Some sole searching

We are a society of bargain hunters, attracted to the marketplace of Walmart or the internet. I'm surely one of the worst culprits. But when it comes to buying shoes, specifically athletic shoes, it might make sense to buy local from a retailer who knows the ropes.

There's no intention of making any commercial endorsement here. San Antonio offers several shops which specialize in gear for the runner, or the swimmer, the biker, the baker, the candlestick maker. You know what I mean. When it comes to shopping for running shoes you can read, read, read on the internet, or consult the latest "Buy This" edition of Runner's World. Or, you can walk into a store owned by a runner, employing experienced runners as sales people, and ask them to help you choose a pair of shoes. Find a store which is a comfortable fit for you and then use the expertise of knowledgable sales people. When you leave the store with a great fitting shoe which is just right for your demands and for your particular skeletal features, you'll be glad you went the local route.

It has taken me awhile to come to this approach, but I must say that I have gotten great advice and great service on my last several pairs of shoes. For example, I walked into my local favorite the other day for new shoes. The salesman, an experienced runner, looked at the shoes I had last bought from that store, and knew exactly what features I would need in the new shoes. Was it simply luck that the first pair was exactly the right shoe for me. I think not. The online discounters court me constantly, but I've come to realize that they don't know me, and they've never cheered for me in a local race. If you haven't done so already, it's time to get acquainted with a local shoe store. Your feet will be happy, and so will you.

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Blue skies and drier air

NOTHING lifts the spirits of a runner faster than a favorable break in the weather.

This has been an extremely unusual summer in South Texas. We are accustomed to battling through summers, running early or running late, cursing the heat which towards the end of the season can linger at 85 degrees at one in the morning. The pavement radiates the day’s heat back into the faces of those bold enough to pound pavement through the gates of Hell. A “normal” summer will also add occasional insult with high humidity.

This summer has been mild, with only a short period of temperatures over the mid-90s. Overnight lows have been mostly below 80. But most unusual has been the rain, persistent, rarely drying out for more than a week at a time. The copious rain has left a lush green covering over a landscape which is usually a brittle brown by August and early September. Not too bad, right? Wrong! The television weather forecasters love to tell us that we begin to feel the humidity when the dew point exceeds 60 degrees. Conditions this summer have taken that line right out of their play books since the dew point has pretty consistently lingered between 70 and 75 degrees. So, we have been faced for three months with cloudy skies and high, high humidity. My hat is off to those diehards who have managed to log their miles this summer. I’m not among them.

A couple of days ago the clouds blew away and though the humidity was still high and the temperature was far from comfortable I actually felt like running, and I did, hills, even. I’m in a neighborhood which affords me a half dozen different running routes, a couple of which are hills. There’s nothing quite like the satisfaction of digging into low gear and running a long and challenging hill. Nor is there a pleasure comparable to peaking a hill which reveals a vista of our beautiful downtown San Antonio. It’s good to run and become fit. It’s also great that it gets us out of doors, where we can enjoy the vistas and the hills, all the while taking some care to not stumble into a San Antonio pothole.

A couple of evenings ago I put my VO2 knowledge to work and ran a little harder, pushing my heart rate to a range of 150-155. I managed, but the humidity steamed me to the core. I doubt there was a dry stitch on me when I wrapped up. Runs like this remind me of why it is more difficult to run in high humidity. The humidity, of course, makes it more difficult for the body to cool itself. But the humidity also pushes up the heart rate. The experienced runners will verify that. I’m no sports doctor but I have imagined this has something to do with the body trying to moderate the blood temperature. Anyhow, running with my heart at 150-155 in extremely high humidity made no speed demon of me.

Today a “cool front” arrived, with rain (imagine that!). But the precipitation began to dissipate by mid-afternoon and I ventured out to buy some new running shoes (Nike Air Structure Triax 10+) and sensed a change in the air. It made me want to run, though I had to wait until late in the evening. If you are lucky you can get in a few miles before the sweat begins to get in your eyes. Tonight, I managed about 3 miles before the humidity began to win. Nevertheless, it is marginally drier and that did translate into a pleasant run. Again, I put my heart rate into the 150-155 range for about 40% of the workout while running exactly the same route I struggled with two days ago. The slightly lower humidity allowed me to run the seven miles about 2 ½ minutes faster. No, it wasn’t the new shoes. I was wearing my old Nike Equalons, which still have some miles left in ‘em.

