2 more miles. This weather is great.

Things are hurting less each day. I mentioned a while ago, that I wanted to change my running form, to what I'm convinced is a more natural stride (see Crazy Barefoot Man post). And that's what I've been doing on these short daily runs.

Since I don't have the guts to run barefoot, I bought a pair of Mizuno racing flats, which are practically like running barefoot. And the first couple of times I ran in them, my calves were extraordinarily sore the next 2-3 days or so, but it's getting better each time. And it does seem like I'm settling into the new stride.

We'll see how this plays out. I think if I ease into it slowly I won't get hurt.

You ROCK!
Rock on!
Keith.

2 more miles

Sometimes, I run everyday. I think that's what I'm going to do for a while. Short distances though. It seems easier for me to find a rhythm with running and healthy living all around, if I stick to a consistent daily schedule.

I once read an article that said that running everyday was best for your cardiovascular development. Let me see if I can find it. Ahh, there it is. There's a link to it over in the bookmark panel.

Basically, the guy's argument is that the hard-easy approach is a remnant of training programs that were developed for weight lifters. He says the best stimulus for cardiovascular development boils down to - frequency, intensity, and duration. According to that guy, people who run hard-easy, wind up running too hard on the hard days, and then are wiped out and don't get anything out of the easy days. So, he says running a consistent moderately hard distance, at a consistent moderately hard intensity, daily, is best.

I'm not proposing that anybody follow this guy's approach, although he was a coach and his team won some crap, but I guess there are plenty of coaches that follow a hard-easy approach and they win crap too, so I guess you should just do whatever you want to do and you can find a coach to tell you to do exactly that. In fact, let that be my advice for runners : Do whatever you want to do.

Rock on.
Keith.

I like greenbeens, I like milkshakes...

Hey America!

I'm glad everyone liked the Jell-O turkey. Apparently the place that sells the turkey jello mold also sells a human brain jello mold. I might have to buy that one.

It's good to be out of work today. I spent all day in seminars for our annual Texas Methodist Hospital/University of Houston Neuroscience Colloquium.

Most of it was pretty interesting, including some stem cell stuff, and the speaker didn't say this explicitly, but, from the results he had, it seems like it might be possible to grow an entire human brain inside a mouse's head. Wait, that's not stated just right, what I really mean is that it might be possible to grow an entire mouse brain out of human brain cells - yes, that's what I want to say. Unfortunately, that didn't seem to be the direction he was taking his research.

But the talks weren't all closely related to my interests, so I did have time to amuse myself. I started a top ten list for biology geeks, but haven't finished it yet. Here's what I have so far:

Top ten rejected protein names:

Polymodal Ubiquitous Kinetochore Elastase (PUKE)
Focal Adhesion Ribosyl-Transferase #1 (FART-1)
Small Nuclear Oxoglutamic-Transaminase (SNOT)
Hyper-Oligomeric Ligation Enzyme (HOLE)
Alternate Superoxide Synthetase (ASS) - which can bind "HOLE" to form "ASS/HOLE Complex"


And I also came up with some new lyrics to the Meow-mix song.

I like greenbeens.
I like milkshakes.
I like lemon-greenbeen milkshakes.


AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAnyhow.
I've had a lazy long weekend. It seems my motivation for training is somewhat diminished. My goal race for the fall has passed, and I don't feel like I have the energy to train very hard, so I've just been taking things easy and running only a little bit. It's kind of upsetting, because it feels like I've already lost some fitness.

I ran two miles tonight. Two miles still counts. I think I just ran so that I could write in my blog.

Anyhow. Rock on.
Keith.

Jell-O Turkey for my blogging friends.

Here's a Jell-O turkey someone on the internet made. I hope everyone has a Happy Thanksgiving, and you should know that I'm thankful for all my fellow bloggers.



I ran another easy three miles around my house, and didn't have any pain in my foot, so that's great news. I wore a new pair of shoes that I bought because they're practically like running barefoot. They're not the Nike Free's but a pair of Mizuno racing flats that are so light and flexible, I think it's almost the same as barefoot, but offers me enough protection from rocks and whatnot. So, we'll see if this is a good idea, that will instill a more natural running stride, or a bad idea that I'll be paying for with injury. I think it's an interesting experiment, I'll keep you informed.

