Monday, January 30, 2017

Watkins in accounting is T-bone

Fifteen weeks until Ice Age and it is a good thing as a bout with influenza cost me most of last week. 

M = 6.0
T = Off
W = Off
R = Off
F = Off
S = Off
S = 6.2 in just over a hour...and butterflies are free to fly.

No matter,  Weren't no grizz left anyhow.  I never saw the flu coming.  It sort of swung out of the trees.  Snuck up on me...quieter than an ant tinkling on a cotton ball.  The good news is I should be as solid as Sears as far as illness goes for a while.

After the Al's run debacle last year, I made a statement at the time to two speedier fellows than myself that we should consider a run at sub 3:00 next year at Lakefront.  For no other reason than I wanted to hear myself talk.  Now the blazing 6:56 pace I laid down for that 8k tells me I either just scored 830 on the SAT, or I'm delusional.  Had I run 50 seconds faster a mile then I'm in the wheelhouse.  Sure it was hot and I had a crap day, but I think I'm going to follow up on this.  The other two guys will be 45 and 46 next year at Lakefront and I will be 56.  45 has a 3:08 PR (I think) and 46 has not made a serious attempt I know of after really starting to race well under Ryan's guidance. 

I think 3:10 is a strong goal for me and 3:05 a stretch.  There is some time to ponder this, but I need to crawl up inside my head and see if I want to do this.  If so I believe the invite will go out.  Since I should be in aerobic shape in May for Ice Age, the 21 week gap should allow time to rest and reload.  Naturally the three of us live 30-45 minutes from each other, but there may be some value in following each persons progression.  The other thing is I'm not sure we would all have the same training approach, so that might bust it up right there.  I'd be on the Beck program.  This time I think I'd spend about 6 weeks prior to Beck trying to get fast without activating the decoder ring.  Haven't figured that out yet.

Sunday, January 22, 2017

60F in January

Been powering through a few states for work.  Was in Berea, OH for a meeting.  Home of Baldwin Wallace University.  Harrison Dillard is an alumni.  Won a total of 4 gold medals.  Guy is still around at age 93.  Bud Collins the tennis guy from there as well.  Passed last year as 86.  My niece played basketball there.  Got a chance to see a few games.  Nice little Midwest town.

I traveled over to Western Pennsylvania from there to see Mom.  I was also able to cruise down to the Burgh with my brother and sister.  Steeler gear everywhere.  We had a relative who played 4 sports at Pitt and coached at a little school called Duke. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_DeHart

I took my Mom up to Parker, Pa (the smallest city in the USA) to see my Aunt Myrna and my cousin Gail was able to come over.  It was nice catching up.  We talked track a bit.  That kid that throws the shot from Knoch HS (school near there) threw 76-6!  He also broke the 16lb. HS world record with a throw of 64-51/2.  My cousin told me her oldest daughter broke her high jump school record after 33 years.  Then, three years later her youngest daughter bested that.  Not thinking anything other than this, the person who sends the results to the paper noted this in the margins.  Suddenly over the next week people called to get more of the story.  That would be cool.

1/9 = Off
1/10 = AM 4.5 (10:14) WI
1/10 = PM 5.5 w/ 5k @ 7:13 pace on T-mill MN
1/11 = AM 5.0 (10:32) MN
1/12 = AM 4.0 w/ 2.0 @ 6:53 pace on T-mill MN
1/12 = PM 6.5 (10:08) MN
1/13 = Off
1/14 =  AM 14.3 (9:22) WI
1/15 = AM 10.2 (9:48) WI
Total = 50.0 miles

1/16 = Off
1/17 = PM 6.0 w/ 4.0 @ 7:13 pace on T-mill OH
1/18 = AM 7.0 (9:00) OH
1/18 = PM 5.0 (8:50) T-mill OH
1/19 = AM 6.5 (9:50) PA
1/20 = AM 7.1 (9:16) PA
1/21 = AM 15.1 (9:18) PA
1/22 = Off
Total = 46.7 miles

Heading to Brownsville, TX this week.  Never been there.

Monday, January 2, 2017

Black Coffee

Another year in the books and I finished with 2,403.8 miles for the year.  Not bad.  Went and ran the 3 days of Syllamo for the second year in a row.  It was brutal.  I ran 12:40:23 for the 50 mile the second day and was completely trashed.  To make matters worst I got lost the last day and turned the 20k into an 18 miler, but I finished.  It was one of the harder things I have done and thanks to Robert and Steve for taking care of me and encouraging me.  Not long after our Minooka group (Clem, Andy, Dean, Andrea & myself) ran the Boston Marathon together.  A really big adventure and fun to share with family.  I didn't have too much in the way of expectations for Ice Age, but did get my 15th finish in 8:30.  I then went on to train for Al's run 8k and completely bombed.  After that about 3 weeks later I ran the Glacial 50k with Steve and just enjoyed the run.  Looking back, Ice Age was my best event for the year.

Here is the top ten list (out of 32) of who I ran with in 2016 and the primary running locations:

1. Dewey = 45 (Menomonee Park)
2. Tim = 37 (Menomonee Park)
3. Robert = 14 (Menomonee Park)
4. Dean = 12 (Minooka)
4. Andrea = 12 (Minooka)
6. Clem = 9 (Minooka)
6. Emily = 9 (Lake Country) (Daughter)
6. Christine = 9 (Fox River)
9. Andy = 8 (Minooka)
10. Bero = 7 (Funk Road)

I have really enjoyed the down/slow time from work.  Like most I have a few pounds to shed, but I am really looking forward hitting the training again.  Perhaps I will get the chance to post more in 2017.