Tag Archives: health

Apr 10 2013

Barefoot Spring Run Off 8K

HSRO 8K - leading the pack

Leading the pack

This was a good race, for all kinds of reasons. To start, it was a return to a race that I did five years ago, after getting back to running after an absence of almost thirty years.

Second, it was a chance to pay back. Late in 2005, I was diagnosed with prostate cancer. Since then, I’ve had very good care from the good folks at Toronto’s Princess Margaret Hospital. For this year’s Spring Run Off, I raised just over C$1,500 to support PMH’s research and treatment programs. It’s only a drop in the bucket, given the prevalence of prostate cancer these days, but it’s something.

As if that weren’t enough, I managed to set a new personal best time for the 8K. My chip time was 44:12.8. That’s a 6 minute improvement over my finishing time in 2008. I placed 6/21 in my age category, 649/1173 in my gender group, and 917/2244 overall. It’s a good result, and one I’m very pleased with.

Just before the race start, I had the pleasure of meeting with some fellow dailymilers. It was a very pleasant way to start race day. The weather was good, though a touch on the cold side to start: 2C, sunny, 11 km/h wind, and 55% humidity.

The Spring Run Off course is interesting, and a tough one if you’re trying to do it quickly. As you can see from the map below, it’s a double loop, with a smaller one within the larger. The roadways are narrow, which can make mid-pack running somewhat crowded, especially as many runners optimistically start well ahead of where they should. The route includes two rather steep descents and two comparable climbs. The second climb, a short but brutal 400m, occurs just before the finish line. This is where elite runners make their final strong kick – for the rest of us, it’s a bit of a slog. In either case, it’s a great location for spectators, and makes for a very exciting finish line atmosphere.

Spring Run Off 8K map

The man's alright!

The man’s alright!

I ran this one well. (No false modesty here!) I knew that if I kept to an average pace of 5:30 min/km or so (which, given my recent training, was eminently doable), I’d be able to finish in a respectable time. So I pushed the pace a little on the flat bits, took the descents fairly gently (not so easy to go downhill quickly when barefoot, and my left hip doesn’t like downhills), and did my best on the climbs. As I was running slightly ahead of mid-pack, I didn’t feel as crowded as I had five years ago. Also, I’m much more confident than I was then, so could move through the crowd fairly easily. In fact, except for the descents, I managed to pass other people quite steadily throughout the race. An unusual occurrence for me, and a very pleasant one! Overall, it was a good strategy, and one that worked well.

A confident finish, for all the toughness of that last climb, and all that was left was to bask in some spring sunshine.

Mission accomplished

A heartfelt thank you goes to everyone who supported me to raise funds for this event. That’s the real cause for the great feelings and the celebration!

Mar 2 2013

Update on Asperger’s

A couple of years ago, I posted an article on Running and Asperger’s, in which I tried to describe what it’s like to have Asperger’s Syndrome and how running helps me deal with it.

Part of having Asperger’s for me is that I’m extremely sensitive to sensory input, specifically sound. Loud environments (and to me almost all environments are extremely loud) bring on confusion, disorientation, and can result in a general neurological “system crash.” Not only is that experience unpleasant in itself, the after-effects are lengthy and grim. The spillover from my last Asperger’s-related auditory-overload meltdown lasted a week. I wasn’t happy and I wasn’t nice to be with, to say the least.

I recently came across a computer simulation called Auti-Sim which gives so-called “normal” folks an idea of what such an experience feels like. It’s presented as a game, in which you, the subject, are in a playground full of other children. Moving towards any of those other children increases the level of auditory stimulation. Move closer and it gets worse. Get closer still – or stay in that over-stimulated space – and you break down.

I urge you to give Auti-Sim a try. If you know a child or adult who is anywhere on the autism spectrum (which includes Asperger’s), it’ll help you understand what that person goes through on a daily basis.