It has been a pretty busy week, even though it was so short. I had to meet with my graduate advisory committee, so that they can approve my topic for my oral qualifying exam in February. (I'm a graduate student in Biology) The idea is I'm supposed to design a set of experiments to test a hypothesis, and the system chosen has to be something different from what we're actually working on. So my proposal was on the mechanism by which migratory birds can sense the magnetic field, and they liked it, so that's what I'll be reading about endlessly for the next couple of months.

Anywho,
Turkey on.
Keith.

8 miles with the half marathon group

So, my foot didn't hurt AT ALL today, what's up with that? Not that I'm disappointed, but it does make me wonder... I had joked about my pain being imaginary a couple times, but now, as soon as the doctor tells me there's nothing wrong with it, it stops hurting! Maybe it was imaginary.

And maybe all my other problems are psychosomatic too, like the tremors I get when its really cold outside, the spontaneous bleeding from the ears I have when I stick something in there, and maybe when I uncontrollably shout "Oh no you didn't!" at the Jerry Springer Show.

And Lisa was at the club today! It was very nice to meet you, finally. I hope you liked our bridge. I have a love/hate relationship with that bridge.

I only went 8 miles, so we stopped at the base of the bridge, but I could hear it challenging me to take a lap, but I thought it would be best to take it easy until I'm sure I won't be finishing my runs in pain. And boy was it cold out there at the start, and I'm very glad the club gave everybody a pair of running gloves, because my hands would have been frozen by the end.

My next big race is still up in the air, although I do plan on doing the next Blogger 5K in the Woodlands. The club is planning an 18 miler for the marathon group in two weeks, so I'll try that, and if my feets don't fail me, I'll consider doing the full Houston marathon, otherwise I'll probably stick to the half.

Rock On.
Keith.

Doctor visit, and an easy three miler

So I went to the doctor, and got some x-rays of my foot and all, and apparently there's nothing wrong with me. I guess I'm a little disappointed that they couldn't find anything wrong, and moreso because I feel like they didn't really try. The doctor said it was probably "normal wear and tear."

I wasn't able to see the orthopedist that I wanted to see, because you have to go to a regular doctor first. I wanted to see him because he works with athletes and might have some input on why I've gotten injured and maybe I could ask some questions about running and training and stuff.

The doctor I did see actually told me that "running marathons is great and all, but it's not really what we're meant to do." I didn't feel like arguing how our long legs, springy feet, and large buttocks are specifically designed for running long distances (Bramble and Lieberman, Nat'l Geographic summary). So, she might have well have told me to "ignore whatever I say that you don't like."

But at least I got some x-rays and it's clear that there's no fracture, and I think if there was some subluxation of the cuboid, that would be visible on x-ray too, so I guess that's not it either. Those were the two worst case scenarios that were keeping me from running, so even though it still hurts a little I did an easy three miler this evening.

Anyway,
Keep on keepin on.
Keith.

Quick post from work.

I just saw the doctor here on campus, and apparently my pain is imaginary.
What a load off my mind. Back to training.

Keith.

keithrselassie digest

Since everyone is very busy, and since at times I post a lot, I've included a "week in review" on the left panel for the busy blogger.
Rock On. Keith.



edited to add -
I've removed the digest. There's too much crap on this blog, I must prioritize...
Keith.

My Keyword Analysis

Since Steve got away with stealing this idea from Cassie, and she got away with stealing the idea from Brent, I thought I might get away with it too. And I think the results are pretty funny.

I had compiled a nice list of info I found on cu&oid pain, and I didn't want this page to be such a high probability match for cu&oid queries, so I changed all the instances of c-u-b-o-i-d to cu&oid, sorry if that makes it hard to read.

46.15%	cu&oid bone
12.82%	cu&oid sublu$ation
7.69%	cu&oid bone pain in runners
7.69%	pain around cu&oid bone
5.13%	keith kelleher
5.13%	cu&oid syndrome
2.56%	cu&oid support
2.56%	where would you find the cu&oid bone
2.56%	david s wander
2.56%	where would you find the cu&oid bone?
2.56%	define cu&oid fracture
2.56%	chiropractic cu&oid bone

Since "david s wander" was a guy I mentioned that had some input on my cu&oid bone, it seems like almost 95% of my hits come from people suffering from cu&oid bone pain, and 5% are actually searching for info on me!

And I think, from now on, if I want to mention my cu&oid bone, in a way that I think won't be helpful for people who are searching for ways to ease the pain, I will refer to that bone as "The Bone We Do Not Speak Of."

