This weekend Daniel and I are headed for California to see one of his old friends get married at the Oakland zoo, but our dog Zeus can’t come with us (weeping eyes, weeping eyes). So, our dear (dearest) friend Julie will be staying at our place during that time taking care of the big boy. Since Julie doesn’t have experience with big dogs (her last dog was a weiner dog) and she doesn’t have health insurance (like me), I decided to put together some reading material to get her ready for her nine days with Zeus.

I’ll just say this: everything I know about running, I learned from Murakami.

With less than two months of running, everything might not be a lot at this point – essentially two basic rules to live by that I hope are enough to get me to the next stage:

1. Talk to your muscles and show them who’s the boss

…I never take two days off in a row. Muscles are like work animals that are quick in the uptake…As long as you explain your expectations to them by actually showing them examples of the amount of work they have to endure, your muscles will comply and gradually get stronger…If, however, the load halts for a few days, the muscles will automatically assume they don’t have to work that hard anymore, and they lower their limits.

My biggest problem has been breathing (i.e., weak heart and lungs), but after reading this, I’ve tried to run everyday (before that we’d run every other day). I figured my lungs and heart could learn a thing or two from my muscles. And I think they have. They’re a good team those three (or four, if you count two lungs…or five, if you count me in there somewhere). We ran 2.74 miles yesterday.

Except…I just read in an online forum that running everyday might not be the healthiest way to go. So today, we’re taking a break. It will be a long day.

2. Always remember why you run

If I used being busy as an excuse not to run, I’d never run again. I have only a few reasons to keep on running, and a truckload of them to quit. All I can do is keep those few reasons nicely polished.

I have to be fair and say that I have not found a truckload of reasons to quit running so far. It’s been the other way around. There are a million reasons to run: health, fun, having quality time with Dan and Zeus, fresh air, etc. But I know myself all too well. I know that there will come a point when I will say “OK, I’ve proved I can do this, now up to the next challenge.” I just hope that point gets here later rather than sooner.

Simple rules, right? But, what’s so wrong with simple? Nothing. (Just ask Zeus.)

All in all, an enjoyable book, as essay-ish books go.

The best part was how, at one point, Murakami hit eerily close to home:

When I first started running I couldn’t run long distances. I could only run for about twenty minutes, or thirty. That much left me panting, my heart pounding, my legs shaky…Af first, I was also a little embarrassed to have people in the neighborhood see me running…The main thing was not the speed or distance so much as running every day, without taking a break.

Those sentences might very well have been written by me – word for word – and reading them made me feel all nice inside. It was as if Murakami himself was saying there’s nothing inherently wrong with me. It’s perfectly normal to struggle at the beginning and to even be a bit embarrassed about that struggle. It’s perfectly normal to be content with just running everyday, regardless of how long I’ve ran. I’m normal.

Murakami was 33 years old when he started running. The age that Jesus Christ died, he wrote. “Still young enough, though no longer a young man.” I am 33 myself. Murakami says that age might be a kind of crossroads in life. For me, it might very well be.

(Photo credit: Daniel “that was my idea” Macht)

CV6GVJ95Z5AZ

Some people have suggested (to my face) that I may have a shopping problem. Blasphemy! I’m a great shopper. Almost never do I buy anything on the fly (unless it’s therapy shopping, which is perfectly acceptable). As I transform myself into a runner, I’ve started to research a few key items I’ll need at my disposal:

• Running Shoes
• Running Bra
• Chronometer
• Running Shorts
• T-Shirts/Tank Tops

First order of business is the running bra.

Rule number 1 of the Great Shopper’s Handbook(according to me): Buy only what you need

Hey, you may run barefoot these days, but women simply cannot run without a great sports bra. A crappy one will not only make your run uncomfortable (in more ways than one), but, worst yet, the ligaments holding the breasts in place could stretch out beyond repair. It’s true, I read it. And nobody wants that. Aging does enough damage already, right?

Rule number 2, 3 & 4 of the Great Shopper’s Handbook: Research, Research, Research

From reading a few columns on how to choose the right sports bra – like this one – I learned that I need to look for bras designed for “high impact” sports, like running, and breathable fabrics (whatever that means).

