Review -- Sennheiser Headphones -- Great for Boy Scouts

As I have previously mentioned, I buy a lot of running gear. Shoes, socks, shirts, iPods, watches and headphones.  One thing I have not found is the perfect set of headphones. I have purchased maybe 10 pair of them, so much so that my 8 year old daughter commented "Daddy you always have the cooooolest headphones!"  I also have several opinions. First and foremost, the "bud" type headphones generally do not stay in my ear when I run. That is the kind of headphones that comes with an iPod, and they just don't work for me. Second, my headphones have to be able to survive wetness. I sweat alot when I run, and my headphones get wet. Real wet. Sound quality is really not that important...I am running, not listening to a jazz. But, that being said, better sound is better. I honestly didn't notice sound quality differences in headphones until I had two pair of headphones that I liked and alternated. One pair was a cheap ($12) Koss pair, and the other was a pair of Sennheiser. The sound difference was both undeniable and incredible (the Sennheiser was maybe 50 times better). So my criteria are: fit and stay put-ness; durability; sound; and value.

The quest for the perfect headphone seems to endlessly continue, but my current favorites are the Sennheiser MX 85 Sport. Sennheiser is a generally upscale headphone manufacturer that also manufactures a sport line of headphones. They generally retail for around $50. They all sound noticeably better that bud type headphones, and are more expensive. Sennheiser's sport models come with distinctive colored cords: neon green and bright orange. They also have several headphone types: over the ear, ear plugs, around the neck (which I have not tried), and buds that "twist in place." My current favorites are the SX 85, orange cord, twist in place. Here is a picture:

The twist in place system really works. The headphones don't move around and stay put. And they are quite comfortable. They also have the best sound of the headphones I have tried and can notice. I sometimes run to military running cadences (Run to Navy Seals, if anyone listens) where an F16 flies over the recruits as they are singing. If you have ever experienced a flyover at a sporting event, you know this is an ear splitting, booming noise. The sound moves from left to right, and it never ceases to scare me, make me duck and I can feel it. The recruits are chanting "I wanna be a Navy Seal.." and then CRASHHHH BOOOOOM -- this massive sonic boom comes crashing through, in stereo, from left to right. It is pretty cool. Again, this is not an acoustic review of head phones, just what I perceive while running. The Sennheisers make me feel it.

Other Senneheiser thoughts. First, the orange cord version is a huge improvement over the green cord. The green cord came precoiled and never uncoiled -- it was like a big green slinky. A massive inconvenience. The orange cord is better.

The cord will tangle. Period. Dig out your Boy Scout manual because you will become a knot expert. There is nothing you can do about it. Nothing.  If you set them down, massive tangle; put them in a gym bag, massive tangle; speak badly about them, massive tangle; look at them, massive tangle.  But, once untangled, they stay in your ear and sound good. Durability is OK. I suppose I should wash them, dry them, etc. but they are headphones, and I don't want high maintenance there.

Other headphones I like:  V Moda Bass Freq Earbuds; Philips Ear Buds (Bass)

Everbody Loves Raymond times 4

This week was a pretty average training week. A speedworkout, tempo run and even a long run at the gym, on the treadmill. Not very exciting or blogworthy, really. I did run 14 miles (at 8:10 pace) at the gym on a treadmill Friday afternoon before going out with friends that night. That set a treadmill record for me -- nearly 2 hours on the mill. It was amazing to observe the difference in heart rate between running indoors and out. Last week I ran 14 miles outside in 70 degrees and 100% humidity, and the result was heart rate average in 160's. This week in the gym, at a faster pace, average in the 140's.

I made 14 miles on the mill even though I had left my iPod in its charger at my the office. But I did have my headphones, so I could watch the TV's at the gym. It was Friday afternoon, and there really wasn't much on. Except Everybody Loves Raymond on TBS. I really don't watch much TV (other than sports and news), so it was all new to me. And, it was even kind of funny. Four episodes later, 14 miles were in the can. Phew.

My Garmin, though, froze in the middle of the workout after about an hour. I have no idea what happened -- I wasn't even wearing it,it was sitting on the treadmill. I just looked down and it was stuck. No matter what button I pushed, nothing. The battery on it eventually died, and when I recharged it, it came back to life. It had no record of the workout though. Argh. Just when Garmy was getting to forget its foibles and eccentricities.

No great blog thoughts, but Iate dinner last night at Blue Hill in the city. Wonderful, fresh and delicious. Two big thumbs up.

14 Miles In the Soup

There are some days when I never want the run to end and wish it was marathon day. There are other days when I think I don't think I could run a 5K and wish I had stayed in bed. Saturday was the latter for me.

