One foot in front of the other.
Date: 3/14/10
Consecutive Days Run: 73
Runner: Brandon Wood
Shoes: Sir Isaac Guidance Trainers
Location: New York, NY
Type of Run: LSD
Time of Day: 1:30 PM EST
Distance Run: 13.5 miles
Time Run: 01:45:00
Average Pace: 07:46 per mile
Weather Conditions: N/A (Indoors)
Disposition: Meh
Link to Run Detail: N/A
About the Run: The weather did indeed force me inside for my run today. That being said, I really have nothing terribly interesting to say about this run because it was, well, not terribly interesting. I hopped on the treadmill and just kind of ran, at a comfortable pace (which I must, again, say I think is faster than what the treadmill says) at a 1% grade, and stopped an hour and forty five minutes later. That’s it.
Man, running inside is boring.
Many of you know how much I LOVE (insert sarcastic look here) the treadmill. However, I have actually found what is to some an oldie, but nevertheless one amazing treadmill workout!
Date: 2/25/09
Consecutive Days Run: 56
Runner: Brandon Wood
Shoes: Newton AW Trainers
Location: New York, NY
Type of Run: Hour easy
Time of Day: 2:15 PM EST
Distance Run: 8.0 miles
Time Run: 01:00:00
Average Pace: 7:30 per mile
Weather Conditions: Indoors
Disposition: Meh
Link to Run Detail: N/A
About the Run: Today’s weather made running outdoors impossible, unless of course you can find running waders. I decided last night that I would find myself on the treadmill today for my assigned run of one hour, easy. So, after much moaning and groaning about how much treadmills suck, I made my way through a snowy, slushy mess to my gym.
It was actually very strange putting on shorts for for my running gear, but it was nice donning my running visor instead of my winter hat. It took me a few minutes to find a good treadmill as the maintenance on most I tried was severely lacking and clearly evident by the squealing coming from the belts. Once I found one that wasn’t going to make my head explode, I got on it and got going. Earlier in the day I had been lamenting the fact that when I am on a treadmill, the effort is much greater for the same pace relative to running outdoors. For example, today when I was on my 7:30 pace (according to the treadmill), my perceived effort told me I was running closer to about 7 minutes per mile. That said, I don’t believe that I only ran 8 miles, but that’s what the treadmill said so I’ll go with it.
The run went well, all things considered, but I cannot possibly explain how bored I was. This was compounded by the fact that I can’t wear my glasses while I’m running and they treadmills were situated about five feet too far away from the televisions for me to read the closed captioning. In any event, I fear I’ll be on the treadmill for the next two days due to this storm. There is a chance I will get out and do just a short run regardless of the conditions due to the fact that I don’t have an assigned run for either day. We shall see what the sn-urricane allows for!
Date: 2/23/09
Consecutive Days Run: 54
Runner: Brandon Wood
Shoes: Newton AW Trainers
Location: New York, NY
Type of Run: Quickie on the dreadmill
Time of Day: 2:15 PM EST
Distance Run: 2.0 miles
Time Run: 00:15:00
Average Pace: 7:30 per mile
Weather Conditions: Indoors
Disposition: Not thrilled
Link to Run Detail: N/A
About the Run: This morning when watching the weather, the forecasted high today in New York City was 42 degrees Fahrenheit with rain gradually coming on in the afternoon. So, I packed my running clothes to take to work with 42 in my head. When it came time to run, I was met with 35 degrees Fahrenheit, with a “real feel” of 20. This wind was coming in at 15-20 miles per hour and the rain was coming down in a heavy sprinkle. I decided, with much reluctance that, due to being in the middle of getting over a cold, it was best that I suck it up and do what I could on the dreadmill.
My cold-ish running clothes now presented the opposite problem. After putting on my tights and the thermal top I was set to wear out into what was supposed to be humid 42 degree air, I was met with humid 72 degree air in my gym. I started my run and knew within five minutes that I was not going to make my assigned one hour. So, I did what I could and got in two pretty quick miles, my clothes absolutely SOAKED by the end. Then I decided to do a bit of core work to make up for it (along with my 1.5 hour spin on my trainer tonight).