Rock on.
Keith.

Weekend update.

Jen: I lived off Exit 151 in Nutley. That was probably only 5-6 miles from where you lived! New Jersey was beautiful last week when I was up there, leaves changing and everything. I think New Jersey gets a bad rap, and everyone thinks it's all urban areas, and concrete, but it's a really beautiful place. The weather was a little warm for the marathon, but it was perfect for everything else.

I was going to get up and run 2-3 miles with the club this morning, but there was still some residual pain in my foot when I got up this morning, so I thought it would be better to keep nursing it. I don't want to take the chance that it's a stress fracture. I did go down and hang out with everyone though, and I showed off all the crap I got from the marathon and the expo.

Seeing everybody finishing up their runs this morning, and now reading about all the bloggers racing this weekend, I'm really sick about being injured. I know it's only been a week, but I need to get back into the swing of things, I'm so envious.

I'm going to see the orthopedist this week at work.

Run an extra mile for those of us on the DL.
Keith.

Oh yeah, there's a new poll question.

This town has a "crazy barefoot man" vacancy.

The crazy barefoot man says, and the other crazy barefoot man agrees, that there are some benefits to being crazy and barefoot. And, to my knowledge, there isn't a crazy barefoot man in Pasadena, and possibly in all of Houston! I'm sure you see where I'm going with this.

Okay, maybe I'm not cut out to be "crazy barefoot man", but I think they do have a point about our shoes disrupting our natural biomechanics. I have no proof that it is the cause of my current foot problems, but they could be a factor. I threw out a pair of shoes last spring when I thought they were hurting me.

Since all good "crazy barefoot man"s are required to enthusiastically spread the crazy barefoot word, here's my first attempt at a "crazy barefoot man" rant:
Good morning Houston, CBM here (crazy barefoot man). You've lost touch with the ground, people! The human foot was designed to land upon the forefoot whilst running, not the heel. Take off your shoes and try to run landing on your heel, CBM says you can't do it. Your shoes doth weaken thy foots!

Hmmmm, not too bad, maybe I could be "crazy barefoot man."

Actually, my plan is to cut my mileage for a while, buy some minimalist shoes, and try to ease into a forefoot striking stride. I know nobody likes to suggest changing your stride, but I think it's more like correcting my stride. It seems like I'll be taking a step backwards a little, but I guess now is as good a time as any. I think I'll get one of those ChiRunning books or maybe the Pose Method book.

Anyhow, Rock on.
CBM.

NYCM - 5:23:53

Despite what you may have heard, the marathon is actually pretty hard.

I just got back to Houston, and I was unable to log on while in New Jersey or New York. Thanks to everyone who congratulated me on finishing my first marathon, I am very happy about it. The NYCM is unbelievable. There are so many people lining the streets to cheer on everybody, even people finishing as late as I did.

I think running through Brooklyn was definitely the highlight of my running career. There are so many people, and children who want to give you a high-five, and give you candy. Parents even hold their little babies hands out for you. I made sure I didn't miss anyone.

Well, I was hoping that my foot wouldn't give me too much trouble for this race, but I wasn't so lucky. I rested up as much as I could, and it was completely pain free when I got to New York, but we spent a few days kicking around New York and walking all over the city, by Sunday morning, I could already feel that something wasn't quite right. And I was pretty nervous about it, and sitting on the curb at Fort Wadsworth, at the base of the Verrazano bridge, I had a premonition. I had the strangest feeling like that moment was going to be the last thing I remember. If you've ever lost consiousness you know how weird it is when you slowly wake up and try to piece together the events that put you wherever you are are, on the floor. I was sure I was going to wake up at some aid station half way through the race, trying to figure out how I got there.

So at first I felt pretty good, and I got in about 8 pain-free miles, and then my foot started hurting. I started walking at the water stops, at about 10 miles, and I walked most of the incline at the Queensboro bridge at mile 15. At mile 16 I almost quit. At that point in the race, with ten miles left, you're really only one mile from the finish line. It's the perfect place to quit. But I wanted that friggin medal, so, my strategy is to delay, delay, delay. Delay quitting until it's too late to quit.

I was running strangely in the last part of the race, favoring my left foot, and I started to cramp up in my right quad and calf. This has never really been a problem for me in training. I took three PowerGels throughout the race, and each one seemed to keep me from cramping for a couple of miles or so.

