder to myself how the heck people run full marathons. Maybe that will seem more attainable over time as I work on my conditioning for longer runs. I was trying to take it kind of easy yesterday, and the run felt pretty good, but was very slow, with an average pace of around 11:40/mile. The only discomfort I felt was the pesky ache in the top of my left foot, which I’ve had on and off for years. Not sure what causes it, but it never seems to get any better or any worse. Massage gun, stretching, and trigger point release with a golf ball all help somewhat, and I’ve just kind of learned to live with it. Other than that, I can tell my body is getting back into shape for longer runs, as I feel fully recovered 36 hours later and ready to run again tomorrow morning.

    This morning, I got out for my annual paddle on the tidal Patapsco, launching at Southwest Area Park (which was quite busy on this balmy October morning). I paddled upstream and back for a total distance of 5.6 miles. The water was as high as I had ever seen it. At 3 hours past high tide, it was up near the top of the concrete boat launch ramp, and the adjacent pier looked like it had been underwater at high tide. I suspect that the culprit was onshore flow from a strong south to southeast wind. I had to turn around just past MD 648 due to time constraints, but I’m curious how far upstream I could have gotten given more time. Usually, I can make it to around the MD 295 overpass, or I-695 if I’m lucky, before the water gets too shallow to continue. I’ll have to see if I can get here another time when conditions are similar.

  • New Apple Watch

    New Apple Watch

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    This week, I finally took the plunge and bought a new Apple Watch. I bought my first watch, an SE, in late summer 2022. It served me well for almost 2 years of regular running, biking, and swimming. Then, last summer, it died a few hours after the first time I took it in the pool. Although I missed a lot of the watch’s features, I was a little annoyed to get less than 2 years out of it, so I held off for a year and a half before buying another one. The new watch is a series 11. Considering what these things cost, I’m really hoping this one lasts longer. I did spring for the AppleCare plan this time around, and I don’t think I’m going to swim with my watch any more.

    The new watch seems pretty nice, and it has a bunch of health features that I will make good use of (EKG, high blood pressure detection, sleep tracking, heart rate monitoring, etc). I also prefer the workout tracking on the watch to the Polar app I had been using on my phone. I took my first run with the watch this morning, and quickly realized how much I had missed having one. The first thing I found out was that my cadence has slowed over the past year and a half — I used to average around 180 steps/minute, but today’s run was 160 steps/minute. I enabled cadence alerts for my next run, which will hopefully help me get that number back up. Another thing I noticed was that, like my old watch, this one tracks distance differently than the Polar app. Specifically, with the watch, I had to run about 1/10 of a mile farther to hit 7 miles than I did with the phone and the app. Not sure if it’s an algorithmic thing (e.g. one tracker sampling the GPS more often that the other), a GPS accuracy thing (the watch has its own GPS receiver), or maybe a little of both. I’m also curious which of the two is more accurate.

    Although the watch is 2mm larger than my old SE (46mm vs 44mm; the other option was 42mm, which seemed too small) I was happy to learn that it uses the same size bands. I bought my SE with a silicone adjustable sport band, so I changed things up and ordered a textile “sport loop” band with the new watch. Initial impressions: I prefer the look and feel of the textile band, and its hook-and-loop closure allows for more fine adjustment than the pin-and-holes closure on the silicone band. The latter, though, is easier to put on and take off, and more sweat-proof. I ran with the textile band today, and when I was finished, it was wet from perspiration, which means that it would likely get “funky” after a few runs in the summer humidity. I suspect I’ll end up using the silicone band for workouts, and the textile band for everyday wear and potentially sleeping. I also have a handmade leather band for more formal occasions.

  • Run and Swim Notes

    Run and Swim Notes

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    Today was my first run of 13.1+ miles since May. The weather is finally getting amenable to longer runs, and I’m slowly getting myself back into shape for it. I’m going to try to keep up with last year’s routine of one longer run per week, typically 10-12 miles, and a 13-15 miler once per month or so. Today’s run felt pretty good, with no discomfort anywhere (as long as I stayed relaxed) and I averaged 10:50/mile, which is surprisingly fast for me for this distance. Several hours later, I’ve got a little bit of residual soreness on the outside of my left heel, which is the same area that has bothered me off and on all summer. I’m hitting it a lot with the massage gun, which definitely helps it, but it’s something I’m going to need to keep an eye on. I think it will become less of an issue as I get re-acclimated to running these distances after my annual summer mileage drop-off. The route I chose today was an experiment that took me down Landing Road from Ilchester to Montgomery. I don’t think I’ll be running there again. It is too narrow, with too much speeding traffic and poor sight lines. It was definitely the least enjoyable portion of the run.