Then I checked out a bunch of “best sports bras” lists. There are a lots of sites out there with lots of recommendations, but I need to be careful because I’m not looking for just any bra. I need one that provides, well, big girls’ support.

Here are the 8 that caught my eye:

Rule number 5 of the Great Shopper’s Handbook: Read User’s Reviews

Just as I never finish reading an online news article without reading the comments, I never buy anything without reading user reviews. Why do I read reviews? Because I need to know if a bra a) doesn’t have “enough support for higher impact exercise” b) will leave me “looking bulgy around the bottom,” or the horror c) is pointy like “the Madonna bra in the 80s.”

Phrases I’m looking for? “Best bra ever,” “I bought 3,” “they didn’t budge” – you get the idea.

After reading the reviews on sites like HerRoom, RoadRunner Sports and Title Nine, and considering that I cannot stand underwire bras, I narrowed down my list to the Moving Comfort Fiona and the CW-X Firm Support Bra D-Cup.

Rule number 6 of the Great Shopper’s Handbook: Ask the Experts

Well, I only asked @sarahstanley and she recommended Moving Comfort. Sarah also said I should change my sports bra every 6-12months…eek!

Rule number 7 of the Great Shopper’s Handbook: Buy What You Love

Full Disclosure: Moving Form had me at seagrass. On looks alone I was already leaning towards buying the Fiona from the start and was just looking for validation.

Rule number 8 of the Great Shopper’s Handbook: Compare Prices

Once I knew I wanted the Moving Comfort Fiona bra in seagrass green, I checked which sites had it on my size (which will remain a secret) and compared their prices.

• Moving Comfort’s website: $44 plus 3 – 7 business days $5 shipping – Total: $49
• Zappos: $50 with free overnight shipping – Total: $50
• See Jane Run: $43 with free 7-10 business days shipping – Total: $43

This was a toughie. But since I’m into instant gratification, I went with Zappos. Besides it takes Paypal. Better not get off the couch to grab that credit card or I might change my mind (Rule #9).

I’ll be updating this post once I get my bra and give it a few trial runs. Here’s to hoping I made the right choice. I hate returns.

FYI: That is obviously not me on the post’s picture…just saying.

UPDATE (Apr 29, 2010): Alright, got my bra yesterday and wore it on this morning’s run. I’m relieved to report that the bra is the most comfortable sports bra I’ve ever wore. It gives me the same support as my old favorite (from Nike) but this one I could wear all day (I won’t, of course). And I love the velcro adjustable straps. The color, though, was a big disappointment. It was not so much seagrass as neon green. Still, a great buy. I will probably try Karen’s suggestion next.

From the moment I started running I wanted to measure my progress. I thought that more than running pants, sunblock or even running shoes, a pedometer was an essential tool in a runner’s toolbox. Damn the day I decided to go to Target and get myself one.

I picked the most expensive one in stock, too. The New Balance VIA Slim Pedometer cost just under $30. But for all my troubles and monetary sacrifice all I got is a lousy device that insist on telling me I’m running less than I think I am.

I must have bought the pedometer a day or two after I started this blog. On my first post I embedded a Google Map (via Map My Run) of my route that said I’ve walked ran 1.46 miles. It wasn’t much to be proud of (specially because of the walking involved), so imagine my horror when I used my spanking new New Balance pedometer and it said I’ve ran about 0.83 miles instead.

We’re not talking about loose change here. The pedometer estimates (yes, estimates- as you can imagine, I’m taking Google’s side on this one) our runs are almost half of what Google says they are. Seriously.

After the second day of these mixed results, I decided to leave the thing at home. Dan, though, insists on bringing it with us and telling me, at the end of each run, how much New Balance thinks we ran. I do my best to block it out.

The more I think about this mathematical oddity, the more dense I feel. And now that I’m starting to think about (maybe) signing up for my first race, I really need to figure out what’s going on here.

