Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Running Around and Feeling Groovy

Last night I reviewed my running log from Paris and was quite happy I managed to complete at least 10 runs there. This is significant since I am returning to the sport from injury and a two month absence. My time in Paris was a return to running, and I’m excited to have a detailed training schedule to get me from here to New York in November.

I completed my first post-Paris run last night- a full week since my last run. I went to my old Brentwood area with 5 miles in mind.

On the plane I had read a detailed article about the benefits of dynamic versus static stretching before a run, so I decided to try it out. I had also learned this lesson from my 15 year old cousin Cyrus who runs track. He even insisted on first doing his dynamic stretches at 10:30pm one night before we walked over to the Trocadero to watch the fireworks on Bastille Day.

I was a little anxious of doing dynamic stretches in public. I don’t normally see people doing a carioca warm-up down a sidewalk. But I felt good so decided to do it anyway. I jogged a little and then did a series of "Toy Soldiers" (walking with knees straight), Knee knicks, butt kicks, walking lunges, and "Hackey Sacks". After five minutes of these, I took off.
My run was very pleasant. My Garmin watch was all over the place (yeah, right, 7:00 minute/ mile?) but the out of whack fast time felt like a reflection of how I was feeling - pretty groovy. I started my adult running around Brentwood, and it felt really good coming back. I love running just before dusk, especially in this heat. My favorite part is when all the water sprinklers start working along Montana. I managed to clock in my 5 miles and felt pretty good about it.

Join me for a new LA Leggers season starting up soon! Sign up today at laleggers.org

The LA Leggers season is starting up soon! Sign up today here.
Happy running!

Monday, July 4, 2011

Running in Paris

In Paris, I have started running again. There is still knee pain, but the Bois du Bologne forest is so enjoyable, that I put that on the back burner.

The weather so far is beautiful – not like the last time I was here when I ran in the cold and snow, keeping a cautious eye on the ground under my feet so that I didn’t slip on any hard icy patches. Paris is actually a big running town. I see them all over the place, in the bois, on the street, complete in skin tight running clothes and fuel belts. There are more men than women runners – and everyone looks pretty fit. At Decathlon, the French sporting goods store, I took a stroll through the running section. There are different brands here, but a lot of the same. I notice that the French fuel belts are a lot cheaper than the American ones.
My sights are set on the New York Marathon, and I hope to come to Paris next year in April for the Paris Marathon.
For now, I will slowly increase my mileage to only 6 miles, practice my strength training exercises, and hope to heal my knee. It would help if I lost a few pounds, after not running regularly for several months, I have come to appreciate how the sport helps in weight maintenance.

The Los Angeles Leggers official training season starts with orientations on July 23 and 30. Check out our new website at www.laleggers.org to register.