Yesterday halfway through my run-hike, I got a tweak in my right achillies tendon. Learning to listen to your body is an important part of any active lifestyle. (I'd also like to think that if sedentary people listened to their bodies at all, they would begin to hear it screaming "I need movement! I need exercise!") We can learn to listen to our body in small ways, and that will help us eat healthy foods, if for example we notice a pattern of not feeling good in one way or another after eating some particular food or food group. We can learn to listen closely to the feelings of our muscles, joints, our overall energy level and on many other levels.
But sometimes the body will send a loud and clear signal, and we have to learn to respect and understand those signals. They can be signs of over-stress, general fatigue, specific fatigue in certain areas of the body, or they can be a problems in one area that's caused indirectly, in which case we should figure it out ourselves! Often small signals when ignored can lead to worse physical problems.
Monday I felt a small sharp pain in my lower achillies, so I stopped, flexed my ankle, then began walking instead of running. The pain was not steady or great, but it was sharp, and any sharp pain is a clear signal to back off. It's NOT a signal to take ibuprofen and keep going, as some people do. I had to get 2.5 miles back to my car, so I began walking slowly, watching for any hint of pain, which I felt a few times until I adjusted my walk to take pressure off the right achillies. After a while I began to run a little again, but drove the stride by lifting my knees and avoided using my calves to push off. That worked fine.
But what went wrong? First the trail conditions have been very snowy and slushy for weeks now, and that puts a great deal more pressure on the ankles and achillies tendons. Second, I had an entire week off when I was sick at the end of last year, and last week I got back up to higher volume (16 hours), and resuming previous volume can be tricky on the body after time off. Third, my sleep recently hasn't been as good as it should be, and that makes it difficult for the body to heal and improve.
The lesson for me is to take it easier today (Tuesday), to get a bit more sleep, and to resume my normal 2 hour per day outing carefully next time. If I feel any pain at all, I will take a rest day. I'm writing a post about this because listening to the body is overlooked and it takes a great deal of patience and humility to accomplish. I'm still learning to listen to my body and to figure myself out generally!
1/15/2013
1/13/2013
Outdoor Week Ending 1/13/13
This week I ended up doing 16:16 of run-hike with 4800 feet of climb, all on icy, snowy, or slushy trails. Trail conditions can of course make a huge difference in how much ground you can cover and the effort required. My 2013 Activity log shows a huge difference just one day can make. On 1/11 the trail was still somewhat firm, but by the next day much of it had turned to slush that was 2 to 6 inches deep. My time on 1/11 was 2:09 at heart rate 116, but on 1/12 it took me a little longer (2:11) at a much higher heart rate (149). Pushing through that slushy snow takes work, but going downhill it can be very nice stuff to glissade through.
Some photos from the Kakiat trail (click on to enlarge):
(also see videos from Kakiat in previous post (below))
Some photos from the Kakiat trail (click on to enlarge):
(also see videos from Kakiat in previous post (below))
1/11/2013
1/06/2013
Outdoor Week Ending 1/6/13
The new year of 2013 started cold with snow on the ground, making the trails snowy and a bit icy in places. The last week of 2012 I was on and off sick, traveling some, but got back out there this week, feeling stronger than ever! This year I will update my 2013 Activity Log periodically, mainly as a kind of motivation for myself.
Last year I did 622 hours of hiking and trail running, and while numbers aren't important, I like knowing roughly what I did. I used to think of my time out running on trails as training, but more and more I don't like the word training, and now I give myself the freedom to hike or run depending on how I feel once I'm out there. But it's not all a bad thing to keep track of what you're doing; it can provide some motivation to keep doing what you're doing and take it to another level. If I can make the time and fit it into my schedule, I'd love to be outside hiking and running even more than last year. I don't know, maybe 750 hours this year? We'll see!
