This page contains musings about running. I have always liked running, but until recently have not done much of it. I am not a fast or good runner, but running, or as I usually call it, jogging is the only exercise I like. I run several times a week, so far for 2 – 8 miles a time.
My first entry tells about how I started running for the fourth, and last time, in my life at 63, nearing 64, thanks to a well-known sneaker manufacturer.
If anyone reads this and decides to start running, PLEASE make sure that you are healthy enough to do it, especially if your have entered your second half century!!! Push yourself, put don’t push too hard. If you have warning signals and pains of any sort, aside from muscle soreness and the like, seek medical help immediately.
71 is 63+
Still running, but for shorter distances and at different speeds: slow jog, very slow jog, and very very slow jog. Adidas Ultraboosts still work, but only the new models that come about approximately every other year.
The Health of Runners
Ed Whitlock, who ran a sub-three hour marathon at age 74 (the oldest person to do so) and a sub-four hour marathon at age 85 (the oldest person to do so), very recently died of prostate cancer at 86. He was in off-the-chart good shape for running, but never went for medical exams, until it was too late. This bring to mind James Fixx, the celebrated ‘running doctor’ in the 1970s and early 1980s and author of The Complete Book of Running, who died of heart disease at 52 while jogging. His father had died of heart disease at 43, and Fixx thought he was so fit it would not happen to him. Well, he was so fit that he lasted longer than his father. It was not unreasonable at the time for him to be concerned that he would suffer the same fate as his father and to have have regular checkups—but he ignored common sense. Runners beware! When you run, you are cardiovascularly fit, but not necessarily healthy in all relevant aspects. (3/30/17)
Running on Sidewalks in New York City
I prefer running on asphalt streets and avoid cars as needed, but when it gets a bit dark I need to run on sidewalks and avoid pedestrians. Surprisingly, there does not seem to be extra wear and tear on my knees on concrete. The sidewalks are narrow where I often run, maybe four feet wide or so, maybe wide enough for three people squeezing together. When two people approach another on such a sidewalk in NYC, rarely do both pairs go single file, which would be courteous. Older people seem to go single file more, either because they have manners or fear being knocked over. When I am running, I don’t care if opposing pedestrians move to the right or left, just as long as they give me some berth, as they should any pedestrian in civilized society. A few weeks ago I was approaching three people, who easily spanned the width of the entire sidewalk. As we got closer they were giving me no pathway on the sidewalk, and I did not want to retreat to the mud on the open side. (An Aside: For a few decades now, dog owners have been obligated by law to pick up the remains of their dogs’ droppings in NYC. They have by and large done this, and the streets and sidewalks are a prettier sight.) As we got pretty close this group abruptly squeezed to the left. Why? All the way on the right their were dog droppings, apparently squished down by some earlier pedestrian, located exactly where are paths were about to cross. I hopped over them and proceeded. Sometimes it helps being lucky, with some dog-gone luck. (3/30/17)
How I Started Running, for the Final Time, Thanks to a Well-known Sneaker Manufacturer
When I was an undergraduate at M.I.T. groups of students started a nightly run along the Charles River, along Memorial Drive, across the B.U. Bridge, along Storrow Drive, across the Harvard Bridge and back. I did it for a while. When we moved to Oakland, CA in the weekends I ran along Lake Merritt with my Brooks sneakers, for several months or so. When we lived in Yorktown Heights, NY I ran a little on the high school track and in FDR Park, but, as often before, my knees often hurt, no matter what sneakers I wore. A few years ago I started running on treadmills, because I needed cardio-training, and about two years ago I upped my pace and duration. I felt no knee pain when I used by Nike Vomero Model 7, on the treadmill-but not running a road, until the sneakers “wore” out and sought to new ones, to supplement my backup pair. (When a sneaker works for you, always buy a backup or backups of exactly that same model.) Only Vomero Model 10 was available. It was also highly rating for cushioning, my particular need to avoid knee pain, but it felt like concrete on concrete on the treadmill. I tried two other shoes known for their cushioning, but were poor on the treadmills. Just for the heck of it, I tried running on roads with both. I had no knee pain with the Adidas Ultraboosts, highly rated for cushioning, and I have been running with them ever since, and have not been on a treadmill in over a year. Thank you Nike (and Adidas). I am running for the fourth and final time, because I intend to continue to run, until I cannot. (12/26/16)