11:14:40

I blazed the Northern Kettle trails at the Glacial 50 mile. A really nice cool day for the event. Went a bit top heavy, but managed what I thought I could do. Averaged 13:30 per mile. Well pleased with the result. 26 starters and for a short while I was in last. You turn around in the pitch dark and there are no other lights. You accept the fact, smile, and move on happily. Putting in a fair amount of miles. The knee is okay. Somedays I walk more than others. There is something freeing about not worrying about the pace. Absolutely tranquil this time of year. Far fewer people as it gets cooler and wetter. Dog people appear the most resilient. I am more apt to stop and let them go by. Dogs appreciate it and will jump up and say hello. The standard line of they don't usually do that is uttered. Sure. Don't worry I get it. Maybe slowing down has brought out the kind version of me. Not sure what is next. I am training myself to have little of what is regarded as any communication come to my attention. Of course I get plenty of action on work days. I am off work today. I am here with my mom inlaw. She sits in complete silence as she hears little. Does not like to wear the hearing aid. Her 14 year old dog in her lap. She does not want the TV on. The best part of the day is when we play 2 handed spades. We don't keep score. I am a much smaller version of her. How can I learn to be in my own head. Of course I still am pounded by info. The Steelers are 6-0. Nice. I voted today. When the wife gets home after 2pm I'll get out for about 1:30:00. For now I am going to read a bit. Coming up on the part where Sir Roger and Landy battle at the Empire Games. I will let you know how it turns out.

Stage Left

The Glacial 50 mile is this Sunday. The weather looks extremely nice. It will be a bare bones effort. No crew or spectators. There will be about 25 people at the start. It is an out and back. I can have a drop bag at the 13.3 mile out, which is the 36.7 back. I'm going to employ one of these. There are a total of 7 times you can stop for aid. You can't help yourself, the volunteers will assist. It is basic food and liquids only. My goal is to finish between 11:00 - 11:30. I have plenty of miles in. My knee is not 100%, but it is close to 90%. The course is challenging. Plenty of hills and leaf covered trail. The trail can get rocky and roots abound in some areas. Much of my regular training has been 11:30 to 13:00 pace. Occasionally a bit faster and occasionally a bit slower. This is what I have to work with. I am very pumped to get out there. I am anxious to see how the pacing goes and how I feel. My new medication works an entirely different way than the previous one. Running does not come as easy. I've been through this type of situation before. This time I have embraced the fact that I can still get out and participate. The simple act of moving around still appeals to me. It is common for me to be out a couple hours a day total. Nobody else is trying to get inside my head. I'm not even trying to get inside. There is a point in the movie called Cool Hand Luke when the prisoners are working along the road covering up oil that is being sprayed down. Luke gets them fired up to shovel at ass over tincup speed. The trucks drive off as the oil supply is exhausted. Everyone gathers around Luke and asks, "What do we do now?" He replies. "Nothing." It is kind of like that.

Boomer Kingsley

 I have been rehabilitating the knee for a good month now.  Most of my movement is in the form of a walking and slow jog mix.  I actually do not mind it.  It takes time to rack up miles, but that’s what I am doing in hopes the last man standing event is a go October 23rd.

I did sign up for the Glacial 50 mile on October 11th.  I’m only looking to finish and see how managing the distance/time goes over what can be at times a rugged surface.

On the whole my knee is a bit better.  Perhaps I can air it out decently a few times in the future, but let’s not fool oneself into thinking this just goes away.  My average pace is 12:10 to 13:10 per mile on macadam and 12:45 to 14:00 on earth surfaces.

All this meandering has kept me in shape.  I am beginning to look at 100 milers.  Finishing one more would be a goal of mine.  I’ve been shopping, but nothing practical has jumped out yet.  