Some photos from this week (click on to enlarge):
Last year I did 622 hours of hiking and trail running, and while numbers aren't important, I like knowing roughly what I did. I used to think of my time out running on trails as training, but more and more I don't like the word training, and now I give myself the freedom to hike or run depending on how I feel once I'm out there. But it's not all a bad thing to keep track of what you're doing; it can provide some motivation to keep doing what you're doing and take it to another level. If I can make the time and fit it into my schedule, I'd love to be outside hiking and running even more than last year. I don't know, maybe 750 hours this year? We'll see!
Some photos from this week (click on to enlarge):
1/02/2013
2012 Review
I caught a bad cold that lasted too long (the last 10 days of the year), so I ended up doing far less exercise the last week or so. But 2012 was a great year for me, full of outdoor activity. I don't care about running races anymore, but enjoyed a few. I found peace and inspiration in nature by combining my trail running and hiking in ways I'd never tried before, and loved it. I'm getting to the point where I don't care about numbers anymore, but I will probably still keep rough track of my activity out of curiosity. So here are some rough 2012 numbers:
622+ hours of combined trail running and hiking, with over 260,000 feet of climb/descent. After August, I didn't try to keep track of time spent running vs hiking, but by then had run for 215 hours. After that I did less running and more hiking, so I think something just under 300 hours of running. It was a very good year, and I doubt that I spent that much time moving on my feet since I was a kid. So that's it, on to a new year! Some data on my 2012 Activity.
Here's a few pix from the last week of 2012.
My one run-hike last week was on 2-4 inches of wet/slushy snow
My new Montrail Mountain Masochist 2 Outdry (with gaiters and Kahtoola microspikes) handled the wet really well, and my feet were warm and dry, which is important when you have a cold.
First one up to the lake after the storm...
This is actually from first day of 2013: Coyote track in virgin snow on the back side of the lake
622+ hours of combined trail running and hiking, with over 260,000 feet of climb/descent. After August, I didn't try to keep track of time spent running vs hiking, but by then had run for 215 hours. After that I did less running and more hiking, so I think something just under 300 hours of running. It was a very good year, and I doubt that I spent that much time moving on my feet since I was a kid. So that's it, on to a new year! Some data on my 2012 Activity.
Here's a few pix from the last week of 2012.
My one run-hike last week was on 2-4 inches of wet/slushy snow
My new Montrail Mountain Masochist 2 Outdry (with gaiters and Kahtoola microspikes) handled the wet really well, and my feet were warm and dry, which is important when you have a cold.
First one up to the lake after the storm...
This is actually from first day of 2013: Coyote track in virgin snow on the back side of the lake
12/24/2012
Tribute to Koreans!
Ok, I know it's not representative of true Korean culture, but about 10 years ago I happened to see a Korean drama on TV. At first I didn't watch for long, but would look for a few minutes at the subtitled drama on the WMBC broadcast when channel surfing. (For those who don't watch much TV, us channel surfers are people who like to see what's on almost every channel, at least when there are commercials during the show we're watching). Unlike the American dramas, most Korean dramas I saw would end after so many episodes, which was nice, and they were faster moving (if that can be said about dramas). Slowly but surely over a couple of years I would watch a little more, at least partly because they had no commercials, but also because it was well done drama, if very tame G-rated stuff. I got hooked over time. Those were VCR days, and I started recording the Korean drama every night to my VCR. I found it a very relaxing half hour, a good way to de-stress, and a nice alternative to over-done American TV.
In more recent years I've found there are many Korean movies and dramas on Netflix, and a new one starts on TV every 6 months or so. Movies and dramas do not a culture make, but cultural art reflects to some extent the culture it arises from, and one starts to learn a little more over time. I think I'd have a hard time with some types of Korean food, and have tried eating at Korean restaurants, but the more I learn about the Korean people, the more I hold them up as a model culture to be admired, a blend of east and west really; a modern culture with a positive hard-working attitude toward life, or so it seems to this observer. Of all peoples in this world, I admire the Korean people the most.