So…after a summer spent more swimming laps at Gold’s Gym than pounding out miles on the streets of San Antonio, I am pumped about blue skies, drier air, and Autumn ahead. Come on, you rats of the gym. Get outside and soak up some rays. We’re on the cusp of outdoor season here in South Texas. Let’s make the most of it.

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Heart rate monitor

It is certainly possible to train without a heart rate monitor. You can always pause and get a pretty good estimate of your heart rate as you are working out. But the benefit offered by a heart rate monitor is that you don’t have to pause, you are monitored constantly, and you can produce a report after the workout which gives some interesting statistics which can help you plan a more effective next workout.

I won’t get into detail here but I would love to hear from anyone who can speak with experience and authority (Shelly Campbell, are you out there?). Suffice it to say that I have exercised off and on with a heart rate monitor for much of the last 4 years, and I find it very useful. Heart rate, more than pace, has dictated my marathoning experiences. This might not be the end all method, but I think it has generally served me well on race day.

Now I am discovering even better ways to use my monitor. There are formulae, based on one’s age, which allow an athlete to identify certain ranges of heart rate which then translate into various levels of results. For example, I am 58 years old. One of the often used equations is 220 minus your age to determine your max heart rate. You then use that number to determine a heart rate “zone” for weight loss, cardio, etc. The range is something like 65-85% of your max heart rate. Using this basic formula I find that for cardio work I should strive for a workout heart rate of (220-58)x.75=121 bpm (here I use 75%, or right in the middle of the workout range). Experience has shown me that this is too conservative. However, the conundrum is that if you disregard your “ideal” and instead overwork, you end up with less return on your workout.

I recently saw another formula (Target Heart Rate Calculator) which is supposed to distinguish whether you are in shape or out. Using this calculation I am advised that my 75% workout should be done at 132 bpm. That’s better, and forces me into a more vigorous workout. But in the end, these are generalized estimates which may lead you astray. I have heard that the numbers produced by the formulae can be off by as much as 10%, maybe more.

This is why I was thrilled recently to undergo VO2 testing at Spectrum Athletic Clubs here in San Antonio. Many health clubs are set up to conduct VO2 testing and I would assume the results obtained from one source will not vary greatly from the test results elsewhere. In the interest of full disclosure, Spectrum agreed to test me for free as I work with my colleague Diane Berlanga on a podcast feature about several of the fitness tests offered by Spectrum and others.

I am still learning exactly how the results are derived from the tests. Suffice it to say that one is fitted with a mask through which expelled air is measured and analyzed. My test was on a treadmill which varied the intensity of my 15 minute workout. I began easily and eventually was paced up to a jog, then to the max, anaerobic, level. The information was then processed by a computer program and customized heart rate parameters were produced for me. What I have learned is that my gut reaction pre-test was correct. I can and should work out at a higher heart rate level than the formulae would indicate. It is said that much of this is genetic predisposition(thanks, Mom and/or Dad), though I imagine there’s also some reflection of one’s fitness level. The important thing is that I now can more accurately monitor my workout levels for highest efficiency.

We all wonder from time to time whether we are working as hard as we should be. I have always known that I could work harder by ramping up how often I run, swim, bike or otherwise work out. But what I have not known previously is how hard I can and should go within a workout. Now I do know. Of course, there’s still the matter of implementation.

Bottom line: if you are interested in getting more out of your aerobic activity, purchase and use a heart rate monitor. A number of manufacturers make them, though Polar is probably the leader in the industry. Check the various models carefully and make sure you get everything you need, and then some. If you are a techie, like me, you will not regret spending a little more in order to have more features. I have had very good service from the first monitor I bought, but not such good experience with a biking specific model which would interface with a pickup on the bicycle to measure speed and distance. This never worked reliably for me, and the watch part of the system proved not very waterproof for swimming. As I was saying earlier, choose carefully the features which you need for your particular sport or sports.

