Barely squeaked over 200 miles for the month. Ran like a chump Saturday, only completing 25k on the trails with Robert. Pretty sure he got the whole 50k in. Back and pelvic structure in pain. The past week or so I have become so inflexible that I have to sit down to dress. Maybe I should have been addressing this. I’ll be fine. I will have to finally listen to other people who know stuff.
What’s up with radio? Tried to catch a bit of good tuneage and Journey is on way too much. Is something going on I don’t know about? Nothing personal. I saw them around ‘81 in Buffalo. Was there for The Stones. Whaaaa!
Weather is in charge for the next couple months. As long as I can stock up on the Swanson fried chicken dinners, old fashion loaf, and coffee I’ll power through. I was frying up cabbage, noodles, onion, and ham in butter fairly regular, but I sensed by the wife’s grimace I was pushing the envelope pretty tight. Be working the crock pot over tomorrow with a pork roast and kraut. Sooo good. Cancel Christmas good.
I look up who the current XC coach is at my HS in PA. I sent him a note on LinkedIn to see if there is an alumni meet. Last year was his first year. I was talking to a former teammate and he’d consider going back as well. We have never had anything like that.
Have a good New Year.
Monday, December 31, 2018
Wednesday, December 26, 2018
We have ignition
In my spare time I butter finger around and read accounts of the Big Backyard Ultra. I'm trying to get a sense of how people were pacing, how they may have prepared, and what needed to happen in the time they are back at the start. I've acquired a few decent training ideas. It goes without saying the last man standing format makes it intriguing and brutal. I don't personally see any benefit from spending much time punishing myself with sleep deprivation training prior to such an event. I mean I would probably run at times, and attempt certain training functions that would touch on foregoing normal sleep, but I'm not sure I could stay up just to stay up. If anything it will already prove what I know about myself when tired. Go to sleep. I'm just going to make a big mental note for the event if I get in and leave it at that. Okay that's done.
My friend Andrea asked to join her and Dave Schmidt as a group to sign up for Superior Sawtooth 100 lottery for September, 2019. Andrea if reading this I am going to pass. It would be 6 weeks from Big's if I get in and I want to be fresh as possible. I'm looking at doing a longer training run every 2-3 weeks starting now. I mean, why not play around with the training in such a manner that you will be in the race on 10/19/19? It will also be my de facto training for the Ice Age 50 in May. I've already told the big gang of 2-3 people I know that I'm going to put a bit of starch in some training for Ice Age. I'm planning on leaning into it a bit this year. I mean I can hold my breath the last 5 miles, so why not crack open the oxygen biofuels early and bring down the thunder? Do the right thing, do the wrong thing, but do something. Either way it ends up I know Bill Hutchinson will be all for it!
Check this out today. Twenty push-ups and sit-ups and a one minute plank. I have to start somewhere. The dog and me stumbled around for 62 minutes and covered 4.6 gentle miles. I'm having a tough time walking for training. Bums me out. Thing is if you go to a race and you have to go slower, or even way slower than normal it will probably require walking skills (pace knowledge, muscle groups, wear patterns, etc.). I'm nothing without my choppers, but even I know you better practice going slow, or pay the price. Of course you have to practice Juno 1 so you can live stream efficiencies and just basically tear a$$ around when needed.
My friend Andrea asked to join her and Dave Schmidt as a group to sign up for Superior Sawtooth 100 lottery for September, 2019. Andrea if reading this I am going to pass. It would be 6 weeks from Big's if I get in and I want to be fresh as possible. I'm looking at doing a longer training run every 2-3 weeks starting now. I mean, why not play around with the training in such a manner that you will be in the race on 10/19/19? It will also be my de facto training for the Ice Age 50 in May. I've already told the big gang of 2-3 people I know that I'm going to put a bit of starch in some training for Ice Age. I'm planning on leaning into it a bit this year. I mean I can hold my breath the last 5 miles, so why not crack open the oxygen biofuels early and bring down the thunder? Do the right thing, do the wrong thing, but do something. Either way it ends up I know Bill Hutchinson will be all for it!