Warning! Auti-Sim is not fun. It’s not enjoyable. I’ve only watched it once, and will never do so again. But that’s partly because I can experience the real thing by going to a bar, a movie, or a concert. I can get a minor version of it simply by watching television, or even by going to the supermarket. To get some idea of what it’s like, check out this review of Auti-Sim, from game site Rock, Paper, Shotgun:

“Auti-Sim is a very short experience. But then, so is having a railroad spike driven into your ear. That’s the basic idea behind the horrifyingly overwhelming dose of auditory hypersensitivity disorder, which was put together as part of the Hacking Health Vancouver 2013 hackathon. The short version is, you’re an autistic child on a playground, and everything seems perfectly normal. Then more sounds start creeping in. Voices, whispers, screams, footsteps, swingsets creaking, merry-go-’rounds whirring. All distinct, yet inseparable, like the whole world is trying to stampede its way into your head, trampling your eyes and ears. Auti-Sim hurts. But it hurts for a reason.

Obviously, this isn’t a literal interpretation of what it’s like to have auditory hypersensitivity disorder. Rather, Auti-Sim draws on horror game tropes juxtaposed against a bright, idyllic playground environment, to rather brilliant effect. It’s more or less an approximation of what debilitating sensory overload would feel like, designed so that people who’ve never experienced it can come to grips with just how difficult seemingly mundane situations can be for autistic kids and adults.

For me, it started very slowly. I approached the playground, and then – little by little – my vision blurred and sounds bled together. Louder. Louder. LOUDER. I couldn’t take it. I had to escape. I stumbled and lunged for reprieve, eventually sighting a swingset way off in the distance, free from the faceless crowds. Only there was I able to get my bearings. It was quiet. It was nice. So I just sort of hunkered down. Alone.”

I’m not looking for sympathy here. I’ve learned to deal with auditory overload, and most of the time do quite well. It’s just that it’s very hard to describe what it feels like. Auti-Sim isn’t the real thing (the real thing is much, much worse), but, if it helps one “neurotypical” person understand what life is like for those of us who have to endure this, then this post will have done its job.

Your comments would be greatly appreciated.

Feb 23 2013

Book Review: The Runner’s Guide to the Meaning of Life

The Runner's Guide to the Meaning of Life

The Runner’s Guide to the Meaning of Life, by Amby Burfoot is a gem of a book.

It’s not about training programs, and it won’t light a fire under your finishing times. It’s a gentle book, written by someone who seems to be a true gentleman (and gentle man). The book’s subtitle says it best: “What 35 years of running has taught me about winning, losing, happiness, humility, and the human heart.”

It’s also a very strong book, one that will (I promise!) inspire you, uplift you, and almost certainly make you a better runner. This is the kind of book you keep at your bedside, or at the kitchen table, so you can dip into again and again. It’s full of simple – but deep – wisdom, gained from decades of running and racing.

Amby Burfoot winning the Boston Marathon

Amby Burfoot winning the Boston Marathon

Burfoot famously won the Boston Marathon in 1968 (and still runs it every five years). In December of 1968, he won the prestigious Fukuoka Marathon in Japan in a personal best time of 2:14:28.8, which was only one second from the American marathon record at the time. As of 2008, he’d run the Manchester Road Race 46 times in a row, winning it outright nine times. (The Manchester Road Race is now 77 years old, by the way.) Burfoot was the editor-in-chief at Runner’s World for many years, and currently writes for the magazine and serves as its editor-at-large.

That’s a lot of runner cred for a guy who’s 67 years old this year. It’s what gives the stuff in the book its weight. The man knows what he’s talking about. And he says it very well indeed.

Let me give you an example. In a chapter titled “How to create a life of perpetual new beginnings,” he writes: “Starting lines are among the most important stations in life. We need to more than just avoid them. We need to actively seek them out. Otherwise, we grow stagnant… When you see the first hazy edges of a starting line begin to form in your life, don’t avoid it. Don’t look the other way. Try to bring the starting line into sharper focus. Consider its potential. Remember that if you don’t go to the starting line, you will never view the whole course with all its possibilities.”

The Runner’s Guide to the Meaning of Life is like that. It’s got chapter headings like “Connections,” “Traditions,” “Listening,” and “Simplicity,” and “Courage.” This essays aren’t faddish, empty media fodder, but serious reflections on what it means to be a runner, reflections that have been earned via a life of running, racing, and thinking about it all.

I often say to people that older is better. It’s even more true, I think, that older runners are better… well, better all ’round. Amby Burfoot is without a doubt one of the best examples of that belief. A Runner’s Guide to the Meaning of Life reflects that goodness.