Saturday morning came early for me, 6:20 a.m. to be exact. It had rained the night before, and puddles remained everywhere. I glanced at my blackberry for the weather: 74 degrees, 100 percent humidity, showers. Great. I had decided on my route. A few hills, and totaling around 14.5 miles, and goal pace was 8:30. And it was going to be a rainy, humid slog. I had nearly a half gallon of water ready, and off I went.

Wikipedia says this about humidity:

"The human body sheds heat by a combination of evaporation of perspiration, heat convection in the surrounding air, and thermal radiation. Under conditions of high humidity, the evaporation of sweat from the skin is decreased and the body's efforts to maintain an acceptable body temperature may be significantly impaired. Also, if the atmosphere is as warm as or warmer than the skin during times of high humidity, blood brought to the body surface cannot shed heat by conduction to the air, and a condition called hyperpyrexia results. With so much blood going to the external surface of the body, relatively less goes to the active muscles, the brain, and other internal organs. Physical strength declines and fatigue occurs sooner than it would otherwise. Alertness and mental capacity also may be affected. This resulting condition is called heat stroke or hyperthermia."

OK, I didn't get heat stroke, nor was I very close to it. But it started raining, drizzling really, almost as soon as I started. My glasses instantly fogged up, and I was drenched. My shoes and socks were squishing with each step. My hat was dripping water and sweat. And after it stopped raining (after mile 3 or so), it was just wet and humid. And it was tough. The first 5 miles went pretty easily, and I felt OK. But after that, it just turned into a gritty run, even though that was the flat part of my course. I drank all of my water and then some. I carried a small bottle with me at all times and had to carry another for part of the way. Carrying a water bottle in my hand is not ideal because it kind of throws me off balance, but I had to do it.

I ended up going 14.25 miles at average 8:18 pace. That was faster than my goal and it was too fast. My heart rate was way, way, too high towards the end (spiked to 90%). But I just couldn't get it down to lower levels. I had decided, though, that if my heart rate remained over 170 consistently and if I couldn't work it down by slowing the pace, I was going to stop and walk. But, every time I saw it spike to 170 (roughly 90%), I slowed and it came down. I stopped frequently to drink my water and Gatorade. I had to stop several times to avoid downed trees and cross several partly flooded roads. I stepped in too many puddles to count. When I hit mile 14 (my kind of internal goal), I almost just stopped in my tracks, even though I was a couple hundred yards from home.

When I made it home, I was wet and tired. Thirsty, too. My shoes still aren't dry 36 hours later. I was wiped out all day. I didn't get a nap in, and I was just beat. I hope it pays off later. I don't know how all you coastal runners do it, and my hat is off to you.

Time Distance Split time Elev. chg. Avg. HR
0:08:15 1.00 8:15 +70 144 (78%)
0:16:16 2.00 8:01 +75 153 (83%)
0:24:19 3.00 8:03 -59 158 (85%)
0:32:26 4.00 8:06 -64 159 (86%)
0:41:00 5.00 8:33 +85 159 (86%)
0:49:21 6.00 8:20 +44 163 (88%)
0:57:37 7.00 8:16 -43 165 (89%)
1:06:01 8.00 8:24 +38 164 (89%)
1:14:23 9.00 8:21 +109 166 (90%)
1:22:40 10.00 8:17 -151 164 (89%)
1:30:49 11.00 8:09 -24 166 (90%)
1:39:10 12.00 8:20 -65 166 (90%)
1:47:23 13.00 8:13 +23 169 (91%)
1:56:13 14.00 8:50 +38 170 (92%)
1:56:23 14.01 0:09 +2 168 (91%)

Back in the Saddle

I had a good run last night at the gym. 6.5 miles, with 5.5 at Mid-tempo pace as defined by FIRST. For me that meant 7:27 miles. Because I perceive the treadmill to be easier than real life (and heart rate confirms that) I usually set treadmill a bit faster. For me that meant setting it at a 7:18 pace or 8.2 mph. My foot pod had me going even faster, with a sub 7:00 pace, but I take that with a grain of salt.

It felt good to exercise again. I am a little stiff this morning, but a good kind of stiff. Tonight I will try to put in another easy workout and then run 14 or 15 miles tomorrow. FIRST has me for another 20 miler, but I am just not sure I want to do that or am in shape for that given my lack of training in August and also the lack of cross training. For FIRST, not only do you run 3 days a week (which I basically have -- I have missed 1 workout despite my relative sloth this week), but also supposed to row, bike or swim 2 days a week. I haven't. So not sure I want to push the second 20 miler in 3 weeks given relative lack of running and training.