Check this out today. Twenty push-ups and sit-ups and a one minute plank. I have to start somewhere. The dog and me stumbled around for 62 minutes and covered 4.6 gentle miles. I'm having a tough time walking for training. Bums me out. Thing is if you go to a race and you have to go slower, or even way slower than normal it will probably require walking skills (pace knowledge, muscle groups, wear patterns, etc.). I'm nothing without my choppers, but even I know you better practice going slow, or pay the price. Of course you have to practice Juno 1 so you can live stream efficiencies and just basically tear a$$ around when needed.
Tuesday, December 25, 2018
One Tin Soldier
Merry Christmas.
It snowed about an inch over night and I can truly say it was a great morning to get a 10.5 miler in from the house up around Loew Lake. Outside of a few people and their dogs it was me matriculating through the forest and country roads. I picked it up a few stretches in the last half and hit 9:04 and 9:08 miles. Have to get the heart rate up there occasionally. It actually felt pretty good if you can consider that "legging it out" territory. Grizzer bears pilgrim, grizzer bears.
Christmas is here at the house today. Brad and Emily (the kids) are coming in today as well as my sister-in-law Suzi and mother-in-law Iris. Same tribe as Thanksgiving. Pizza. That's the main menu and then on to hand and foot. A card game best played with six people and six decks of cards. It is my mother-in-law's favorite game and probably Emily as well. It will be a good day. Even though I'm off tomorrow I'll be the working class hero and work a big chunk of it. My bad.
I think the next three days I'll just jog around with the dog and take it easy. I'd like to get the 50k in this coming Saturday if I can. Just roll through it. No need to get the hackles up. Yesterday running easy with the Lapham Legends group I was instructed about biking as a workout option. I'm supposed to look up a gravel bike. I'll take a look, but I'm not about spending tons of dough on a bike. I haven't even bought a serious head lamp or hydration pack yet. I just want something cheap I can use the Vulcan mind meld on and work the crap out of it.
I'm considering thinning out this squirrel population by going down to the little woods here and tuning up the .22. I haven't skinned one of these out in scores. Of course I'd have to buy a license and the season is over in February. It's like fishing. Unless you get a mess of them it's kind of a pain to only have one or two. I'm not sure why I'm inclined to get back to the things I enjoyed as a youth, but much of it is to just get out of the house. Watching reruns of the Rockford Files and watching chess matches on my phone can't be all that good for me no matter how right it feels.
It snowed about an inch over night and I can truly say it was a great morning to get a 10.5 miler in from the house up around Loew Lake. Outside of a few people and their dogs it was me matriculating through the forest and country roads. I picked it up a few stretches in the last half and hit 9:04 and 9:08 miles. Have to get the heart rate up there occasionally. It actually felt pretty good if you can consider that "legging it out" territory. Grizzer bears pilgrim, grizzer bears.
Christmas is here at the house today. Brad and Emily (the kids) are coming in today as well as my sister-in-law Suzi and mother-in-law Iris. Same tribe as Thanksgiving. Pizza. That's the main menu and then on to hand and foot. A card game best played with six people and six decks of cards. It is my mother-in-law's favorite game and probably Emily as well. It will be a good day. Even though I'm off tomorrow I'll be the working class hero and work a big chunk of it. My bad.
I think the next three days I'll just jog around with the dog and take it easy. I'd like to get the 50k in this coming Saturday if I can. Just roll through it. No need to get the hackles up. Yesterday running easy with the Lapham Legends group I was instructed about biking as a workout option. I'm supposed to look up a gravel bike. I'll take a look, but I'm not about spending tons of dough on a bike. I haven't even bought a serious head lamp or hydration pack yet. I just want something cheap I can use the Vulcan mind meld on and work the crap out of it.
I'm considering thinning out this squirrel population by going down to the little woods here and tuning up the .22. I haven't skinned one of these out in scores. Of course I'd have to buy a license and the season is over in February. It's like fishing. Unless you get a mess of them it's kind of a pain to only have one or two. I'm not sure why I'm inclined to get back to the things I enjoyed as a youth, but much of it is to just get out of the house. Watching reruns of the Rockford Files and watching chess matches on my phone can't be all that good for me no matter how right it feels.