Amby Burfoot now

Amby Burfoot now

Feb 13 2013

Barefoot Running Magazine

The current issue of Barefoot Running Magazine is now available online!

That’s always good news, as the mag, produced by Anna Toombs and David Robinson of Barefoot Running UK, is one of the best resources available for barefoot and minnimalist runners. This one is even better than ever. Checking in at 102 pages (in full colour), it offers a host of articles about BF running, nutrition, strength-building exercises, and health, as well as photos of barefoot runners around the world, letters from readers, and a bit of history. I can’t emphasize how fantastic a resource this is, and how grateful I am to Anna and David for making available – at no cost to you or me.

So click on the link at the top of the post, settle down for a good browse, and make yourself a better barefoot runner!

Jan 4 2013

Whirl and Steam

Now that winter’s really here (it’s -10C right now, with a 42 km/h wind), I’m well into my usual winter regime of twice-weekly whirlpool soaks and steamroom sessions. At the end of each of those, I do a short breathwatching exercise. I’ve been tagging those as “cross training workouts” on dailymile, which may seem a bit of stretch. It’s not really, though. Let me explain.

Whirlpool I do the sessions (at my local YMCA) on the days I don’t run. My logic is that they serve to refresh, renew, and regenerate. Not that I’m working so hard in my training runs that I need healing, but it makes sense that my body needs some sort of recovery modality to keep me on course and uninjured. As far as I’m concerned, heat and moisture do the trick. I use the whirlpool as a massage tool. I use the steamroom to relax my nervous system. And the breathwatching is a kind of psychological “cleansing” which finishes the whole session nicely.

My experience (and enjoyment) of steamrooms goes a long way back. When I was in Istanbul in 1970 and 1971 (both times on my way to India), I visited the 400 year old Cagaloglu Hamami Cagaloglu Hamami, Istanbul, one of the city’s most famous bathhouses. The 2 1/2 hour experience had me washed, steamed, massaged, and served locally-made beer, all for the grand cost of $1.75. I was one clean hippie! Both the Turkish hamam and my YMCA steamroom are part of a worldwide bathhouse culture that’s existed for thousands of years.

Breathwatching also has a long tradition, in many culture’s mediatative practices. A traditional approach is described here. (Note: I don’t follow Osho, aka Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh. He was, I think, a charming but very manipulative charlatan. His explanation of breathwatching, though, is simple and easy to follow.) Another explanation of breathwatching, from the excellent book Running Within, by Jerry Lynch and Warren Scott, can be found here.

The whirlpool and steamroom will get me through the cold winter weather and to my spring races. After that, it’ll be ice baths after my long runs in the summer heat. Breathwatching? That’ll just be a regular thing.

Dec 20 2012

Coconut Oil

Coconut oil

A couple of weeks ago, I started adding coconut oil to my daily diet. Why?

Because it’s good, that’s why. Though coconut oil used to get a bad rap (except in traditional cultures, which have long espoused its benefits), it’s come back into the mainstream. It’s health-related benefits include the following:

  • Coconut oil is good for your heart. It contains about 50% lauric acid (more about this later in the post), which helps in preventing various heart problems including high cholesterol levels and high blood pressure. The saturated fats present in coconut oil aren’t harmful, as they are in other vegetable oils. It doesn’t lead to increases in LDL levels. It also reduces the incidence of injury in arteries and therefore helps in preventing atherosclerosis.
  • Coconut oil is helpful in managing one’s weight. Its short- and medium-chain fatty acids can help in taking off excessive weight. It’s easy to digest, and it helps in healthy functioning of the thyroid and enzymes systems. As if that weren’t enough, it increases the body’s metabolism by removing stress on pancreases, thereby burning more energy.
  • Coconut oil is good for the immune system, as it contains antimicrobial lipids, lauric acid, capric acid, and caprylic acid, which have antifungal, antibacterial, and antiviral properties. The human body converts lauric acid into monolaurin which is claimed to help in dealing with viruses and bacteria.