So, I ask you, whoever out there uses a pedometer, to map their routes through Google Maps (you can try it at Trails, too) let me know if you notice a discrepancy. Or if, God forbids, my aging mind is missing something here and both Google and NB are correct, each in their own way (is that even possible?).

If I can’t figure this out soon, I might just have to launch an investigation into the business of distance measuring, à la Andy Lehren.

Today’s route:

Highlights:

• ran down the “Hill of Death“
• walked 3 out of 4 long hills
• walked the way home, too
• looked like this:
  

Elsewhere, the Mets beat the Cubs 5-1. I was there (UPDATE):

From left to right: Julie, Kathryn pretending she had fun watching the Mets beat her beloved Cubs 5-1 and me!

Yesterday’s Route:

My Short list (in order of preference):

• El Obsceno Pájaro de la Noche/The Obscene Bird of Night (been thinking of giving it another try)
• Catcher in the Rye (nope, never read it)
• Nickle and Dimed (how I’ve been feeling during this tax season)
• Random Family
• Son of a Witch

But then I remembered that Daniel had read a few months ago a book about running. Back when he bought it, I thought “yuck, how boring!” Even now, I have to admit, I have my doubts as to the entertaining value of a book whose title is “What I Talk About When I Talk About Running.” I mean, come on. What’s up with that title, anyway? But Daniel swears by Murakami so I decided to give it a go.

I’ve only read the introduction, so don’t expect a review of the book here. No, I want to talk about a specific quote from the book. It’s a type of mantra one marathon runner says he uses during his runs:

“Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional.”

Now, I’m sure you and I can find a thousand ways in which these two simple sentences can be applied to everyday life. But I like to keep things simple, so I decided to put the mantra to the test in what else, but running. Well, to be exact, I thought, what if the simple act of reciting this mantra as I’m running up the Hill of Death (a.k.a Fort Tryon hill parallel to Dyckman St) can propel me to reach the top w/out resorting to that other dreadful way of getting from here to there known as walking?

Short Answer: Not really.

Long Answer: Watch the video below (WARNING: possible side effects include dizziness, shortness of breath and nausea)

I have to say that Murakami (quoting the runner) has a point. Suffering, in many cases, IS optional. And so, I choose not to suffer. At least not that much.

Yes, I would have felt incredibly proud had I kept running up that god forsaken hill. But since I don’t carry a defibrillator with me on my runs I’d rather be safe than dead.

The good news for today is that we finished the whole loop around the park. We usually stop at Sir William’s dog run for Zeus to get some play time, but because it was a bit wet today we just kept going home.

All in all, a good run.

PS. In honor of Murakami I decided to change the name of the blog to “Running is Optional” from “nyMESH.” What was up with that title, anyway?

Today’s route:

Photos after the jump.

Click to Zoom:

It’s been a week since my last post and not for lack of running. I guess this is going to get some getting used to.

The most important news to report is that the crew (boyfriend and dog) and I are back on the hard Fort Tryon route. Now, for those of you who don’t know the park, Fort Tryon is located on top of one of the highest points in Manhattan. The views are gorgeous and the hills, for the untrained legs and hearts, are killers.

It’s a small park – only 66 acres compared to our neighbor Inwood Hill Park’s 196, or Central Park’s whopping 840 (for those of you New Yorkers who don’t venture past the hundreds). But there are few trails to choose from and because of its somewhat hilly terrain it’s possible to increase the difficulty level without adding miles to your run.

When we began running a few weeks ago we started the loop around the park at the bottom, at Broadway and Bennett. In those few weeks I saw little improvement because when you start at the bottom, well, you have to go up. We decided (read: I forced Daniel) to start at the top so that I could develop some stamina (and confidence). After all, the main issue for me is that my heart wants to jump out of my chest and my lungs can’t keep up with all my panting. I think I finished the loop the first day we changed routes. I decided to blog a few days later, after I proved that that first finish was not a fluke (there are three uphill sections on that route that I wanted to make sure I had conquered). I was so excited.

Anyway, I have been dreading switching back to our original route because I was afraid that if I had to stop and walk part of the way, I would be discouraged and bye bye running, see ya’ blogging.