Monday, December 24, 2018
There's a beverage here
So on 12/16 the day after the 5 trail circuits I hit the road for 4 - 50 minute circuits of 3.6 miles each. Mentally this wasn't much of a problem accomplishing and as the day before, each segment was a bit faster = 39:23, 39:08, 38:33, and 38:30. I was actually tired, but the tiredness was in my back and pelvic region. Just this real annoying stiffness one can only ascribe to as old age. Years of only running have (probably) caught up to me. I'm doing this for competitive advantage (haha) as, "I don't run to take beatings!" Whatever, as visions of core and stretches and cross training and diet danced through my little brain. I get the dynamic. If I would supplement this, or replace this for that I would probably thank my ever loving self to the 8th power. I just don't really give a rat's hamstring about all those options that have brought millions of people joy, clarity, and the urge to see Hamilton.
I probably should get some type of bike and do a big ride once every week or two. I probably should spend 7 easy minutes a day on core. I probably should select stretches to work on the pelvic region (and could probably alternate every other day with the core) and I should probably cut back on eating sugar coated sugar. When I type it out that way it probably isn't that big of a change. But it is. It really is for me, because I like many long time runners have to fill the other voids (well...those left after working all week) like what useless book can I read, what 40 house projects can I push off to next week, and I'm about a half dozen hand written notes behind. I won't get any of that done because the dog and I have been scouting out the 42 acres of Marshland (Public Land) by the house the past two afternoons. I'm planning on potentially hunting there next year. The dog found a fair amount of dark colored niblets. No conscious.
This coming Saturday is the annual 50k Fatass. I'll probably be there and if motivated I'll mickey mouse around and complete the whole thing. I have to go down to Chicago this week and take care of something for work. Might be there Thursday and Friday. I'm not super stoked, but there are Italian Beefs and good Mexican food in the mix here.
I probably should get some type of bike and do a big ride once every week or two. I probably should spend 7 easy minutes a day on core. I probably should select stretches to work on the pelvic region (and could probably alternate every other day with the core) and I should probably cut back on eating sugar coated sugar. When I type it out that way it probably isn't that big of a change. But it is. It really is for me, because I like many long time runners have to fill the other voids (well...those left after working all week) like what useless book can I read, what 40 house projects can I push off to next week, and I'm about a half dozen hand written notes behind. I won't get any of that done because the dog and I have been scouting out the 42 acres of Marshland (Public Land) by the house the past two afternoons. I'm planning on potentially hunting there next year. The dog found a fair amount of dark colored niblets. No conscious.
This coming Saturday is the annual 50k Fatass. I'll probably be there and if motivated I'll mickey mouse around and complete the whole thing. I have to go down to Chicago this week and take care of something for work. Might be there Thursday and Friday. I'm not super stoked, but there are Italian Beefs and good Mexican food in the mix here.
Saturday, December 15, 2018
We got eighty feet of waterline
So today I rolled out to Funk Road to run on the Ice Age Trail. I would run 2.2 miles out, then back, then ride out the balance I had left on the hour. I would complete 5 circuits and see how it all goes. These were the running times (52:25, 51:51, 51:30, 49:00, 47:30). So the idea was to start slow and kind of hang around there. What happened was at certain points on the trail I started basically taking advantage of the more runnable portions. It turned into something I looked forward to and it broke up the sameness of it all. I was noticeably tired on the third loop and the occasional pick up seemed to cure this. The biggest take away was that by the 4th and 5th loops my back and pelvis were already getting stiff. Note to self to look into pelvis stuff. I'd hate it, but the occasional few minutes of work could help. Besides you can pause Gilligan's Island now and pick right up were you left off.
If I get into the Backyard run, my thought was one might as well dog it for the first daylight hours. If one can average 12:30 pace for 4.167 miles that is 52:09. That is still a solid 6 minutes to take care of yourself. I would be all wound up anyway and not tired enough to try and sleep. It was nice having 10 minutes to change some clothes, eat and drink, and do whatever. Right now I don't feel like I covered 22 miles, but I am stiff. In long continuous runs I tend to loosen up and find a rhythm. Stopping is going to take getting used to. Probably more of and age thing.