As a nature lover and outdoor enthusiast, I've been hiking and trail running for many years, enjoying the nature parks to the fullest extent possible in recent years as I've had a little more time. Who do I see out there enjoying nature the most besides me? I see lots of Korean hikers, in large and small groups, exploring the far outer trails where I normally don't see many other people, as well as on the more traveled trails. So I know some Koreans seem to enjoy nature, and they certainly take advantage of the great parks we have around here in the New York area. I want to pay tribute to my fellow hikers, Koreans in particular!
In more recent years I've found there are many Korean movies and dramas on Netflix, and a new one starts on TV every 6 months or so. Movies and dramas do not a culture make, but cultural art reflects to some extent the culture it arises from, and one starts to learn a little more over time. I think I'd have a hard time with some types of Korean food, and have tried eating at Korean restaurants, but the more I learn about the Korean people, the more I hold them up as a model culture to be admired, a blend of east and west really; a modern culture with a positive hard-working attitude toward life, or so it seems to this observer. Of all peoples in this world, I admire the Korean people the most.
As a nature lover and outdoor enthusiast, I've been hiking and trail running for many years, enjoying the nature parks to the fullest extent possible in recent years as I've had a little more time. Who do I see out there enjoying nature the most besides me? I see lots of Korean hikers, in large and small groups, exploring the far outer trails where I normally don't see many other people, as well as on the more traveled trails. So I know some Koreans seem to enjoy nature, and they certainly take advantage of the great parks we have around here in the New York area. I want to pay tribute to my fellow hikers, Koreans in particular!
Outdoor Week Ending 12/23/12
10 hours and 30 minutes, 3200 feet of climb, mixed hiking and trail running. Caught a cold later in the week, but it's been a great outdoor year and I've overall gotten much stronger and healthier.
The gas line cut often sees deer feeding
Winter storm "Draco" was rain around here, swelling creeks more than "Sandy" even
The gas line cut often sees deer feeding
Winter storm "Draco" was rain around here, swelling creeks more than "Sandy" even
12/22/2012
Outdoor Week Ending 12/16/12
Time 15:43, 4970' climb, 70% hiking with some hard trail running in
there. Another good week!
Good news: Google upped the free picasa space to 5 gb! So I can add more pix without paying. (I always seem to ponder before paying up on these types of things, so that's why no pictures recently)
My local lake
Carefree Buck
Strange tree
Woods road in Harriman
Nice sky and moon on black trail
Southern New York snow early Dec
Blustery day at Sky Top (Mohonk)
A very active Harriman Beaver
Deer feeding at dusk at the gas line cut
The Key
Good news: Google upped the free picasa space to 5 gb! So I can add more pix without paying. (I always seem to ponder before paying up on these types of things, so that's why no pictures recently)
My local lake
12/09/2012
20 Hour Week: Make Time, Peace in Nature
Nature can heal and inspire any time, but if you can make more time to experience it's various moods -- the major and subtle changes of the seasons and weather and the activities of the animals and plants -- the more you can become a part of it.
I've had 20 hour weeks outdoors before, but not in many years. This week I was outside on trails for probably about 25 hours total, but I like to count moving time, to keep a rough idea about my "volume". This tracking comes from my trail running days when I was mostly about training, but now I don't think of training, just movement in nature. Unnecessarily but by habit, I still keep track of overall moving time, the amount of climb, and some measure of effort. So this week came in at 20:39 with about 6200 feet of climb, effort not compiled carefully, but a mix of vigorous hiking (probably 40%), easy hiking (about 35%) and trail running (~25%).
My main point this week though is MAKE TIME if you can to be out there longer, and most importantly, make a chunk of that time for stopping/experiencing nature or exploring. For me this week that was about 5 hours of sitting at various inspiring spots, often writing but sometimes just enjoying, with some exploring side areas and side trails, or listening to and watching wildlife. Over the past summer my main personal lesson learned was the run-hike: freely mixing trail running and easy hiking for a whole new experience that was the best of both worlds. Now though I've realized that stopping and observing and little side explorations enrich the experience even more, but it only really works if you make extra time for it up front and don't "have to be back" for something. I make this point because even if we can make more time for the things we love doing, often we don't do so as a result of following our regular life patterns too blindly.