I hate running on the dreadmill. Unfortunately, the weather is supposed to be equally as cheery for the rest of this week. Good times.
Racers Against Childhood Cancer
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Racers Against Childhood Cancer
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Date: 1/9/09
Consecutive Days Run: 9
Runner: Brandon Wood
Shoes: Newton Sir Isaac Guidance Trainers
Location: New York, NY
Type of Run: Hard tempo run
Time of Day: 2:30 PM EST
Distance Run: 10 miles (Probably, much more)
Time Run: 01:30:00
Average Pace: ??
Weather Conditions: N/A
Disposition: Fine, until I started running.
Link to Run Detail: N/A (treadmill run)
About the Run: I hate treadmills. There are no two ways about it. The thing is, I used to run almost exclusively on them. However, once I heard the siren song of the outdoors calling me, I have seldom looked back. I’ll come back to this little tirade in a minute.
This morning, I was all set to go and run the NYRR Fred Lebow Five Miler in Central Park. Unfortunately, for one reason or another, my alarm did not go off at 5:45 AM as I had set it. So, at 7:32, when my wife woke me up and said, “Honey, your race!” I was pissed. Needless to say, I did not and could not have made the 8 AM start time. Strike one.
My original plan was to head directly from the race to my gym to shower, grab some breakfast and Starbucks and then head to a rehearsal at 11 AM. As it happened though, I ate and got ready at home, which did not do much for my mood because I always like to do a light workout before I sing (except for my morning warm up). When rehearsal was over, I headed to the gym. I had planned not to do my assigned run (Last hard tempo run. Warm up for about 2 miles then run 8 miles at just below you 10K race pace or upper zone 3 zone 4. again carry the effort.) outside due to the fact that I get rather phlegmy (pardon the details) when it is cold (9 degrees Fahrenheit this AM) and it would affect my singing for my gig tomorrow.
I got to the gym, and slipped on my Sir Isaac’s. I approached the treadmill like a man headed to the gallows. As I stepped aboard and began to run I just felt so cumbersome and unnatural that it was all I could do to keep myself going. I was running at what felt like about an 8 minute pace. After 8 minutes, by my watch, I moved the towel that I use to cover the treadmill’s control panel (distracting) and saw that I had gone, by it’s calculations, about .73 miles. Not cool. Strike two.
As I ramped up my pace for the meat of my workout, I knew that I was running at about a 7:30~7:15 pace. However, the distance was CREEPING by on the treadmill’s readout. The run did not get better. For a total of an hour and a half, I sweated and cursed my way through ten miles of angst at the machine and it’s inaccuracy. Finally finishing, I issued a final insult to the beast and headed home. Strike three.
I hate treadmills.
Black Diamond Sprinter Headlamp
Racers Against Childhood Cancer (RACC)
Carved by God, Cursed by the Devil by Ted Archer
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Hitting “The Wall” (Hat tip: Laminator)
Running: Physiologically Speaking Marathon Deaths – Why Men?
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If I recall correctly, the first time I heard anything about forefoot/midfoot running was in an article in Men’s Health in 2006 in an article entitled, “The Men Who Live Forever”, by Christopher McDougall. Thus, it was quite something, when three years later Christopher McDougall became the first interview on my podcast for his book, Born to Run. The paragraphs in the article that caught my eye were:
One of Hartmann’s star clients, marathon world-record holder Paula Radcliffe, has been training in the Nike Free, a new, minimalist slipper designed to mimic the range of motion of a naked foot. Alan Webb, America’s best miler, also works out in the Free. Webb had been hobbled by foot injuries early in his career, but after he started barefoot exercises, his injuries disappeared, and his shoe size shrank, from a 12 to a 9. “My foot muscles became so strong, they pulled my arches up,” says Webb. “Wearing too much shoe prevents you from tapping into the natural gait you have when landing on the ground.”
Perhaps this was what I had witnessed while trying to keep up with Alejandro. Watching him run, I was surprised to find that instead of the long, galloping stride I’d expected, he never stretched out his legs at all. He kept his knees bent and his forefeet padding down directly under his body, as if he were riding an invisible unicycle.
