Forever Man

 Busy with work today and was tired.  It was nice to do zero today.  February 29th is a free one, so I treated it as such.   The weather is starting to be great.  

Miles to go

 Today is an easy day so I walked 2.5 miles early and then got out on a 2.5 mile kayak at daybreak.  A super nice day with the sun breaking through the chem trails. The birds were singing and the water was calm so I took a few minutes to just soak it in.

 Again, not another person was out and enjoying this resource in my vicinity and I was out about one hour. In many regards this is okay.  Why have I learned to seek these quiet moments and so few others have?  Perhaps I will join these ranks in the future, but I doubt it.

 There are many different bird calls out in the morning.  I must admit one of my favorites is the common red wing blackbird.  I have much to do today.  Enjoy your Wednesday.

Spitting high tension wires

 I blasted off at past 5:30am into the darkness.  A bit creaky starting out, but after the 2 mile warmup I cranked up the big engine and averaged 8:28 for the next 10 miles.  It wasn't until the last mile until work was required to maintain form.  This was a good workout for me and I will now go easy for a few days.

 I'm at 181 pounds.  No improvement there.  It's a shame I let myself get that big, but I do feel like twisted steel.  Big guys in two's little guys in bunches. 

...and here comes Rusty

 Real slow effort today.  Even though I have the day off and had plenty of time to coffee achieve, it was not going to be anything else.  5.8 miles at 12:03 pace.  I drove out to some country roads and just bone chipped along.  Tomorrow is going to be one of those hard runs.  After a warm-up it will be a 10 mile tempo effort.  Not quite sure what to expect,  but hoping near 9:00 pace.  For me at this stage, that would be ahead of schedule.  I'm not going to expect improving much more than that if it happens.

 We all like to see gradual improvements.   What's the sense of working so hard if they don't come?  I'm past that.  Anytime I'm near 9:00 pace for 10 miles or so that is work.  They don't even call the firetrucks out anymore as I can't kick up any flame.  

Is that you Dave

 Today was to be an honest effort.  Not over taxing, but a little bit of rump behind it.  I got in what I expected within my pre-set time allowance.  Like many runners, it is easy to get carried away and not save a little bit for tomorrow.  I put in 7.1 good miles and tomorrow is going to be an easy day.

 As previously mentioned, the runs have been better than normal.  Anyone who has known me for awhile has seen I am streaky.  Sometimes the body allows me to have periods of clarity and other times it does not.  My thyroid used to be the main culprit.  Since 2008 it has been the blood issue and aging.  Prescriptions change, volumes change, and my body changes.  It is an easy to follow equation.  When my hematocrit is low, runs are difficult to the point of walking.  When I get close to 45% this is good for running.  The problem is when 45% is reached or even exceeded, we begin beating it back down with phlebotomy and increased meds that basically work on making me anemic.  My main concern is my very high platelet count.  I have to keep this reasonable and my reasonable is well over the normal range.  High platelet count increases risk of blood clots.  Now you know the rest of the story.

Blue Moon Odom

 I fell asleep yesterday at 6:33pm.  I am not much for the time change, but brother I need it so I can stay up later.  Once it is dark the power grid shuts down.  

 The goal for today's run was to get in around 10-11 miles at a solid pace.  I never always know what this will look like until I split through the first mile.   When it was 9:34 I knew a good run was in order.  The run was 11.1 miles and I averaged 9:18.  The splits for the halves were dead nuts even.  Looking back the runs from this time last year were slower.  

 Back in the day I'd roll out for my run when I lived in Waukesha and would check my split about a third of a mile from the house when I stepped on this one segment of sidewalk.  It just became a habit.  After awhile you almost always knew what kind of run was in order.  I'm not sure if biorhythms was ever a proven, but let me tell you pretty boy that was all the science I needed Rizzo.

 The sun don't shine on the same dog's a$$ everyday.  Catfish Hunter was dead on.  That was real barbecue wisdom right there.  Like the Chief said in Apocalypse Now (not the real Chief who was Art Rooney), "Don't get off the boat."  Enough said.  And that's what I have to do.  Not get carried away thinking a few good runs mean this is permanent.  I have to be sure to go easy on easy days.

Bobby couldn't fly

 It is dark at 5:30.  I was up at 3:04 AM so it wasn't difficult getting out early.   I jogged a little over 6 miles today.  Almost all my moving around is on the roads.  I like the trail, but don't always like to drive 15 minutes.   Plus moving at a faster rate is much easier on the flat surfaces of FLA.

 I just read Jeff's note on Ice Age from a month back.  There are 6 people this year who have over 20 finishes that are signed up.  Parker, Bill, Pat, Joel, Gail, and myself.  Three from WI and three from IL.  Not sure where Stuart and Julie are this year.  I have to tell you, the neighborhood has changed.  I see people I know, but every year more and more drift away.  I get it.  I'm almost there and because I live in FLA the chances of me going to watch from the sidelines is zilcho.

 You know what's nice.  Putting a training regiment together and telling yourself you'll be running hard at times, but if it is oppressive then get 'em the next time.  I weighed 180 today.  If I could get to 172 I would be ecstatic.  It saddens me to go off the hot fudge and mashed potato diet.  Perhaps if I start watching more TV I can find a nice drug that has me dancing and singing its praises in the streets.  That sounds like a good way.