My second point this week is suggested in the title above: peace with nature and it's elements. This week had a cold rainy day, a windy chilly days, a foggy cool serenely still day, and some sun as well. I realized the best day in some ways was the day I didn't want to go out at first. Doing an errand before the outing I was cold as it was about 35 degrees and raining, with a bone-chilling dampness that seemed to go right through my clothes. But after 20 minutes hiking up the hill, I was warmed up and I started to enjoy it more; the air was still, and only a foggy drizzle remained.
The more time you spend outside in all seasons, the more your body adjusts naturally and is able to stoke it's own heating. In sedentary people (or even sometimes in people who rush outside for an hour or so of exercise throughout the winter), the body loses it's ability to regulate it's temperature properly. I see so many people hiking with what look to me like heavy coats, when I rarely have on more than two thin layers. I don't see sweat on their brow, as I would on me if I were so dressed, which makes me conclude that they've lost the ability to self-regulate temperature. Over time your body can regain it's responses to and place in nature, but only if you're able to relax out there.
I've had 20 hour weeks outdoors before, but not in many years. This week I was outside on trails for probably about 25 hours total, but I like to count moving time, to keep a rough idea about my "volume". This tracking comes from my trail running days when I was mostly about training, but now I don't think of training, just movement in nature. Unnecessarily but by habit, I still keep track of overall moving time, the amount of climb, and some measure of effort. So this week came in at 20:39 with about 6200 feet of climb, effort not compiled carefully, but a mix of vigorous hiking (probably 40%), easy hiking (about 35%) and trail running (~25%).
My main point this week though is MAKE TIME if you can to be out there longer, and most importantly, make a chunk of that time for stopping/experiencing nature or exploring. For me this week that was about 5 hours of sitting at various inspiring spots, often writing but sometimes just enjoying, with some exploring side areas and side trails, or listening to and watching wildlife. Over the past summer my main personal lesson learned was the run-hike: freely mixing trail running and easy hiking for a whole new experience that was the best of both worlds. Now though I've realized that stopping and observing and little side explorations enrich the experience even more, but it only really works if you make extra time for it up front and don't "have to be back" for something. I make this point because even if we can make more time for the things we love doing, often we don't do so as a result of following our regular life patterns too blindly.
My second point this week is suggested in the title above: peace with nature and it's elements. This week had a cold rainy day, a windy chilly days, a foggy cool serenely still day, and some sun as well. I realized the best day in some ways was the day I didn't want to go out at first. Doing an errand before the outing I was cold as it was about 35 degrees and raining, with a bone-chilling dampness that seemed to go right through my clothes. But after 20 minutes hiking up the hill, I was warmed up and I started to enjoy it more; the air was still, and only a foggy drizzle remained.
The more time you spend outside in all seasons, the more your body adjusts naturally and is able to stoke it's own heating. In sedentary people (or even sometimes in people who rush outside for an hour or so of exercise throughout the winter), the body loses it's ability to regulate it's temperature properly. I see so many people hiking with what look to me like heavy coats, when I rarely have on more than two thin layers. I don't see sweat on their brow, as I would on me if I were so dressed, which makes me conclude that they've lost the ability to self-regulate temperature. Over time your body can regain it's responses to and place in nature, but only if you're able to relax out there.
12/03/2012
Outdoor Fun Week Ending 12/2/12
Just over 11 hours, about 3600 feet of climb, mostly hiking but some
good technical trail running mixed in there. A bit of a snowstorm had me resting on Tuesday, and it stayed cold enough to stick around most of the week in Harriman. With the colder weather and shorter days the temptation is to get it over with faster, but the beauty is in taking your time when possible and enjoying every aspect of the season. That can mean dodging dusk and carrying a headlamp, judging whether you can do a certain route with snow and ice cover, or just making peace with the coolness that you craved all summer, now here, giving the woods over to you, with plant and and animal life in reprieve...
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