“Exactly!” says Ken Mierke, an exercise physiologist and the creator of the barefoot-modeled Evolution Running technique. “That’s why they don’t get hurt.” Mierke believes there is a perfect, Tarahumara-like footstrike that can guarantee you will run longer and faster, and drastically reduce your chances of injury. The key is to stay off your heel and to use your leg as a pistonlike shock absorber.
“You wouldn’t jump off a ladder and land on your heels, right?” Mierke asks. “Same with running. If you land on your heel, your leg is straight, and the impact is smashing into one joint after the other. If you land on your forefoot, however, with the leg bent, it absorbs shock using elastic tissues instead of bone.”
A while later, I stumbled across an article in the New York Times from 2005 entitled, “Kick Off Your Shoes and Run Awhile”, funnily enough, also by Christopher McDougall. By that time, I was a few month into Brandon’s Marathon (both the site and podcast) and was sharing my trials and tribulations with an online audience. With both of McDougall’s articles fueling my curiosity, I took to the treadmill.
At first, I was landing much too far forward, literally on my toes. I was also attempting this new form of running in shoes that had all but taken away my ability to strike the ground with my forefoot due to the heel-toe drop (again, the difference in height between the heel and the toe). Even my first ungainly attempts at forefoot running, with my toes taking a beating and my feet WAY too far out in front of me, I could already feel what I was looking for, or rather didn’t feel. This was in September of 2008. You can hear me talk about all these discoveries in Brandon’s Marathon Podcast, Episode 16.
I was hooked.
I discovered, the hard way, that to change to a forefoot/midfoot technique takes time. Newton says this very clearly on their website. I had very sore calves and even a touch of achilles tendinitis. So, I slowed down and began to take my time, doing a little bit of forefoot running mixed in with my runs…which kept getting longer.
As soon as I heard about forefoot running for the second time, I began to Google it (as is the custom it seems). and THAT is when I found Newton Running.
A skeptic recently asked me, “Why did you switch to Newtons?”. If you’ve heard earlier episodes of Brandon’s Marathon Podcast, or if you’ve followed this site by reading many of my articles, then you have probably heard or read about my running evolution which brought me to Newton Running. Now, however, I am going to lay it out.
I was not a runner. This is a very important point, I feel because it gives perspective to how innocent and blissfully ignorant I was of running and all the trappings that come along with it. Yes, in high school I ran the mile like everyone else had to for the Presidential Physical Fitness program. Due to the fact that I was in insanely good shape from swimming (my sport of choice in which I was nationally ranked), I was able to get on the track for the mile and crank out a respectable 4:40. But, I was not a runner.
When I was in college, I stopped swimming on a team due to the fact that my school, VCU, did not have a team. I also discovered beer and loved it! This made for a not-so-great physique, which I did basically nothing to work on. I would lift fairly consistently, but this did little for my cardio health or weight loss.
After college (2002), I went to work as an apprentice artist with Virginia Opera (I am a singer, you see). Part of my job was touring around the state and giving concerts and recitals. This meant a great deal of time in hotels and a lot of eating out. Around Christmas of that year, I overheard someone at the opera house say that I was beginning to “look like a real tenor”. This was not a compliment. Tenors, well, most singers for that matter, have the well deserved reputation of being a little less than in shape. When I heard this statement, I knew something had to change. I weighed 240 lbs.
I began working out by getting on an elliptical machine because I believed, “my knees can’t take running”. I coupled the elliptical with some swimming (stick with what you know, right?) and lifting as well as watching my diet…sort of. I began to lose weight, coming down to a svelte 215 lbs. I think it is important to note that I am a heavily muscled person, and I’m 6′1″ so weight is relative. To give you an idea, in THIS picture, I weigh 201 lbs.
Eventually, I began to run a bit. In the summer of 2005, I was working at Santa Fe Opera and was living very close to the gym. So, I began to run on the treadmill about for about twenty minutes at a time. This was the first time I really “ran”. I think I was wearing some Reebok or Adidas shoe that I probably bought because it looked cool. My running kind of came and went for about the next year. In December of 2006, my wife (who is also a singer) and I were working in Osaka, Japan. We both got really excited about the then new Nike+ system and we each got a pair of Air Zoom Moire+. This is a very flexible, lightweight, slipper-like shoe. I began running in them quite a bit and they really felt great. However, my runs were always about two miles and rarely more than three. That’s about the point where my legs would begin to break down.