And I got a really, really nice surprise this morning. Last night at the gym I stepped on the scale for the first time in 3 weeks. I fully expected to have added about 3 pounds or so. I have eaten poorly and not worried about carbs; indeed, I have had a 100% carb dinner for the last several nights. (Carbs encourage water retention, so eating them means more water, thus more weight; the converse is also true.) Anyway, my surprise: the lowest weight in nearly ten years. rather than add several pounds, I was lighter. I know water weight, etc., but still very nice surprise.

Its like that Seinfeld episode: some things go up, some go down.

Ennui

I have had a pretty bad training week. In fact, I haven't had a training week -- I haven't run since my Asheville dash. Travel, family, and work have all conspired to keep me chained to my desk and my running shoes on the shelf. And its hot out now. And it is August.

I am sure I have slipped some. But, after all, last week, over a 6 day period I ran like 50 miles. That is a lot of miles for me, and included the two longest runs I have done in years. Maybe that has sapped my will to get out and slog through the daily workouts. Maybe the FIRST program is just too intense for what I enjoy about running. I am not sure, but the net result is no runs for last 6 days.

I have been on this committed, dedicated mission since March to lose weight and get fit. I have largely succeeded. But letting my guard down, just a little, opens the door to the old ways. The non-running, bad eating ways.

I'll get through it, and I have to get back on track. But the idea of lacing them up and going out in Central Park in this heat/humidity really is a downer.

I'll get to the gym tonight and run the next three days, with a long run Saturday morning. And this "holiday" will be a blip on the schedule.

Something though, that always cheers me up:

Onwards from AKQA on Vimeo.

Look Homeward, Angel

Asheville, North Carolina is a beautiful place. Located in the foothills of the Blue Ridge mountains, it has an eclectic, eccentric, artsy vibe. That, and it has a beautiful natural woody, mountainous setting. Hometown son Thomas Wolfe was captivated by a statue in a cemetery in nearby Hendersonville, NC, and wrote "Look Homeward Angel," an American epic about life and family. This is the angel that captivated Wolfe:

I stopped and saw the angel last year when we were down this way, and honestly, it didn't do much for me. Yes, it is pretty, but there are many, many statues that have grabbed me much more. In fact if it wasn't "Wolfe's angel," I am not sure I would have given it a second look. But it did enrapture Wolfe and inspire him to write an epic.

My Asheville epic was an 18 mile run. In addition to being the home of Thomas Wolfe, Asheville is also where Biltmore is located. Biltmore was built by George Washington Vanderbilt II in the 1880s as a grandiose American palace, and it is beautiful. In 1916, after a ruinous flood, to reduce maintenance and taxes, a large hilly plot of land next to Biltmore was sold to developers and became the town of Biltmore Forest. Biltmore Forest is beautiful, and located in rolling, wooded hills. Grand mansions and estates line Biltmore Forest's winding, hilly streets tucked around a Donald Ross golf course.

It was also where I ran my 18 miles yesterday afternoon. It was a difficult, hard run. In addition to its beauty, Asheville is at 2500 feet above sea level. Not Colorado, but still nearly half a mile higher than Central Park. It was not terribly hot (maybe 70 degrees?), but it was really humid. And, have I mentioned hills yet? Mountains? My Garmin had my run with a total an elevation climb of 6,500 feet. That is probablly way too much, but even if it was half that, wow. Wow. It was always up, down, up, down. So much so that there was basically no flat land. None. And I couldn't enjoy a downhill, because I knew I'd be going right back up shortly. But it was a gorgeous run in a gorgeous place.

And, in contrast to my last post, even the golfers on the course waved at me as I went by.

Ended up going 18.42 at average pace of 8:28. If last week's 20 miler was "easy", this was a hard 18. Super hard. As hard as a run I've had in years.Ii had to stop and walk a couple times, and really, really watch my fluids. The little town has a town hall, and I stopped to use their water fountain when I ran out of water, and I had brought nearly 40 ounces with me. (The town hall people were also super nice to me (even the police) and must have thought I was certifiably insane. I was dripping with sweat when I would stop and pop in their little town hall to use the water fountain, and they saw me running for hours up and down the hills on this bright sunny day.) It was just a difficult run, period. But 5 weeks of training are down, 11 to go until New York. Splits below, with a couple of distortions from water breaks and the like, and the elevation gain and loss really doesn't tell the story because of all the up and down (the gain in the chart is net over the split, so if you climb 100 feet then descend 100 feet in the split, your gain is zero in this chart.).