Mama sang tenor

 Today was another good day with the temps nice and cool at 38F.  I had 6 x 880y planned with a .25 jog between.  From the start I felt good.  The general haze was not there today which means I would not need a 3 mile warmup just to break the ice.  I could approach the endeavor without fear and feast on the rewards after.

 The watch has a feature that measures the zones you run in.  I have them set at sub 8:00, 8 to 9, 9 to 10, 10 to 11, and over 11:00 per mile.  I don't time the 880s for obvious reasons.  They are blasted out according to the Kentucky windage the day gives me.  After completed, I did see I spent 19:19 of the time at 8:00 or lower.  That's good for me and good for you as well because if you are near me the last half mile you are toast.  In fact I might change my whole resolve to sandbag it the first 49 miles and blast the last mile.  The idea comes from at least one guy in HS I ran with in XC, who despite his ability to run, stayed way back and then did the Lee Evans move the last 400m.

Lee Evans.  Great runner.  Look him up.  A true sprinter with great range.

Four eleven gears

 I lit out today on another 1:30 effort.  The kidney was hardly noticeable and right away I knew it was going to be a good run.  You just know.  I ended up averaging 10:16 pace.  I hit a couple of the end miles at sub 10:00 and just Barney Rubbled it the last mile.

 Of course I am always analyzing pace.  What if I could do this, or what if I build up to that.  It doesn't mean anything, but it's what I do when Ice Age is on the horizon.  For years when I would see someone ahead I did not have to make a conscious decision to go after them.  The divining rod came out on its own.  Plenty of times they'd put in an effort to stay in front (I did the same thing) of me.  You just kind of let them play it out.  I mean there is only 20 miles left.

 Now at the back of the pack you manage things differently.   You can't have too many bad spots or you hemorrhage time.  You have to make hay when you can which means no camping at aid stations.   Get your 3 ounces of Coke, a dried P & J square and keep on trucking big momma down the highway.

Billy keep your head low

 The plan was to get a moderate 1:30 in if the kidney was better.  It is significantly better.  Just barely improved yesterday, today was 60% better.  I was able to lumber 8.5 miles.  Need to have a bit left for tomorrow which is the same workout.  I’d venture the last 5 miles were around 10:20 pace on average.  That is really good for me.

 For the kidney I have hydrated a bit better, taken in some apple cider vinegar and popped 220mg of ibuprofen the past 3 days.  Is the diagnosis correct?  Not sure, but at least I’m making mistakes at full speed.

 The speed work and tempo portions will soon follow.  Pretty sad that anything under 9:00 minute miles will be a success.  I have not made any weight improvement because…well I haven’t tried.  I’ll try and get on the scale this week.

 I’d really like to get under 11:00 at Ice Age.  It can be all but assured if one doesn’t have to walk 80% of the last 10 miles.  The 11:02 last year was mostly due to far less walking at the end.  I purposely took random walk breaks last year, even when on flat surfaces.  This year I want to work on running more.  Can I increase my cruising speed so the jogging seems easy?  Hoping so.

Working at the car wash

 I have a framework to follow for training.  The overall look of it does not look daunting.  Based on previous experience, it looks practical.  Sometimes hard and sometimes easy.  Today I wanted to put in around 6 miles easy and I did.  The thing is it wasn’t easy.  My self diagnosed kidney ailment was again a big factor.  It takes time to form some type of semi-fluid forward movement.  I will say this formed after 2.5 miles today and not after 3 like yesterday.  Even then the miles were slow.  I averaged 12:16 and that’s what I have to work with.  Not sure what qualifies as speed work these days.  Perhaps it is all relevant.

Everybody twist!

 I put 5.5 in today and it was high 50’s and rainy.  My left kidney area is very sore and sort of painful.  It has been this way for a few days.  Not sure what else it could be.  After about 3 miles I can start maintaining some form, but the soreness/pain does not go away.

 Perhaps there is some sort of infection.  Not sure, so the plan is to stay hydrated, take a bit of ibuprofen, and drink a shot of apple cider vinegar.  One sure thing about getting old is there is always some hurdle to get over.  

Open the bomb bay doors

 Twelve weeks from Ice Age 50 mile today.  The body takes a few miles to smooth out the rough places.  Once loosened up, the mojo wasn’t really there.  It was cool and rainy and I just kept after my goal of 22 miles.  Somewhere around 15 miles the body was doing okay so I ended up jogging the last 7 miles about a minute a mile faster than I had been.

 I won’t do a lot of long runs.  I’m stiff a fair amount.  My wife mentioned before I went out that I was leaning.  We will see how sore my back is tomorrow.

Last year I incorporated speed work.  I almost have to to beat the 12 hour cut off.  My last 6 efforts of 50 miles have all been in the 11 hour zone.  Last year I hit 11:02 at Ice Age.  I guess if I was to have a goal it would be to break 11 hours.  To do this I will have to increase my cruising speed.  So I will wind it up often, take many easy runs and do a long every 3 weeks.