I kept up running pretty consistently, never pushing my body or trying to find out how to do more. Then in February of 2008, I was inspired and decided I was going to enter the lottery for the NYC Marathon (I won’t go into the details of all the races and things, please read older posts for that). At the same time, I had been running in the same shoes for what I was told was far too long. So, I went to Nike’s online store and chose a new pair of shoes. Because they were so narrow, these hurt my feet a lot (again, read older posts), so I exchanged them for a pair of Nike Air Vomero II’s. My reason for going with Nike was because it was what I knew, and it seemed to be working well enough.
The Vomero’s were literally like running on marshmallows. There was a HUGE heel-toe drop (height difference between the back and front of the shoe)Â which emphasized my heel strike which felt ok for a while because of the insane amount of heel cushioning. I also began increasing my distance, mostly on a treadmill, and then my knees showed up to the party and everything went to hell. I had it in my head that my knees were not built for running and that I would have to get through my marathon on muscle and will (which partly came true, but only due to injury).
To be continued…
Brandon’s Marathon Gear Page!!!
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As Brandon mentioned on BMP #26, I will be guest blogging every now and then on Brandon’s site. I’ll try not to use this forum to plug my own blog, Brandon does enough of that already, but please do check out my blog at runanskyrun.blogspot.com.
By way of introduction, I am 36 years old, live in Bergen County, NJ, I’m married for 12 years and we have a beautiful 7 year old daughter. My blog mainly deals with my running and my struggles to balance, running, work, family, and religious obligations. I’m also a huge NY Yankees fan so every so often you’ll see NYY-related entry on there.
Enough about me. … I thought I’d use my first entry to discuss treadmill running. Brandon has mentioned a few times that he hopes to use the treadmill more if weather does not allow him to get outside for a run. Here are 3 workouts I use if I’m ever forced inside:
1) Progression Run: this is the workout I did today. I started my run at an 8:20/pace for the first 2 miles. the next mile I ran at an 8:00 minute pace. the last mile I ran at a 7:53 pace followed by 5 minute cool down. I wanted to do a 5th mile at a 7:45 pace but time didn’t allow today.
2) Intervals: If you can’t get out to the track, you can use the TM to simulate your speed intervals. Start with a 2 mile warmup and a comfortable pace. You can then do 400m (1/4 mile), 800m (1/2 mile), or 1600m (1 mile) intervals just as you would on the track. Make sure you recover enough in between intervals.
3) Hill Training: The TM is also great for simulating hill training. One of my favorite hill workouts (courtesy of Men’s Health Magazine) on the TM is to run at pace slightly slower than your 10K pace and do the following:
Feel free to extend the distance of the run by following the same pattern. If the speed feels easy, by all means increase the speed.
I, and Brandon, would love to hear about other treadmill workouts you all use.
Last night, I was forced to run on the treadmill at my gym due to weather here in New York. Now, I could have gone and run in the rain, but I would rather not have a cold for my first marathon! So, I was at the 50 minute mark, feeling really good! This is a little surprising because since I have been running outside mostly lately and I have come to HATE treadmills!
Back to the story, I hit 50 minutes and all of a sudden I felt a little, painful twinge in my high left achilles. I IMMEDIATELY hit the stop button and began stretching.
Today I feel pretty good. There isn’t exactly pain in my achilles, but it is a bit tight. So I have been stretching throughout the day and will continue tonight. I plan on going for a nice long easy run tomorrow down the West Side Greenway. I’ll keep you posted!
Strong Island Results (To see full results, just click “Get Results”. To see MY results, search for bib #32.)
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Strong Island Rookie Triathlon
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Since I did my first triathlon a few weeks ago, I have become addicted. Yes, it was a singularly painful event, but it was such a rush. Now that I am back in NYC and I am looking back on the event, I have done some analysis of what I can do in and out of the race to make myself better. The first of these things is slimming down a bit.