Most people already in this event are long distance monsters. Many events covered from 6 day, Multi-day, Badwater 135, Arrowhead 135, 24 hours, European events, and tons of 100 milers. I also see some folks have some pretty long events lined up 1-2 months before the Big Backyard Ultra. This seems odd to me. I have a grand total of one 100 miler finished and that was 2003. But I don't look at it as a disadvantage at all. I just want to get used to running every hour and see how to figure that out. I'm not fast any longer, but I am still able to run sub 8:30 for trail 50s.
I have to keep the mind set that I am going to get in, so I stay motivated to train. If I don't get in, then I don't get in. I might try and sign up one more time, but after that I'd be 60. I'd probably migrate to trying to run a fast marathon then. Well...fast for me.
Other notes from the run. Johnny Appleseed was out with his dogs today because no one else would probably be on the trails. Black dog 1...Me 0. First time I have been bite in the inner thigh. Just nicked me, but we left on amicable terms. Multiple people with dogs off collar today, because when it hits 40F+ in December who would be out on the trails? I have a dog, I get it and as long as I'm not seriously hurt I try and be cool about it. One lady had her dog off leash and her 6-7 year old on a leash. She let me know her dog would never bite me. Which is nice. So I have that going for me. Glad she paid it forward.
I bought a sub and chips afterwards. While waiting I heard one guy say to the gal he was with, "I'm just telling you how I feel and you keep telling me I'm wrong." My experience is most people don't give a rats rump about feelings. Best I play it close to the vest and invest in ways to be comfortable in my own skin.
If I get into the Backyard run, my thought was one might as well dog it for the first daylight hours. If one can average 12:30 pace for 4.167 miles that is 52:09. That is still a solid 6 minutes to take care of yourself. I would be all wound up anyway and not tired enough to try and sleep. It was nice having 10 minutes to change some clothes, eat and drink, and do whatever. Right now I don't feel like I covered 22 miles, but I am stiff. In long continuous runs I tend to loosen up and find a rhythm. Stopping is going to take getting used to. Probably more of and age thing.
Most people already in this event are long distance monsters. Many events covered from 6 day, Multi-day, Badwater 135, Arrowhead 135, 24 hours, European events, and tons of 100 milers. I also see some folks have some pretty long events lined up 1-2 months before the Big Backyard Ultra. This seems odd to me. I have a grand total of one 100 miler finished and that was 2003. But I don't look at it as a disadvantage at all. I just want to get used to running every hour and see how to figure that out. I'm not fast any longer, but I am still able to run sub 8:30 for trail 50s.
I have to keep the mind set that I am going to get in, so I stay motivated to train. If I don't get in, then I don't get in. I might try and sign up one more time, but after that I'd be 60. I'd probably migrate to trying to run a fast marathon then. Well...fast for me.
Other notes from the run. Johnny Appleseed was out with his dogs today because no one else would probably be on the trails. Black dog 1...Me 0. First time I have been bite in the inner thigh. Just nicked me, but we left on amicable terms. Multiple people with dogs off collar today, because when it hits 40F+ in December who would be out on the trails? I have a dog, I get it and as long as I'm not seriously hurt I try and be cool about it. One lady had her dog off leash and her 6-7 year old on a leash. She let me know her dog would never bite me. Which is nice. So I have that going for me. Glad she paid it forward.
I bought a sub and chips afterwards. While waiting I heard one guy say to the gal he was with, "I'm just telling you how I feel and you keep telling me I'm wrong." My experience is most people don't give a rats rump about feelings. Best I play it close to the vest and invest in ways to be comfortable in my own skin.
Friday, December 14, 2018
Paved paradise
So I am sitting in a Best Buy parking lot. They open in a hour. Going to get the wife a remote starter for Christmas. I know, but zero wrapping involved. Still need to come up with a couple other wifey type presents. Not my strength. Ever notice the word strengths has 9 letters and only one is a vowel?