Central Park was rough on me. It's pretty hilly, and the downhills hurt more than anything, so I couldn't even run there. I managed to hobble-run the flat parts and the slight inclines, and walk the rest.

But I made it the whole way, and I feel like I've earned that medal. I know this won't be my only marathon, but I'm not sure how long it will take for me to heal up. I might even have to go to the doctor. And I usually only go to the doctor when something is broken off (The price of machismo sure is high). This morning was the first time that the outside of my foot actually looked red and swollen.

This was my pace in five mile splits, so you can see how much I slowed down.:

1-5	10:32
5-10	10:37
10-15	12:44
15-20	13:57
20-25	13:43
25-26.2	13:47

So congratulation also to Jon Walk for his race and to my friend Susan Bell from the Clear Lake Fitness Club for her race too. They're both impressive runners too, Jon races everything, and Susan just ran a 50K two weeks ago. I run one marathon and I'm probably gonna be out of commission for at least a month.

Anyways, Rock on.
Keith.

Marathon Update: Keith J Kelleher at Finish in 5:30:16

ING New York City Marathon Athlete Alert for Keith J Kelleher (race number 24523)

Keith J Kelleher has finished the ING New York City Marathon in 5:30:16.
Congratulations! If you are meeting this person at family reunion,
please be mindful that it could take up to 30 minutes for him or
her to get there.

Note that all results are unofficial.

Thank you for using the ING New York City Marathon Athlete Alert
presented by Road Runner High Speed Online. The ING New York City
Marathon is the premier event of New York Road Runners. Please visit
http://www.ingnycmarathon.org for complete results, photos, wrap-up
stories, and motivation for 2005.

Marathon Update: Keith J Kelleher at Finish in 5:30:19

ING New York City Marathon Athlete Alert for Keith J Kelleher (race number 24523)

Keith J Kelleher has finished the ING New York City Marathon in 5:30:19.
Congratulations! If you are meeting this person at family reunion,
please be mindful that it could take up to 30 minutes for him or
her to get there.

Note that all results are unofficial.

Thank you for using the ING New York City Marathon Athlete Alert
presented by Road Runner High Speed Online. The ING New York City
Marathon is the premier event of New York Road Runners. Please visit
http://www.ingnycmarathon.org for complete results, photos, wrap-up
stories, and motivation for 2005.

Marathon Update: Keith J Kelleher at 20 Miles in 4:04:15

ING New York City Marathon Athlete Alert for Keith J Kelleher (race number 24523)

20 Miles: 4:04:15
Pace per mile: 12:12
Projected finishing time: 5:19:58

Thank you for using the ING New York City Marathon Athlete Alert
presented by Road Runner High Speed Online. The ING New York City
Marathon is the premier event of New York Road Runners. Please visit
http://www.ingnycmarathon.org for mile-by-mile coverage and athlete
tracking during the race.

Marathon Update: Keith J Kelleher at Halfway point in 2:30:14

ING New York City Marathon Athlete Alert for Keith J Kelleher (race number 24523)

Halfway point: 2:30:14
Pace per mile: 11:28
Projected finishing time: 5:00:28

Thank you for using the ING New York City Marathon Athlete Alert
presented by Road Runner High Speed Online. The ING New York City
Marathon is the premier event of New York Road Runners. Please visit
http://www.ingnycmarathon.org for mile-by-mile coverage and athlete
tracking during the race.

Only a few days left.

I'm excited and nervous about the race on Sunday. THIS Sunday! Holy crap.

I've had a bit of a recurrence of the respiratory problems I was having a couple of weeks ago, but I'm getting better and I should be back to 100% by THIS Sunday. My foot feels great, no problems.

I've added some more crap to this blog. Pretty soon this blog is going to be like the screen on CNBC, where there's only a little bit of room left in the middle for actual content.

Occasionally I come across something that's cool or funny or whatever, and I want to share it with the world, but I don't want to push the running related stuff off the main page with drivel, so I've added a "Wist" gallery for the left side. I would like to mention one thing, because I think it's cool, and you might too, even though it's not running related. There's a site called PostCrossing where you can sign up and send and recieve postcards from random people scattered around the world. I sent five postcards last week or so, and I got four postcards this week, from England, Portugal, Spain, and Finland, so I'm excited about it.

Here's my history map. Isn't that cool?!


Anyways,
Rock on.
Keith.