Right now I weigh about between 207 and 210 lbs.. Ideally I would like to get down to about 185-190. However, as you may or may not know, I a fairly muscular guy and I refuse to lose mass, so my goal is to make the mass I have or will gain, more lean. This will take stress off of my legs and joints and make every event I participate in that much easier, even the Richmond Marathon. Here is the rough outline of the workout I will adopt beginning today:
Monday: A.M. 2 hour bike ride down the west side bike path (this always takes about 2 hrs.)
P.M. 1 hour lifting; 1 hour treadmill run (this will change to road running once I get back into it.)
Tuesday: A.M. 2 hour ride, down to 70th St. and then to Central Park to do “The Loop” no fewer than 4 times.
P.M. Swim, no fewer than 1400 meters (building 100 m a week.)
Wednesday: A.M. West side ride.
P.M. 1 hour “light” lifting; 1 hour treadmill run.
Thursday: Off
Friday: A.M. Central Park ride.
P.M. Swim (1400+.)
Saturday: Saturday Morning Clown Ride (to Nyack, NY and back, approx. 55 mi.)
Sunday: “Hard” lift; 1 hour treadmill run.
I am sure this will change, based on how my body reacts. I will also fine-tune it to get the most out of each workout. Check back in the coming days for details of the workout. I will try to do a post on each portion that includes all the nitty gritty.
THE ARGYLE AVENGER!!
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SO,
Sorry for my extended absence, but I am now back and running…literally!!
After taking three weeks off I began running again on May 6th. I think that was a day later than I had planned but, I was traveling all day on the 5th and thought that I would give my body, which was still recovering from TWO simultaneous infections, the day off.
That being said, I have been riding pretty consistently during my running hiatus and thank GOD for it. What I have figured out, which I may have mentioned in my last podcast episode, is that it was my shoes that were hurting me. Not my running shoes, mind you, but my every day shoes.
I became very fond of my Vans slide-ons. They were easy and comfortable. They also had ABSOLUTELY NO ARCH SUPPORT!!! Thus, my arch was collapsing from being on my feet in those shoes for so many hours in a day. So, once I figured that out, I began wearing stiff soled shoes with plenty of arch. I don’t have a particularly high arch, as a matter of fact it’s pretty much right in the middle of flat and high. Since my change in footwear, ALL of my problems are either gone, or on their way out the door!!
Today will be my third run back and I am excited to get to it. It will be a treadmill run (gotta take it easy to get back) and I am aiming for about 35 minutes.
Check back soon for BMP: Episode 6!!
Welcome to episode 2! Hope you enjoy!
Go check out:Â Running with the Pack
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So, I know I haven’t written in a few days, sorry! I am now in Virginia to do Lucia di Lammermoor with Virginia Opera in Norfolk, Virginia. That being said, we have been in rehearsals a LOT since I got here. I have, however, been running rather consistently.
Unfortunately, my Ipod Nano was messing up and I had to restore it, which basically means I lost all the info stored on it, which included my Nike+ calibration. So, the mileage of my runs has been even more questionable thn usual. I also went and got a pedometer, which I have not yet calibrated yet. That said, the run I did yesterday was an outdoor run.
I ran for 54 minutes wearing both my Nike+ and my pedometer (which I kind of guessed at the calibration). At the end of the run my Ipod said I had run 5.97 miles and my pedometer said I had run 7.5 miles! That is quite a difference!! I will recalibrate them both over the next couple of days.
Anyway, I will put the graphs for all my missed runs on the “Run Graphs” page. 
My feet hurt.
That pretty much sums up today’s run. I did continue my streak of increasingly longer and longer runs, albeit barely. Today, from about 15 minutes in, my feet started bothering me. I did keep my eyes off the clock, which came as a surprise when I hit 1 hour and the treadmill automatically went into “cool down” mode, where it drops the speed to 4 mph.
Another thing is that the treadmills I have been running on WILL NOT go for longer than 60 minutes (not including the 2 minutes for “cool down”). I tried entering 90 minutes and below and nothing. I think for my next treadmill run, I’m going to pause my Ipod workout and stop the treadmill when it hits an hour and restart it. Hopefully this will only take about 30 seconds or so.