If you are ever in Asheville, my advice: skip the angel, and get ready to run.

Time Distance Split time Elev. chg. Split pace
0:04:12 0.50 4:12 +128 8:25
0:08:11 1.00 3:59 +33 7:58
0:12:13 1.50 4:02 +81 8:04
0:16:33 2.00 4:19 +4 8:39
0:20:27 2.50 3:54 -78 7:50
0:24:32 3.00 4:04 +34 8:09
0:28:40 3.50 4:08 +64 8:17
0:32:55 4.00 4:14 -33 8:30
0:37:13 4.50 4:17 -32 8:36
0:41:36 5.00 4:23 -30 8:46
0:46:08 5.50 4:32 -50 9:05
0:50:24 6.00 4:15 +126 8:31
0:54:37 6.50 4:13 -48 8:27
0:58:38 7.00 4:01 -157 8:02
1:02:52 7.50 4:14 +73 8:28
1:07:12 8.00 4:19 +63 8:40
1:11:27 8.50 4:14 +58 8:29
1:15:33 9.00 4:06 -63 8:12
1:19:27 9.50 3:54 +21 7:49
1:24:05 10.00 4:37 +12 9:15
1:28:32 10.50 4:26 +54 8:54
1:32:38 11.00 4:05 -56 8:12
1:36:47 11.50 4:08 -76 8:18
1:41:07 12.00 4:20 +123 8:40
1:45:09 12.50 4:02 -58 8:05
1:49:29 13.00 4:20 +75 8:40
1:53:21 13.50 3:51 -78 7:44
1:58:36 14.00 5:14 -54 10:29
2:02:52 14.50 4:16 -34 8:33
2:06:41 15.00 3:48 -47 7:36
2:11:08 15.50 4:27 +92 8:54
2:15:32 16.00 4:24 +89 8:49
2:20:29 16.50 4:56 -47 9:53
2:24:39 17.00 4:10 -17 8:22
2:28:54 17.50 4:14 +16 8:29
2:32:48 18.00 3:54 -119 7:49
2:35:56 18.41 3:07 -93 7:39

In Look Homeward Angel, this is how Wolfe described the angel that stood for years on the porch of his father's tombstone shop.

"No one knew how fond he was of the angel. Publicly he called it his White Elephant. He cursed it and said he had been a fool to order it. For six years it had stood on the porch, weathering, in all the wind and the rain. It was now brown and fly-specked. But it came from Carrara in Italy, and it held a stone lily delicately in one hand. The other hand was lifted in benediction, it was poised clumsily upon the ball of one phthisic foot, and its stupid white face wore the look of some soft stone idiocy." -- Look Homeward, Angel (1929)

Lighten Up, Francis

After doing two road runs this week, one thing I have noticed lately are the "serious runners" out on the road. The ones with a very serious scowl and game face on. The ones I want to say "Lighten up, Francis." I am not going to win the New York marathon, and I doubt I will place in top 5000. And I am kinda fast. And I know that most of the people I see out running are slower than me. So why the serious runner face? Why not the smile and wave when you go by? We're all out there for fun, to improve and release stress. Even on a bad day, how can you be grumpy out there running? I don't understand it. My typical greeting to a fellow runner is a smile and a "Good Morning." I don't want to stop and chat but some return acknowledgment is nice, courteous even. Now if I see a real serious runner out there training, I don't expect that, nor do I from a bicyclist (we are kind of like cats and dogs in our sharing of the road), but your average Joe (or Jane) out there on the track? Please, smile, it makes me feel better. Ok on to my weekend....

After my long run Friday morning, I took Saturday off. Apparently, it was a gorgeous running day (cool, not humid) and many PRs were set in the race in Central Park. I wouldn't know, I was sleeping. Friday night, Mrs. Wolve and I went to a dinner party (sans kids) at a friend's place at the beach, and well, I fell asleep at the table. (They are good friends, and we were staying with them, so it was not offensive.) I suppose getting up at 6 a.m., running 20 miles, working all day, then having a boozy dinner into the night exhausted me. So Saturday I slept until 10 a.m. -- about 11 hours of blissful sleep. And Saturday was a gorgeous day at the beach.

Anyway, Sunday brought a tempo workout. This FIRST program thing is a real bear. It was supposed to be 6 miles, four at tempo pace. I ended up going 7.7 miles, with about 5.5 miles at tempo pace. To put it in perspective, I think that if I had run 6.1 miles at the tempo pace, I would have set a 10K PR. Again, the Garmin was just great -- real time distance, pace, etc.