Bus be packed up tight

Ode to you golden bike rider

So special, so clean

I admire your physical attributes 

And wonder what your gifts must be like

The prowess as you knife thru the shared path

So stealthy and pure like crystal diamonds 

The crispness of your uniform

Like tapestry in motion

I behold the beauty and statement made

That we are mere mortals

Thankful for the crumbs

Which fall at our lowly feet

Ride free passionate knight

We delight in the knowledge

That you are out there

Shining as a beacon of athleticism 

A million times bowing 

A million times bowing

So special, so clean

Of course it’s a good idea

It has been just over a week on the new meds.  Had my first blood test and my platelets are still very high, but they expected that.  We will go another week and see if they start to come down.  Otherwise we increase the dosage.  So far I have not noticed any real side effects.  I do feel better when I am running.  Part of the permanent cloud I dwelt in seems to have receded a bit.  That is good news, but I had my knee looked at Monday and will be starting physical therapy soon.  In a nutshell there is arthritis and some cartilage loss in my right knee.  Nothing staggering at this point.  I do feel pain and for now the boiled down version is I have negative zero to the tenth power of flexibility and my ITB is tighter than a thumb up a pig’s nose.  Because of this the thought is the pain primarily on the right of my knee may be less through the PT.  The Doc said to only run 3-4 a day.  So I’ve been mixing in walking at a 50/50 ratio.  It is not too bad.  Looking forward to my first PT session later Monday.

It does seem easier on my knee when I conduct a jog a quarter mile and walk a quarter mile.  Time goes faster than you think.  My biggest challenge is the knee has a problem going uphill no matter if I walk or jog.  Obviously my mind set is I’ll get through all this and line up for the Glacial 50k on 10/11.  If I don’t think I can break 6 hours then I might pass.  

The glimmer of hope I did see was I was doing some 7-8 minute miles on a few short sections on the road.  It came rather easy, but my knee was cooperating then.  Like anyone, I’d love to get to the point that I could actually wheel off a few miles at a time at that pace.  Either way it provided a tiny bit of fairy tale dust that my massive brain went ahead and coded as fact.  

We’re bigger than US Steel

Yesterday I began my new drug therapy.  It is a molecular targeting drug.  I’ll get blood test every week for a month to dial in the twice a day pill taking.  So far so good.  No noticeable side effects.  As anyone would want, my wish is for sustained health, but I’m really hoping for a possible benefit to my running.  I’ve had minor issues with my right knee for years.  The past month it has become chronic.  Painful at times and somewhat burdensome to run.  Like most I just ignore the obvious problem and marshal on.  Most days I follow a run .35 miles and walk .15 miles.  This yields 12:10 to 13:10 miles.  Straight running puts me at 10:45 to 11:30 range so not a lot of difference.  I could cover many miles with the r/w routine, but at 4.7 mph time becomes a limiting factor.  It is a bit easier on the knee.  The straight truth is now that the Ice Age 50 mile has been cancelled for 2020, I should get this looked at.  I’m still getting in over 50 a week and may hit 70 this week.  That conjures up many theories on why not to exercise sound wisdom.  There are a couple possible events left in October, but I struggle with common sense at times.

Just to be clear, it does appear the man you are seeing looks like an old version of Peter Falk out stumbling around.  And though this may be true, there is this prevailing thought that one day I am going to put the beat down on a few people.  It’s not personal, it’s how some folks come across to me.  Especially those who wish to discuss openly what times they believe they will run in a manner that over a period of time makes them appear they have.  People who actually have the ability, but trade the actual hard work and fortitude for some mystical mirage that few people my age understand or remotely care about.  This is why I’m out stumbling around.  Yes I enjoy it immensely, but no one who has averaged 71 miles a week YTD isn’t hoping for a release the hounds moment.

If you can get up and walk away

Hey folks.  Just a note I’m down in the trenches currently with the PV and until we find an alternate medication that works my running is in the toilet.  Sure I’ll still be out most days, but runs like today at 12:27 pace left me wiped out most of the day.  I’ll get out with the Menomonee Park crew here and there, but for now I’m on the unable to perform list.  I meet with the Doc on July 14th to review my biopsy results and then we will see what the best foot forward is.

In the meantime remember what I told my brother and sister today.  Never underestimate the power of the hamburger.