Some of the folks here know I put in for the Big Backyard Ultra for next October. Currently I am 17th on the wait list. Maybe this will happen. I had to turn in a resume and was excited to be that close quite honestly. The resume is decent, but I have no depth of work and I am not someone who has depth at 100 milers. I finished one and that was 2003. I did do 3 days of Syllamo twice, so that is the long distance portion of what I submitted.
If you are not familiar with the format you can look it up. It is a 4.167 mile race every hour until the last person is standing. Last year went like 68-69 hours. That pace is equal to 100 miles every 24 hours. Looks like a beast. I have a ton of thoughts about the race, training, the competitors, etc. I’ll be sharing those thoughts here. I’ve got high hopes I’ll get in. The field has generally been around 70, but as they are handing out 12 golden tickets to Backyard champions around the world I can’t see the field being less than 80. There are 67 in currently. I was 20 on the wait list and 3 have gotten in. What pumps me up is the ballers who are going to be there. I just want to get in there and do the best I can do and overcome a few obstacles. Not the just another bum from the neighborhood routine, but more like the Bear Bryant line, “Be good, or be gone.”
In some regards I would consider it the last event I would do the all in training mind set. Been doing this a long time. The training ideas come easy, the enthusiasm is there, and because it is different makes it fun. The me inside of me has been very vocal recently. I distinctly thought I heard in a Gregory Peck voice say to my other conscious, “We’ve made other plans and that don’t include you.” Not sure of the meaning, but will press on until I hear different.
Some of the folks here know I put in for the Big Backyard Ultra for next October. Currently I am 17th on the wait list. Maybe this will happen. I had to turn in a resume and was excited to be that close quite honestly. The resume is decent, but I have no depth of work and I am not someone who has depth at 100 milers. I finished one and that was 2003. I did do 3 days of Syllamo twice, so that is the long distance portion of what I submitted.
If you are not familiar with the format you can look it up. It is a 4.167 mile race every hour until the last person is standing. Last year went like 68-69 hours. That pace is equal to 100 miles every 24 hours. Looks like a beast. I have a ton of thoughts about the race, training, the competitors, etc. I’ll be sharing those thoughts here. I’ve got high hopes I’ll get in. The field has generally been around 70, but as they are handing out 12 golden tickets to Backyard champions around the world I can’t see the field being less than 80. There are 67 in currently. I was 20 on the wait list and 3 have gotten in. What pumps me up is the ballers who are going to be there. I just want to get in there and do the best I can do and overcome a few obstacles. Not the just another bum from the neighborhood routine, but more like the Bear Bryant line, “Be good, or be gone.”
In some regards I would consider it the last event I would do the all in training mind set. Been doing this a long time. The training ideas come easy, the enthusiasm is there, and because it is different makes it fun. The me inside of me has been very vocal recently. I distinctly thought I heard in a Gregory Peck voice say to my other conscious, “We’ve made other plans and that don’t include you.” Not sure of the meaning, but will press on until I hear different.
Tuesday, November 20, 2018
We're all in this together
I previously mentioned the dog. The dog's name is actually Cookie. She was a rescue we picked up in April 2007 against my better feelings, but completed based on the premise that all kids should have the dog experience. My kids were about 11 and 13 at the time. I grew up in the dogs are for outside era. Dogs inside require an effort, especially a high strung cattle dog type. I ran the math and knew the dog would be here way past my children leaving and I was dead right. It's safe to say you had to firmly coax them to take her out for a walk or even get some quality play time in. For a kid, or teenager that's about 5 minutes. My kids aren't runners, but when told they had to take the dog around the 1 kilometer block they sure found a way to run that.
My wife has always done yeoman duties in walking the dog. For many years I also ran the dog consistently. The dog piled up mileage and I'm sure it tamped down some of her anxiety, but many times it seemed it only left her wanting more. Around 2014 we moved in with my Sis-in-law and that was a dog house. There was always 3-4 dogs there total and this allowed me to break the running contract the dog believed we had. I rarely ran her. Then in 2016 we purchased a house and it was back to the wife, dog, and me. I still did not run her, but did continue to participate in the occasional 30-45 minute walk.