    • OK, that was the general stuff. Here are comments from a couple of sources I trust about the benefits of coconut oil…

    First, an excerpt from a Mark’s Daily Apple post:

    “Coconut oil has been found to help normalize blood lipids and protect against damage to the liver by alcohol and other toxins, can play a role in preventing kidney and gall bladder diseases, and is associated with improved blood sugar and insulin control and therefore the prevention and management of diabetes. In addition, coconut oil has antiviral, antibacterial and anti-fungal properties. On a more superficial level, meanwhile, coconut oil is thought to help strengthen mineral absorption, which is important for healthy teeth and bones, and can also help improve the condition and appearance of the scalp, hair and skin when ingested or topically applied.”

    Next, from Dr. Steve Gangemi (aka the Sock Doc):

    “Coconut oil is one oil that everybody should have in their kitchen to use not just for cooking, but also for supplementation. It is much different than other saturated fats because the majority (over 60%) is composed of medium chain triglycerides (MCTs), and the majority of that is a fat called lauric acid. There are numerous health benefits to lauric acid and the other MCTs, from acting as an antimicrobial to providing energy to helping one use fat as fuel.”

    And, finally, some info about the benefits of the afore-mentioned lauric acid.

    So how I am using this good stuff?

  • I include about 1 tbs. of coconut oil in my morning bowl of oatmeal, along with some raspberries.
  • I have a little coconut oil, along with some organic honey, on a slice of Ryvita, at lunchtime or late in the afternoon.
  • A couple of times each week, I slather some coconut oil on my head/hair and my beard, do my usual treadmill training run, and then wash the oil off in my post-run shower.
  • It tastes good, feels good, and, after the “man spa” stuff on my head and face, I smell like a coconut cookie.

    • Not bad, not bad at all. :)

    Dec 7 2012

    It’s Payback Time!

    I posted recently that I’ll be doing the Harry Rosen Spring Run Off 8K (on April 6th, 2013), which is a fundraiser for prostate cancer research and treatment. I’ve just set up a personal fundraising page to raise funds for that effort here.

    My goal is to raise $1,000 for prostate cancer research at Toronto’s Princess Margaret Hospital. PMH is one of the top five cancer institutes in the world. Over the past six years I’ve benefited immensely from the expertise, care, and kindness shown by its staff, particularly Dr. Cynthia Menard and her team. I can’t do this without your help, so I’m inviting you to join me in the fight against prostate cancer by sponsoring my campaign.

    Please consider donating to this very worthy cause and help me pay back in a small way. Thanks much!

    Dec 4 2012

    Spring Run Off 8K

    Harry Rosen Spring Run Off

    Having just gone through yet another prostate biopsy (my fifth in six years), I’m reminded of how much I (and thousands of other men) benefit from the ongoing research into the causes of prostate cancer and its treatment. So I’ve decided, once again, to run the Harry Rosen Spring Run Off 8K in Toronto’s High Park.

    I did the race in 2008, after my first set of radiation treatments for prostate cancer. That was also my first race after returning to running after an absence of 30 years, so it means a lot to me. This time, as before, I’ll be fundraising for the Prostate Centre at the Princess Margaret Hospital, where all my treatments have taken place. PMH’s Dr. Cynthia Menard and her team have taken exceptionally good care of me over the past few years, and I feel I owe them at least this much. I also owe something to all those men who have – and will have – prostate cancer.

    I’ll start fundraising early in the new year so stay tuned. I hope you’ll support me.

    Aug 17 2012

    Barefoot Running Magazine

    The summer issue of the Barefoot Running Magazine, from the good folks at Barefoot Running UK is available as a PDF-format download here.

    There’s a wealth of good stuff in the issue, such as articles by Michael Sandler and Dr. James Stoxen, a piece about the Barefoot Runners Society – and my book review of Alex Hutchinson’s “Which Comes First, Cardio or Weights?”.

    I think you’ll enjoy it!

    Jan 2 2012

    Barefoot Running UK Newsletter

    Barefoot Running UK

    Once again, I have the pleasure of passing along to you the newsletter of Barefoot Running UK. As always, the newsletter, put together by Anna Toombs and David Robinson, offers excellent articles, news, and training tips for barefoot runners. This one, though, is a bumper edition, coming in at a full 32 full-colour pages. I urge you to read it!

    You can download a PDF-format file of the newsletter by clicking here.

    My thanks go (again) to Anna and David for offering this great resource to the barefoot running community.