Three cheers

Today's run (street): 2.5 miles at 9:38 per mile

It has been an interesting week already. Two of my colleagues have left my office floor, one permanently and the other for a few months. My friend Sedentary Man is moving to another division located three floors down from mine. Happily our paths should continue to cross and while I'll miss my neighbor I benefit by having a great new neighbor (and dedicated cyclist/runner), FS, who will be taking over Sedentary Man's department. Also leaving this week is Adventure Girl who is doing graduate school research in the northwest this summer. I'll miss SM and AG but I'm excited for their new opportunities and experiences. The other big news is that last night Mrs. Emerging Runner was honored to receive a national PTA award as a life member of the New York State Congress of Parents and Teachers. This was a big surprise and our kids were very excited to go up with her as she received the award. Even after that late night she was back on the treadmill this morning at 6:00 AM!

Speaking of early mornings, I somehow made my way outside at 4:00 AM for my daily run. I was also tired from the long day and evening's activities but I used my sleep-like state to ease me through the workout. Halfway through my 2.5 mile run I started putting a little more speed into my stride but my overall pace was, well, sleepy. I'm not sure whether I'll run or elliptical tomorrow, I'll see how I feel in the morning. I'm hoping to do a noontime run in the city with my friend Steve on Friday to end the week. Next week I'm traveling again which presents another chance to run in a different city. My schedule will be very tight on that trip so a run is unlikely but you never know.

Nearing the finish line

Today is the last day I'll be in the office until January. Like many businesses, my company effectively shuts down for the week between Christmas and New Years. We still have some staff in and we're producing content and closing the books but the feeling is different than other times of the year. I've always liked this end-of-the-year time. Until the economy tanked we always had office decorating contests and lots of holiday food from suppliers. I'm fine with the way it is now. Christmas treats, no matter how good, are one temptation I'm happy to avoid.

With the windchill adjusted temperature hovering around 10 degrees this morning I decided to do another treadmill workout. I smartened up bit and started slower than yesterday. That made a big difference in terms of experience. Instead of my run being a frantic and hard charging effort, today felt more like (dare I say it?) a jog. The minutes went by much quicker and around 2/3 through the run I stepped up the speed and really pushed it for the last three minutes. Still, I was almost a minute per mile slower than yesterday's overall pace. What really mattered is that I got my workout done and I had the sweat to show for it. I'm hoping to return to the street tomorrow if conditions turn favorable. Otherwise it's back to the elliptical or treadmill. They're not my first choice but it's nice, at least, to have a choice.

By the way, check out new stuff from Adventure Girl who is on a skiing tour of NY state, northern Vermont and eastern Quebec. Sedentary Man has a new column about Steampunk, a style genre that he explained to me at last weeks holiday party that I still don't quite get but there's some cool looking stuff!

Sedentary Man is updated

Please make sure you check out Sedentary Man's latest column. The blog roll is not properly updating on this page but there's some new content up there. As always, SM amuses.

Announcing the Expanded Emerging Runner

I am pleased to announce two new blogs from the Emerging Runner: Running Gone Wild, Adventure Girl's monthly column which covers fun and challenging activities that contribute to better running. This month's column is about Yoga and I even learned a few things. Also new is a blog called Runner's Tech Review that will review running technologies, running gear and nutritional products that enhance the running experience. You'll find a review of the Moji Knee icing system as well as our first review of MixMyGranola. As always, every week Sedentary Man shares his perspective on activity, motivation and life in general. I hope you enjoy these new features.

This week's Sedentary Man

This week SM talks about healthcare and its 19th century roots. His definition of trepanning reminds me of how I felt negotiating grade 5 hills this past weekend. Here's this week's column.

After a long weekend of challenging distance runs I decided to do a recovery workout on the elliptical this morning. All my aches have gone away and I'm debating whether I'll get back on the treadmill tomorrow. I'm seriously considering the headlamp and reflector vest option rather than running indoors again. Since I have neither of those items I guess I'm stuck with three options: treadmill, elliptical (again) or a rest day. I'm planning to do a city run on Friday and I want to get at least one run in before that. Oh how I wish the sun would rise at 4:00!