The dog is 12. It is cold, snowy, and windy already here in WI. Not a big deal for me, but circumstances change for people and they have for us. I'm talking specifically about the dog exercise duties and her workout plan. Somehow she realizes less will happen with her outside in the winter, but it does not stop what people call hope. If a door is opened, I'm putting different clothing on, or one specific drawer is opened where the plastic crap bags happen to be then she is suddenly fully engaged. I'll be honest, I though at 12 she would be calmer. Her and I only tolerate each other. Though in fairness that has been the way with almost all the pets we have owned. I don't care for animals in the house, but you can't fight city hall.
Anyone who owns a dog knows how smart they are. They are also forgiving and can be comical at times because how predictable they are. Every show that was ever on at our house that has a bell, siren, et cetera, she let's you know about it. She hates it and won't stop until you find a solution. If I watch PTI I have to mute the bell. Family Feud...no way. Big Brother...you have to put her upstairs. Somehow she has memorized the voices or the shows beginning music. A few years ago I ran with her through a neighborhood we hadn't been through for years, but used to be a regular route. Every freakin' house we went by that used to have dog come out and challenge us she remembered.
So we been running in the evenings together about 4 times a week. I'm slower and she is slower, but we are getting it done. After 3 weeks of this she is better at what is expected and I have yielded to a few of her requests. Maybe I'm getting soft, but of all the people on earth who appreciates running for just the sake of doing it, how can I not share this experience with her. We don't like each other any more because of it, but at the end of the day it is better we both just get this done. And that is that.
My wife has always done yeoman duties in walking the dog. For many years I also ran the dog consistently. The dog piled up mileage and I'm sure it tamped down some of her anxiety, but many times it seemed it only left her wanting more. Around 2014 we moved in with my Sis-in-law and that was a dog house. There was always 3-4 dogs there total and this allowed me to break the running contract the dog believed we had. I rarely ran her. Then in 2016 we purchased a house and it was back to the wife, dog, and me. I still did not run her, but did continue to participate in the occasional 30-45 minute walk.
The dog is 12. It is cold, snowy, and windy already here in WI. Not a big deal for me, but circumstances change for people and they have for us. I'm talking specifically about the dog exercise duties and her workout plan. Somehow she realizes less will happen with her outside in the winter, but it does not stop what people call hope. If a door is opened, I'm putting different clothing on, or one specific drawer is opened where the plastic crap bags happen to be then she is suddenly fully engaged. I'll be honest, I though at 12 she would be calmer. Her and I only tolerate each other. Though in fairness that has been the way with almost all the pets we have owned. I don't care for animals in the house, but you can't fight city hall.
Anyone who owns a dog knows how smart they are. They are also forgiving and can be comical at times because how predictable they are. Every show that was ever on at our house that has a bell, siren, et cetera, she let's you know about it. She hates it and won't stop until you find a solution. If I watch PTI I have to mute the bell. Family Feud...no way. Big Brother...you have to put her upstairs. Somehow she has memorized the voices or the shows beginning music. A few years ago I ran with her through a neighborhood we hadn't been through for years, but used to be a regular route. Every freakin' house we went by that used to have dog come out and challenge us she remembered.
So we been running in the evenings together about 4 times a week. I'm slower and she is slower, but we are getting it done. After 3 weeks of this she is better at what is expected and I have yielded to a few of her requests. Maybe I'm getting soft, but of all the people on earth who appreciates running for just the sake of doing it, how can I not share this experience with her. We don't like each other any more because of it, but at the end of the day it is better we both just get this done. And that is that.
Sunday, November 11, 2018
Bigger boat
The Glacial Trail 50k was another great run event. This was my 5th in a row, so needless to say it is on the schedule annually. I went out comfortable and actually hit the turn a couple minutes faster than last year. Just past Butler on the way back I was finding a good groove and suddenly turned my right ankle. I turned it hard, not a tweak. I still ran okay the next mile or so because it is in field. After that I had to watch it on the rocky trail. Sure enough, already compromised it went over again. I had to really go slow on the downs and any rocky area. If it was uphill or fairly even turf I opened it up. I finished 15th in 5:18 so I was good with that. The ankle didn't look good for about a week, but I am back running.