    I swam this afternoon, matching my latest swim of 2024. I’m still 4 swims behind 2024’s total swim count, mainly because of the weather in late August that cost us a week of swimming. Based on the weather forecast for this week, I think there’s a pretty good chance I’ll end up eclipsing 2024’s total swim count. Things start to look a little dodgy at the end of the week, so we’ll see if we can stretch the pool season any later than that.

    My right shoulder has been bothering me after swimming lately. I suspect it’s a combination of poor technique and also more breaststroke/butterfly/front crawl strokes since I stopped doing backstroke for the season. Since I seem to have resolved my kicking issues with the front crawl, maybe it’s time to pick the backstroke back up and cut down a bit on the forward strokes. All the same, today I took things pretty easy, trying to stay relaxed and avoid overextending my arms, and it seems to have helped things. Next season, I really want to work more on technique to avoid the various swimming related issues I’ve had this past summer. As with most other activities, I think it’s possible to get away with poor swimming technique to a point, but swimming (almost) every day is another story.

  • Mid September Musings

    Mid September Musings

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    We could definitely use a bit more rain, but the dry weather has made for good mountain biking conditions in early September. Unfortunately, the summer growth is still pretty thick, particularly on the Baltimore County side of PVSP, and I’ve picked some poison ivy up the past couple of times I’ve ridden on that side of the river. After sparing the eastern part of PVSP for several years, wavyleaf basketgrass is now flanking the trails almost everywhere, so I have to be mindful not to bring the seeds home with me, lest the crap end up in my yard (I’ve already got some coming up near the pool equipment, which I pull up diligently every summer, and [knock on wood] have managed to keep from spreading so far). The trail that runs east from Belmont Woods Rd down to Rockburn Branch is in extremely poor shape nowadays, having suffered from severe erosion for years, and it’s becoming difficult to ride cleanly. But other than all that, everything is great. 😊 Today, instead of my usual commute to work, I took a 14-mile round trip through the Howard County side of Avalon, including the Bloede Dam Trail and Bloede Extension, which runs from Garrett’s Pass down to the river west of the former Bloede Dam site, and then out to Ilchester Road. This was only my second time riding this trail. It’s definitely one of the more technically difficult trails on this side of the park, featuring a lot of rock gardens and rocky descents. I did fairly well on it today, staying on the bike more than I did my first time out (a couple of winters ago). I think it will be good practice to try riding it a little more often. I also rode Ridge Trail eastbound from River Road, which is another butt-kicker. It’s nice to be getting back out on my mountain bikes more regularly.

    We’re also getting into peak paddling season, and I’m trying to get out on the water every week or so, although I haven’t been all that successful recently. This past Tuesday, I went back to Marley Creek with the paddleboard and went 4 or 5 miles, which is my longest outing on the SUP thus far. On the return leg, the headwind was kicking up to 20-25 mph (about 10-15 mph more than forecast) and I was really struggling against the wind. The board handled the choppy water fairly well, but I had to kneel down for the last 1.5 mile or so, which was a bit hard on my knees. Had I known it was going to be that windy, I probably would have gone another day instead. Next week, I may try to take my annual paddle on the tidal Patapsco. The tides look most favorable later in the week, so we’ll see how that works out with my schedule.

    The sunny weather has also been good for swimming. September can be a fickle swimming month, as all it takes is 2 days or so of overcast, dreary weather to kill the season. My front-crawl kicking seems to be improving, which I say because my calves don’t seem to be getting as tight any more. Next up is to try to improve backstroke kicking, but that’s a project for next year.

    Lastly, most of the issues that dogged my running over the summer (as chronicled in earlier posts) have cleared up, so I’m back to running 20-25 miles a week, and slowly upping my mileage for my weekend long runs. My goal this season is to try to run an 18-19 miler by early spring. We’ll see if it happens.

  • Run Commute

    Run Commute

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    I’ve often thought that running could be a good way to commute to and from the office, if I could figure out a way to make it practical. I ran to UMBC once in 2024, but didn’t bring much of anything with me, and got a ride home. Today, I decided to see if I could run both ways, and the answer was… yes, sort of. It was a perfect day for a run, with sunny skies and low humidity. It was also the last work day before school starts and traffic increases on the back roads, so I wanted to take advantage.

    My original intent was to run in the morning and walk/hike a more direct route home. Yesterday, I stopped at the office and dropped off clothes, hiking shoes, and the non-perishable portion of my lunch (nuts, granola bar, dark chocolate, and apple). For the run, I used my Osprey vest with the rest of my lunch stored in the compartment where the hydration reservoir usually goes. My other small items (Airpods, prescription drugs, Correct Toes, etc) went into the zipper pocket. For water, I used my hand-carry soft water bottle. The route I chose was 7.8 miles. It’s much hillier than my usual route through Elkridge, which makes it more challenging, but I did fairly well. At the office, I put compression socks on to help recover.

