Midlife Crisis Much?

You decide:

Worrying

Having sort of enjoyed -- sorry! -- watching the pre-marathon jitters of my co-bloggers, I'm now suffering my own.  15 miles today was much harder than it should have been this close to Boston.  16 days from now I am supposed to be feeling strong when the running gets hard at about mile 16.  Prognosis:  not good.

Max - You May Have Finally met Your Match

Check out the article in this week's New York Times Magazine article on the Spanish dude who doesn't just run endurance races, he runs mountains.  Its called All Terrain Human.  The guy has a max VO2 max of approximately 90.  The average male aged 20-29 has a VO₂ max of 44 to 51 and the average female aged 20-29 has a VO₂ max of 35 to 43. (Lance Armstrong's VO₂ max is 85).

Recovery

Okay, so when is it safe to start running again after a marathon?  The common wisdom is to give it a week.  I've started right up again with no ill effects, and I've been surprised by lurking injuries a week or two out.  So far, I'm being careful.  Tuesday and Wednesday of last week were spent walking all over Rome.  This seemed to help keep things loose.  Friday, Saturday and Monday, I did light spin workouts, and swam.  Sunday I just swam.  Okay, I admit it, on Friday I also took a two mile run to check out this awesome addition to my running options, but that doesn't really count, right?

Anyway, so far, the only thing that's bothering me is that tendon on the top of your foot that hurts when you tie your shoe laces too tight.   Oddly, it didn't hurt during or after the race.  I think this may be a tourism injury, but it even hurts (indeed especially hurts) when I swim.  Oh well, I'm viewing it as a short term enforcer of recovery. Hopefully it will run its course shortly, because I'm itching to run over that bridge again.  Did I mention, it bounces!

 

The Value of Real World Experience Before Law School

The day I returned from Rome we were discussing modern merger theory and enforcement. in antitrust class  One of the cases was a difficult excerpt from the Oracle/Peoplesoft decision.  Its a difficult case primarily because the judge has an exceptionally unhelpful factual description of the different software products involved, including lots of similar sounding abbreviations and acronyms for different products. 

Fortunately, one of my students who rarely talks raised her hand and explained that she had worked before law school at a consulting firm that advised clients on these types of back office software suites.  She was much clearer, than either the book or my jet lag addled brain, why the judge in her view was simply wrong as the likely post-acquisition effects of the merger and even answered a number of questions from other students. 

Beyond being grateful for her presence and lucidity, it got me thinking that while most students now work for a year or two before law school, it's not clear to me they work at the positions most helpful to their future legal studies.  It also has me more sympathetic to the Northwestern Law approach that at least two years of meaningful work is a virtual prerequisite for admission ala business school.

Passover: The Low carb way to shape up for spring

Yes, it's not just for the faithful any more.  Celebrate Passover (or at least its dietary restrictions) and you too can shape up for spring and the training season beyond.  Cut those carbs by eliminating leavened bread for eight full days while being able to have unlimited portions of matzoh, a dry tasteless bread substitute that you will soon grow sick of even in all the inventive forms modern cookbooks now recommend.  As a result you will cut out most desserts, pasta, most cereals, beer, increase fruits and vegetables, and pray for pizza on Tuesday night April 2nd (Monday April 1st if you're reform, long story).  Also depending on whether you are doing the European or Middle Eastern variety, peanut butter, legumes, and other stuff with natural yeast may be off the list as well!  Its fun, safe and effective and guaranteed to help you weight as your appetite naturally disappears!








  

Warning, most common side effects may include two different forms of stomach distress.  Jews debate whether matzoh stuffs you up or gives you the runs.  Consult your doctor, spouse, or significant other before disposing all bread products in the house before Passover begins.  Some patients on the Passover diet also may develop  the uncontrollable urge to eat flourless chocolate cake or watch The Ten Commandments, Ben Hur, The Greatest Story Ever Told, or the Easter bunny episode of South Park.


 

Oops

The blogger version of sloppy e-mail forwarding:  I just posted my class assignment to the runningprofs blog.  In case you caught the off-topic post before I deleted it!