The final bottom line: if you are really getting serious about fitness and are competitive with yourself (or others) to achieve more, splurge on VO2 testing and then USE the gathered knowledge.

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Making music and Making tracks

It's tough enough to rehearse and perform a challenging orchestral program compressed into a couple of days. But my friend Dorian Ramirez not only played cello for the weekend with Mid-Texas Symphony, but she and her husband Fred then turned around and swam, biked and ran the Austin Triathlon. Talk about endurance sports!

Congratulations to my good friends Dorian and Fred Ramirez who turned in outstanding races at the recent Austin Triathlon. You may remember that Dorian and Fred fired off the triathlon season in Galveston back in what seems like forever ago. It is astounding how quickly the triathlon season has passed, though there are still some good opportunities to race before the water of area lakes begins to chill. The swim for Dorian and Fred was in Austin’s Town Lake. Dorian reported the water temperature to be 77 degrees, right on the cusp for many swimmers as to whether they wet suit it or not. D&F both opted to swim without wet suits. Says Dorian: “I figured I would spend too much time trying to get out of it!”

Dorian turned in an overall time of 2:56:57, under her goal of 3 hours. Fred’s time was 3:06 plus some seconds. They both had enough left in the tank to finish strong in the final 10k. Dorian’s time was 47:41 and Fred ran 52:17, both PRs for their triathlon careers.

Fred and Dorian will take on the Longhorn Half Tri in October. That’s a half ironman, I believe. Dorian mentioned to me that they will be cramming nutrition information for that final exam of the season. I recommended she check out the booklet published by Hammer Nutrition, called The Endurance Athlete’s Guide to Success; in fact, I would suggest anyone with questions about fuel issues study this booklet. Currently, the book is out of print, but you can download a PDF copy for free. Go online to Hammer Nutrition.

I am sure Dorian and Fred would be interested in any other nutrition tips anyone might offer, especially keeping one’s self fueled during a long endurance event such as a half-iron, a marathon, or an ultra. In fact, I would encourage anyone with knowledge on the topic to chime in and share with those who read this blog. Your input will be much appreciated.

Making Music
Dorian and I have known each other for quite a number of years as musicians in the Mid-Texas Symphony. We had rehearsals and a concert the same weekend Dorian raced in the Austin Triathlon, making it even more amazing she did so well. It was a busy and challenging weekend for the orchestra, so I expect Fred ended up setting up transition areas both for himself and Dorian.

I checked the math and the 10k legs turned in by Dorian and Fred worked out to 7:41 and 8:26 miles respectively, and respectable too. You understand now why Dorian and Fred are valuable teammates of mine on the Mid-Texas Symphony relay team. We’ve had a great time the past two years running the Beach to Bay relay marathon down in Corpus and are about to bite off a BIG challenge this coming March. We saw a flyer stuffed in our race bags at Beach to Bay about a new race called The Texas Independence Relay. 207 miles. We laughed. Problem is, we then started thinking about it, and it just was too good a challenge to pass up.

I’m doubling the size of our relay team to a dozen and even 6 months out from the event we are becoming giddy with the prospect of taming the challenge: 207 miles from Gonzales to the San Jacinto Monument. We’ll run about four miles at a time per person and in 35 hours or so we will hit the finish line. Our team experience at Beach to Bay has been so positive that we are looking forward to this next big challenge. I’ve talked to other runners about relays, and some just don’t like them. I can certainly appreciate that for many of us running is somewhat of a solitary experience. But I guess for team Mid-Texas Symphony we enjoy so much working together in the orchestra that running together seems a logical extension. If you read this and think you might want to check out the Texas Independence Relay, browse over to http://www.texasindependencerelay.com/.

Meanwhile, happy workouts to all. One day soon the rain will end, the humidity will dry out, and we will all remember what pleasure there is in biking, running and swimming in the great outdoors.

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