    Around midday, I got to thinking that maybe I could also run home. I had never taken two 5+ mile runs in a single day, but the combined round-trip distance (around 13.5 miles) was still shorter than my longest single-outing run (15 miles), so I figured I could do it. I took a more direct route of 5.5 miles, which was faster, but the downhill portion along Gun Rd was much steeper than I’d like. While I had no problem completing the run, I feel like I overdid things a little bit, and I didn’t feel the greatest when I got home. Several hours later, though, I’ve recovered and seem to be fine. I suspect that I need a little more time to re-condition myself to running longer distances, which is fairly common for me this time of year.

    The verdict here is that I think I can do this more often, but I’m probably going to need to limit it to cooler weather. Also, on the way home, I’ll likely avoid Gun Rd and run through Relay, which will add a mile or so to the total, but is a much more enjoyable route.

  • Midsummer Notes

    Midsummer Notes

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    With July passing into August, we’ve passed what I call the halfway point of summer, and are now looking towards school starting, Labor Day, and the eventual changeover to fall. August started out with pleasant weather, but now we’re getting back into a hotter, humid, summery pattern. August can get pretty hot, but psychologically, it always seems like there’s more light at the end of the tunnel during an August heat wave than in July.

    I’ve been in a bit of a rut the past few weeks with my right calf/right foot issue which I first noted in my July 21 post. The calf gets super tight and sore, and I get foot pain on the outside of the heel area. From my experience in 2020-2021, I know enough to know that the foot issue is not plantar fasciitis/fasciosis. For a little while, I was convinced that it was bursitis, as the discomfort is in an area which several web sites identify as a bursitis hot spot (although in general, most of what I read online seems to focus more on the forefoot area rather than the heel). The symptoms are somewhat consistent with bursitis, but I also tend to favor the calf when it is tight, which may be leading to tissue hot spots that I feel in the foot/heel area. This all started up shortly after swimming season began, which makes it easy to blame on my kicking form, which I know is terrible. As a precaution, I’ve stopped swimming freestyle and backstroke for now, and have doubled my breaststroke and butterfly reps (which I really feel in my shoulders afterwards). I’ve tried icing the foot, which theoretically should help if it is actually bursitis. The calf seems to respond well to the heating pad. Last week, I cut my running mileage down significantly, running 5K on one day and 4.5 miles the next. Lastly, I’ve been using a massage gun regularly on my calves and feet, which helps a lot, as long as I don’t overdo things.

    To make a long story short, it seems a little better this week. The calf is much better today, and unlike last week, I’m walking around barefoot and not favoring it. This morning, I was able to run 7 miles (my usual weekday morning distance) in spite of the return of the heat and humidity this week. I’ll keep doing what I’ve been doing the past few days, and see how things go.

  • New VFFs

    New VFFs

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    I broke in a new pair of Vibram V-Runs this morning. It’s my 4th pair since 2020. I bought my first two pairs at roughly the same time in 2020, but didn’t start running regularly in them until spring 2022. Both eventually developed holes in the heel, and after holding on to them for way too long after I retired them from running, I finally tossed one pair last winter, and the other just last week. I bought my third pair at the beginning of 2024, and they’ve been my go-to running shoes for the last year and a half. No holes yet, but like the previous two, I suspect I used them a little bit past their expiration date. The featured image shows the soles side-by-side with the brand-new pair, and you can definitely see the difference in wear. I bought the new pair back in March, and they’ve been sitting in the closet waiting for me to decide it was time to switch. Today was the day. Assuming I keep up with my running, I should probably plan on replacing these every year or so. I’ll likely end up buying another pair around the end of next winter or so.

    Really tough run for me this morning. I got my 7 miles in, but I seriously hit the wall at around mile 5. Saturday, I made it 11 miles, but was totally wiped out at the end. Not sure whether it’s a hydration/electrolyte issue, a mild virus, or something else. My diet has not been the greatest over the past few days (eating out a lot) but I doubt that’s the sole cause. It’s not the weather, either, as it’s been much nicer the past several days than most of the second half of July. I am also still dealing with the calf tightness and outside-edge-of-foot achiness on the right side that has plagued me for most of the summer. As with previous years, everything will probably eventually resolve itself as mysteriously as it started.

  • Early Run

    Early Run

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    Typically in the summer, I like to try to get to bed by 10:00pm and get up between 5:00am and 5:30am. Up until this week, though, I’ve been in a rut where I’ve been staying up until 11 or so, and not getting moving until close to 6:30. My morning routine (breakfast, coffee, pool chores, etc) usually takes me around an hour, and as a result, on mornings that I run, I haven’t been getting out of the house until close to 8:00. By then, the sun is usually out, and the summer heat is on the rise. Things have gone better so far this week, though. I’m getting tired of roasting in the sun during my runs, and with an expected high of 98° today, I was highly motivated to get out early for my run. I got moving around 5:15, and managed to hit the pavement at 6:45, which is the earliest I’ve run all summer. What a difference an hour and 15 minutes makes — in spite of the omnipresent humidity, the temperature was a reasonable 74°F, and it was much shadier and less oppressive due to the lower sun angle. I ran my usual 7 mile fall-winter-spring weekday morning route, and it actually was almost sort of pleasant. Now that I’ve experienced it, maybe I can continue to motivate myself to run early for the rest of the summer.