The last couple weeks I have been jogging the dog for about 35 minutes or so about 3-4 times in a week. The whole house dynamic has changed as I am now highly favored. Basically the dog bugs the heck out of me. Now that I am jogging 10+ times a week she is locked in. I have not been running her for years as my wife has been walking her. It's cold, there is snow on the ground, it is dark at 4:45pm, and my wife gets up by 3am for work. On paper it is a good deal. The dog gets exercise, I get a few easy miles in, and the wife is happy. The problem is the more you do for her (dog) the more she wants to do. Buddies for life. The dog is a cattle dog. She is over 12 years old. I made the wrong assumption that a couple easy miles would be enough. And she could care less what the circumstances are. She is in the be all you can be mode. It's like the bit in Jaws. They shoot the third barrel attachment and claim he can't go down with three, "Not with THREE he can't." There are a few other dynamics about the dog that go along with this and they aren't all bad. In some ways I admire how this dog just wills herself to believe we are equals.
I'm thinking about going metric in 2019. A mile seems like forever. Kilometers seem more reasonable as I'll be able to run numbers more often. It will be something new.
The last couple weeks I have been jogging the dog for about 35 minutes or so about 3-4 times in a week. The whole house dynamic has changed as I am now highly favored. Basically the dog bugs the heck out of me. Now that I am jogging 10+ times a week she is locked in. I have not been running her for years as my wife has been walking her. It's cold, there is snow on the ground, it is dark at 4:45pm, and my wife gets up by 3am for work. On paper it is a good deal. The dog gets exercise, I get a few easy miles in, and the wife is happy. The problem is the more you do for her (dog) the more she wants to do. Buddies for life. The dog is a cattle dog. She is over 12 years old. I made the wrong assumption that a couple easy miles would be enough. And she could care less what the circumstances are. She is in the be all you can be mode. It's like the bit in Jaws. They shoot the third barrel attachment and claim he can't go down with three, "Not with THREE he can't." There are a few other dynamics about the dog that go along with this and they aren't all bad. In some ways I admire how this dog just wills herself to believe we are equals.
I'm thinking about going metric in 2019. A mile seems like forever. Kilometers seem more reasonable as I'll be able to run numbers more often. It will be something new.
Saturday, October 20, 2018
Chris Lapp
I'll post in the near future about the Glacial 50k. Coming back from Butler about 13 miles to go at Glacial I turned my right ankle. I kept going and about 2 miles later away it went again. I was defenseless. Simply put the ankle had to plant firmly the rest of the way in. No easy task with some of those rock fields you go through. I was forced to slowly bumble downhill, but was able to run well on the uphill segments as there is less unknown surface tension to be had. When the trail was good I was able to pick it up a bit.
Anyway this Friday I wanted to go out for a mile or two. I was just jonesing to get some movement in. About a quarter mile into it a car was coming. It is not quite daylight so I shifted over to the other side of the road. Problem is I still have no ability to prevent my ankle from going over again past a certain angle. Well the other side of this rural backroad is cambered pretty well around this hilly turn and over she goes again. That bugged the heck out of me most of the day. That I was that stupid.
So this morning I wrapped the bad boy with duct tape and made it about 150 yards before determining I'm an idiot. Back to the house, off came that bad idea, on came the Fleet Farm cotton sock, then completely wrapped over with the same duct tape. Ten miles in the bank. Splits of 58:10 and 55:04 back. No matter. Twern't no grizz left anyway.
Didn't put enough dirt down. Saw it right off.
Anyway this Friday I wanted to go out for a mile or two. I was just jonesing to get some movement in. About a quarter mile into it a car was coming. It is not quite daylight so I shifted over to the other side of the road. Problem is I still have no ability to prevent my ankle from going over again past a certain angle. Well the other side of this rural backroad is cambered pretty well around this hilly turn and over she goes again. That bugged the heck out of me most of the day. That I was that stupid.
So this morning I wrapped the bad boy with duct tape and made it about 150 yards before determining I'm an idiot. Back to the house, off came that bad idea, on came the Fleet Farm cotton sock, then completely wrapped over with the same duct tape. Ten miles in the bank. Splits of 58:10 and 55:04 back. No matter. Twern't no grizz left anyway.