But I’m happy to report that we have been taking the hard track for the last couple of days and though I’ve had to stop (both days) on that damn hill that runs parallel to Dyckman street, it’s getting much easier. For starters, it’s the only section that I walk around our loop. But most importantly, I’m running half way up the hill. Woohooo! May not look seem much, but trust me, it is a fucking big deal for me.

Also, today was the first time that I actually started to feel my legs working. Usually, I’m too concerned trying not to get a heart attack or stop breathing to notice a lot of action on my legs. But today, as I was going up the stairs near the Fort Washington entrance to the park, I felt it. I felt like I was at the gym doing some type of leg work. Not sure which one. Never went to the gym long enough to learn the name of the machines. But it was there. And so was the panting. But still, another benchmark to celebrate.

Anyhoo, enough about all this running nonsense.

We are uncles! Yes, my friends, a few weeks ago we noticed a pigeon had built itself a nest just outside our living room window, on top of an old A/C. Well, as it’s to be expected, we’ve been keeping vigil (read: Daniel has been keeping vigil) over the pigeon and a couple of days ago we saw mama pigeon feeding its tiny chicks. I only saw one. But Dan says there’s at least two. I don’t have a photo yet, but in the meantime, here’s one of the proud mother:

It's Like National Geographic Just Outside My Window

I’ll be sure to post another image if I can catch a sight of the little ones again.

Oh, and just in case any of you (read: Daniel) are wondering about my choice of image for the post, I went with a picture of Zeus for this one because: 1) he’s cute, 2) this is what he does after our morning run, and 3) he has been a good dog today…unless trying to puke on my brand new rug for the 3rd time in as many days counts for bad behavior.

UPDATE: Mama pigeon left the nest momentarily to go fetch some food for the offspring and I had a chance to snap some pics before the battery on my camera went kaputz. As you can see, and I forgot to mention earlier, baby pigeons are yellow! (Sorry for the bad colors – grimy window. Let me know if any of you have tips on how to clean third floor windows.)

Cheeky Chick

Today’s route:

I’ve walked the Great Wall – not the whole stretch but a nice bit. I’ve hiked the Inca Trail and the Franz Joseph glacier. I’ve horse-trekked the hills of Songpan, the trails of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, and through lush coffee haciendas. I’ve biked down the “most dangerous road in the world” and across the Chinese grasslands. I’ve kayaked the bioluminiscent bay in Vieques. I’ve jumped off a bridge, dived among corals and traveled down a few rivers.

And I’ve done it all bitching.

Yes, I’ve bitched my way around the world. Hell, I’m bitching right now, so I guess I don’t even need to leave home to bitch (in fact, some of the best bitching happens right here on this couch I’m sitting on right now).

But my greatest source of sorrows when I travel hasn’t been the food that I can’t swallow, the pit toilets that I can’t yet get my head around (hmm? maybe that’s the problem), the fact that I hate flying more than any other thing it this world or my fellow travellers’ love of small talk (where are you from? where are you going? where have you been? yadda, yadda, yadda.).

No. I bitch because I hurt. I hurt because I can’t breath. I can’t breath because I’m lazy.

Oh, yes, I’m lazy.

But as lazy as I am, I keep putting myself in positions where I, well, where I have to bring it.

And so it is that for the last what?, six years or so, I’ve been making the New Year’s resolution to run the New York City marathon. But, please, let’s not get ahead of ourselves. I’m not running the New York City marathon this year either. But for the first time since that awful day on sixth grade (more on that later) I’ve put on my almost brand new,  4-year old pair of tennis shoes and I’ve hit the asphalt (thankfully, not face first yet).

Yes. I’m running. This is my fourth week in and it’s one of those times in my life (like that time when I panicked and had to put myself together, saving myself from drowning on my first dive) where I’m feeling pret-ty proud of myself.

So, today (while I was supposed to be working on other stuff – more on that later) I’ve decided that I want to keep track of my progress by doing that other thing I keep putting off: writing a blog.

And there you have it. What turns our lives take?

I run.

I blog.