    I am still dealing with stiffness issues with my right calf. Last week, I bought myself a percussion massage gun. It seems to work nicely, but initially, I overdid things, and aggravated the calf even more. It seemed to respond well to the heating pad, so I’ve been using that a bit lately, typically right before bed. I’ve also taken to wearing compression socks for a few hours after running, and I still use the foam roller prior to running. I suspect that the massage gun may fit in best as a post-run recovery aid, so I will see how things go. I’m also hoping that it will help with the occasional hip flexor/piriformis issues that I get on the left side.

  • Brain Dump

    Brain Dump

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    Just a bunch of random musings for today.

    • Today was the first run I’ve taken in a long time where I had to stop over a mile short of my intended distance. I totally pooped out just shy of mile 6. I can’t blame the weather, as we are finally getting a brief reprieve from the relentless humidity of the past several weeks. It was still muggy, but the dew point was below 70, and for the first time in ages, my shirt wasn’t completely soaked when I got home. The culprit may have been the 3 vials of blood I had drawn for lab work earlier in the morning. I didn’t think that would be enough to cause issues, but perhaps I was wrong. I guess I should schedule my blood work appointments for days when I am not planning to run. Live and learn.
    • I’ve been battling mild pain on the outer edge of my right heel for most of the summer. It is not enough to keep me from running, but I am noticing that it starts to get worse toward the end of long runs as I get tired. I am also noticing occasional stiffness in my right calf, and I’m not sure if that’s a cause or an effect. I noted almost identical issues in summer 2023, and a similar issue on the left side in late 2023/early 2024. I hypothesized that the summer issue might be swimming related, and it’s plausible, if for no other reason than it started to crop up at around the same time I started swimming almost every day. That said, it’s hard to believe that swimming could be at fault for calf/heel issues. It probably has more to do with swimming working muscles that I don’t use at other times of the year, and imbalances manifesting as muscle/fascia tissue tightness somewhere in my leg that is telegraphing to the heel. I’m trying to work on it by doing toe-squat stretches, foam rolling, and heel walking, all of which help to a degree, but the problem is still there.
    • I made cold brew coffee in the French press this week with some Lidl store-brand pre-ground dark roast coffee, and it was a messy undertaking. The coffee is ground a little too fine for the French press, and quickly plugged up the plunger. I gave it a stir, but then a ton of sludge got past the plunger and into the brew. I filtered it out by pouring it through a funnel lined with a paper V60 filter, which took forever. It turned out OK, but if I’m going to use pre-ground coffee, I think I’m going to need to use something other than the French press to make the cold brew.
    • I have really missed mountain biking this summer. Whenever I want to go, it always seems to be either too hot/humid or too wet. Wednesday is looking like it might work out, and it’s my usual day to go to work, so I’m going to cross my fingers and hope I can finally get out on the trail again. Same deal with paddling — I haven’t been out since Delaware in late June. Hoping to do something about that tomorrow morning.

  • Weekend Report

    Weekend Report

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    We have had a stretch of very typical July weather this past week. It’s been hot, but temperatures have maxed out in the low 90s. There have been storms most days. And, of course, the one great constant: it’s been humid, especially this weekend. It may sound like I’m complaining, but I’ll take this weather over the alternative: a scorching heat wave with temperatures pushing 100 and no rain. In July, where the weather is concerned, you always take the lesser of the evils. If we survive this, how far behind can cool, crisp autumn days be?

    I often get lazy and lethargic in the summer heat, so I was proud of myself for keeping up with my routine this weekend. I ran 10K on Saturday and biked 25 miles today (Sunday). The run was longer than I had planned, and the bike ride was shorter. For the run, I figured I’d go about 4 miles and then finish up with some deep-water running in the pool, but I paced myself pretty well and managed to finish 6.5 miles on land. I stuck to a route that had a lot of shade, and also benefited from some low clouds for the first half of the run. Today, I had planned a 30+ mile ride, but just wasn’t feeling it. In the heat, I usually tolerate biking a little bit better than running, because biking generates a 10-15mph cooling breeze. This morning, though, it was so humid that the air movement wasn’t cooling effectively, and 45 minutes in, my shirt was completely soaked with sweat. I felt fine otherwise, but figured that lacking a source of electrolyte replenishment, it would be best to cut the ride short. Come September and October, there will be plenty of pleasant mornings for 30-40 mile rides, so there’s no sense in overdoing things.