This week's Sedentary Man

Last weekend Sedentary Man did the unthinkable: he moved his daughter into a walkup apartment with eight flights of stairs. SM discovered a lot about himself, most importantly that riding an exercise bike doesn't prepare you for 17 consecutive trips up the stairs carrying heavy objects. Read this week's column...

This weekend's Sedentary Man

Sedentary Man has a new time slot with his weekly column starting on Fridays. This week he talks about listening to music which is a relatively easy thing to do, even if you are sedentary. Somehow this relates to his column's mission of chronicling his return to fitness. I think SM wants to spend enough time on "before" before he gets to "after." Read this weeks column...

This weeks's Sedentary Man

This week Sedentary Man writes about inefficiencies related to the way dogs drink water and the way humans hit golf balls. SM only has a solution for the latter. Read it here...

This week's Sedentary Man

In this week's column, Sedentary Man discusses breakthroughs in artifical limbs and the relationship between our bodies and our minds. He describes a view of the future where the physical body becomes increasingly less important. It actually reminds me of an old song by Zager and Evans. Read his new column here...

This week's Sedentary Man

In this week's column Sedentary Man explains the rules of HORSE and also recognizes Carl Yastremski's little known contribution to fitness in Major League Baseball. SM told me that as a Bosox fan he thought I would like that mention. His column is an encouraging message to those of us who plan to run past retirement age. Read it here...

In addition, I have been the featured blogger on the Runner's World loop community page. It's not much more than a goofy picture but you can check it out here before I'm replaced by another community member.

This week's Sedentary Man

In this week's column Sedentary Man talks about his first golf outing of the season. This should prove once and for all that SM and I are not one in the same since I dislike golf as much as he seems to like it. Hey, whatever makes him happy. At least it seems like he's getting some exercise. Read this week's column...

Yes, I get it, it's cold

I know March comes in like a lion but I didn't expect it to be such a fierce one. It was brutally cold standing at the train platform and the LIRR, owing to their unofficial mandate to break down at the mention of zero degree weather, was late. Ten minutes after boarding my feet were still thawing. As I stood waiting for the train, lamenting the fact that this week's snow interrupted my highly anticipated outdoor run in Cambridge, I tried to think of something positive to offset this late season weather. The best I came up with was that at 6:20 AM the sun had already come up. That made me happy because I realized that the cold would soon pass and the days will grow longer, allowing me to run earlier in the morning. I never used to to pay attention to the weather or keep track of sunrise prior to my return to running. Now I check the forcast all the time. I can't recall how early the sun comes up in late spring and summer but I'm hoping I'll be able to get some outdoor runs in during the weekdays at some point.

Sendentary Man has a new column today. I don't know about you but he seems to be a bit more profound and less sendentary these days. Although he starts out describing an epic battle between his humidifier and de-humidifier (this reminds me of an old Stephen Wright joke) he does make his point. I think. You decide.

In tomorrow's Sedentary Man

In tomorrow's column the Sedentary Man teaches us two different choices we can make regarding massage. Personally I don't think either choice is particularly appealing. Sedentary Man is teaching us so much I'm considering changing his website to a .edu. Read the current column here.

In tomorrow's Sedentary Man

In tomorrow's column Sedentary Man shares the experience of his recent visit to a Big and Tall shop. Among other things, he discovers you can buy cologne for the exceptionally sized. In the meantime, check out this weeks column.

Tomorrow's Sedentary Man

In tomorrow's new column Sedentary Man talks about the various things that bother him. Yes, I could tell him that none of this relates to the subjects of diet, medicine or exercise but I don't want to make him any angrier. Here's the current column...

The Sedentary Man talks nutrition

In this week's column the Sedentary Man explains that the way he eats is likely due to the way his mother fed him growing up. Still, for a guy with an Ivy League degree you'd expect Sedentary Man to have more sense about nutrition. But I'm only saying that to get back at him for nodding off during our meetings. Read his column here...

Introducing another perspective

We all have different perspectives on conditioning, fitness and goals. The Emerging Runner's new columnist, the Sedentary Man, asks some thought provoking questions such as: When you come to a staircase and an escalator do you a) take the escalator or b) find an elevator? Once a week the Emerging Runner will feature Sedentary Man as a counterpoint to my more traditional viewpoint on running, fitness, nutrition and conditioning. Let us know what you think.