I also discovered today the “nipple factor” in longer runs. When you are doing a long run, wearing a loose shirt, rather than a compression shirt, the shirt begins to rub your nipple raw. So I bought some New Skin rather than use medical tape or band-aids which may come off with sweat. New Skin is a “paint on” covering that acts as a bandage. Check out the fun pics of
Sorry this is a day late in getting to the blog, but I have been INSANELY busy! Anyway, my run yesterday was fantastic.
I have found that the “wall” I have been hitting comes in what I think is the first ten or so minutes. For now, this is good because I know for a fact that I have just begun and only have to get going. My hope is that I train well enough to not hit a wall in longer distances. From what I have read, it is possible to avoid if you train properly.
About the run itself; yet again, the treadmill said I went 6.66 mi while the Ipod said 6.48 mi. I managed to keep the digital display, including the clock covered until I hit 50 minutes. This, I have found is key for me in that I focus on the “road” ahead rather than how long I have been running. The problem with this, is that once I start road training, I want to know my split time for pacing reasons.
This week has seen such great gains in my running. For the last run of the week I did what worked on my last run. NO LOOKING AT THE CLOCK. This has helped me so much. So much that I ran for an hour today and NEVER looked at the clock.
What kinda sucked is that the treadmill I was running on only lets you run for an hour and then it goes into a “cool down” cycle where it drops back to 4 mph that accounts for that weird little dip in the run graph. Oh, and the calibration STILL sucks!Ipod says 6.08 mi.while the treadmill says 6.5. Oh well!
Anyway, BIG shout out to Keith and the Girl for being my running soundtrack and keeping their shows coming. They have no idea who I am but I have been a listener of theirs since before show 100. Thanks guys!!
The title kinda says it all. My run today was absolutely amazing! I was just cruising along and probably could have gone for twice as long as I did! That said, I ran for what my Ipod says was 4.68 miles, but which the treadmill said was 5 miles (that pesky calibration again!).
Anyway, I was literally cruising and it was amazing. My new shoes are WONDERFUL!!! Hopefully I will not regret upping my distance so quickly when I wake up tomorrow morning!
First let me deliver the sad news that I had to get rid of my Jasairi’s (sad face). They were really killing my feet and I just felt that numbing myself to that kind of pain is not the way I want to train. So I went to the Nike Town Store here, in Manhattan and exchanged them for a gorgeous pair of Nike Air Zoom Vomero+ 2’s. Then of the “heels” of that (get it?) I ran for 4 miles today (4.08 to be exact)!
My body is definitely not used to going for that long, but I pushed, and once I hit about 20 minutes, I was cruising the rest of the way. My biggest gripe about this run is the calibration of the damn Nike+!! I love it but I probably ran much closer to 4.5 miles than 4, but once it warms up, and when I go to Virginia in two weeks, I’ll be able to do more outdoor runs and then the calibration will pick up my on-screen pace a lot!
As for the graphs I promised, they were messing with my template, so for now I have put them on the page labeled “Run Graphs” (look to the top of this page and you’ll see it).
I have two runs to report on for this post.
Yesterday, February 15th, was a running day and I decided to take things up a notch. It had been my usual practice to run for about 20 minutes or so, which usually amounted to about 2.3 miles. However, yesterday I decided to make it 30 minutes. I managed to get in about 3.2 miles (about 5k) and it really felt great. As a matter of fact, I felt like I could have run for a full hour.
Today, I had an audition rather early this morning. As before ALL auditions, I feel it is very important to warm up your body first. So, I reluctantly got up at 6 am, drove into downtown Boston (the audition was for Boston Lyric Opera), and went to Bally’s. It was really a very nice run, but I could really tell that it had been less than 24 hours since I had run. I only went for the usual 20 minutes, but still maintained my usual pace.
Thanks so much for visiting my site! My name is Brandon Wood and I am an opera singer living and trying to make it in New York City. This site and podcast follow my adventures on the way to competing in and training for all kinds of endurance events, especially triathlon and running. Click the "About Me" tab for more info!