It was a great run. I was hungover, it was humid, but I had a great pace. Of course my heartrate was a little high, not crazy so, but given the conditions (alcohol, humidity) very understandable. And this was after running 20 miles two days earlier. I ran this route last year (actually a shorter one, but major overlap), and the difference is startling. My heartrate was 15 beats per minute lower and my pace was 1:30 faster. What a difference a year makes. I am a little concerned that all this running will produce "dead legs" or even worse, an injury. But so far so good. I have been very liberal about my off days, and it seems to be really helping.

This week brings, ugh, more travel. But I ought to be able to get my workouts in with a little planning. (Looks like my long run this week (18 miles at marathon pace plus 45 seconds) will be on the road. But there ought to be enough of a window I can get it in fairly easily.)

And I need a new pair of shoes. I have been alternating between Brooks Trance 7 and Gel Kayano 15s, but the Brooks are now kind of shot. The Lunar Trainers, I have come to realize, are OK, but really can't be an every day shoe for training or long runs. My problem is that I am a size 12.5 which is a funny size to find. So I have to order shoes, which is not nearly as much fun as going to the running store and walking out with a new pair.

"Easy" 20 miler

Well, I made up for my sloth of last week by running my long run early.  This morning -- not on a weekend.  We have more travel plans and this was the only day it was going to happen.  So I set my alarm, got up at 6:15 and off I went.  It was a gorgeous morning to run, about 65, sunny and low humidity.  Oh, and I forgot my iPod at the office, so no tunes.

I am a night owl, and for me to get up this early is really hard.  In fact, I got up early and ran earlier this week on Wednesday also.  Again that was travel dictated.

I can't post my splits yet, but I went 20.17 at 8:22 pace.  That is faster than I should have run them (target pace was 8:45), but couldn't make myself slow down.  I know I will pay for that effort later in the training program.

My Garmin was great today. I take back all the bad things I've ever said about it. Well, not really. But it was awesome to have real time pace and splits and distances. Love Garmy when it works the way you want it to.

In deciding what route to run -- my hilly route or my flat route, I opted for the flat route.  This is a long run for me and I didn't want to add to the challenge by including an elevation gain of 1000 feet into it.  So, as I was running, I opted for the "easy" route.  I chuckled to myself -- as if running 20 miles is ever easy.  So I call this my "easy" 20 miler.

I am pretty beat, but OK really.  My knees are stiff and I am not moving real fast.  But no real blisters, no lost toenails, no ITB tightness.  But a massage would really feel oh so nice.

I have to be pleased with this run.  It was a long run at a good pace and didn't just destroy me.  I didn't hit the wall, and while I was ready to quit, I could have continued if that was my goal.  It sure was nice to get home though.

Rome Wasn't Built in a Day...

In my brief fleeting career in Texas high school sports, one of our coaches had a favorite saying to encourage patience or make us wait for something "Rome wasn't built in a day ladies..." He always misused the analogy to imply that we should wait for something rather than the idea that small incremental changes produce great results. And the tone and condescension dripped from his voice, and it always made me want to ask him if he even knew what that meant. So one day I asked about something trivial (I think it was when is the next water break), and he said that to me. Having just read a classic history book (I was always the bookish, nerdish, wannabe athlete who was tolerated to keep team GPA above 2.0), I retorted, yes that's correct, Coach, but it did burn down in six. Coach paused, cocked an eye, and laughed heartily. He said I am not even going to make you run for that smart mouth of yours...

Anyway, I have always remembered that saying "Rome wasn't built in a day..." and as a runner it really is true. One can't radically change form, fitness or condition in a day. Patience, practice, commitment and devotion over time produce change and results. And thankfully form, fitness and condition really won't collapse in a week. Thankfully.

I didn't end up running 17 miles on a treadmill. Rather, I ended up trekking across the country for an unexpected work trip where I haven't slept in the same city in nearly a week. I have literally been on an airplane every day since last Tuesday. Traveling like that makes running 17 miles darn near impossible, and I just didn't get it done.

There, I said it -- I skipped my long run this week. But I can rationalize it because I have had 4 weeks in a row of long runs, one at altitude. And anyways, I just couldn't get it done -- literally there were not enough hours in the day, and been at work or on a plane most of the nights. And I need to sleep, too.

I feel bad about it. Guilty even. But I know it probably won't make that much difference. I did manage two early morning runs (on treadmills!), one in Vegas even. But I didn't go long. I just have to get back on the wagon this week and act like last week was a rest week. Sometime life has a dangerous way of intruding on running and training, and hey, that is life.

Rome wasn't built in a day, and it won't collapse just because I skipped a long run and ran a total of 18 miles last week.