Didn't put enough dirt down. Saw it right off.
Friday, October 19, 2018
2018 Al's Run
So Al's run was about a month ago. I love this race because for me it is a team race. We barely field the 5 runners needed to score, but manage to every year. This year was no exception as we had 5 finishers on the dot. It is the only time most of us see each other. We ask about the families, how's work going, etc. Eventually we get down to business and see how each other is running. I did zero "effort" running this year. My goal was to break 35 minutes for the 8k distance. The first mile has a lot of net downhill, but I held back and just Barney Rubble'd it. Put the first mile in at 7:05 knowing the next mile is a net uphill. I kept aerobic and blazed the second mile in 7:26, but knew I could heat up the peanut oil for the final three. Sure enough I was passing rocks and trees as if they were standing still (Walt Stack quote maybe?) and after opening up down Lafayette hill I clicked of the third mile in 6:50. The last couple miles are flat there by the big lake and sure enough I was catching people. I was still good aerobically...probably a bit too good as the 4th mile yielded a 7:00. At this point I just went after it (comical isn't it) and basically went to sprint mode.
Now sprint mode isn't near what you think. I was trying to run as fast as I could, but it was not sprinting. The brain is signaling man over board, but the crew ain't getting the message. The best example I can think of is when you buy a bean burrito and they tell you it's a $1.46 at the second window. You hand them a penny and then $2.00 dollars. They accept the money and then look at each hand individually. Finally they look at you as if to say, "that's my skull." Real similar.
Any way I may not be sprinting, but I am rolling good and clip the guy at the finish line by 0.20 seconds to get 6th in the 55-59 age group. I rolled the last 0.97 of a mile in 6:05 to finish in 34:26. The age group winner who is 57 like I am won in 28:07. I averaged 6:56 a mile which tells me many things I won't share here.
We finish up later at Ryan's crib and have a cookout. Lot's of good food and plenty of lies. Along with Ice Age and now Glacial, I don't have many traditional events left. I was fairly beat up for a couple of days after Al's. It did inspire me to consider adding some moderate tempo efforts and short hill workouts before Ice Age next year.
Now sprint mode isn't near what you think. I was trying to run as fast as I could, but it was not sprinting. The brain is signaling man over board, but the crew ain't getting the message. The best example I can think of is when you buy a bean burrito and they tell you it's a $1.46 at the second window. You hand them a penny and then $2.00 dollars. They accept the money and then look at each hand individually. Finally they look at you as if to say, "that's my skull." Real similar.
Any way I may not be sprinting, but I am rolling good and clip the guy at the finish line by 0.20 seconds to get 6th in the 55-59 age group. I rolled the last 0.97 of a mile in 6:05 to finish in 34:26. The age group winner who is 57 like I am won in 28:07. I averaged 6:56 a mile which tells me many things I won't share here.
We finish up later at Ryan's crib and have a cookout. Lot's of good food and plenty of lies. Along with Ice Age and now Glacial, I don't have many traditional events left. I was fairly beat up for a couple of days after Al's. It did inspire me to consider adding some moderate tempo efforts and short hill workouts before Ice Age next year.
Saturday, September 8, 2018
Just the way you look
Signed up for the Glacial Trail 50k this October 14th. Thought about the 50 miler, but the PF in my left foot is not allowing me to traverse that distance. Guess I’ll have to break out the wallet and get the running inserts again. I’m fortunate to be running. Seems less and less of the herd is still in the game. Was a time I thought running into my 70s would be no big deal. Of course I thought Hogan’s Heroes would never bust apart either.
Yes I am still out jogging 10 minute miles. This coming Saturday is Al’s Run 8k. It’s all about the participation now. I said uncle this year. Maybe next year I will go the speed work route. Then funny part is if I put in some serious Belt Buckle Bob training I would still be lucky to bone chip in under 33 minutes.
I’m 57 on September 11th. That sounds close to 60. I’ll be at a power plant looking at some work that came over from China. I’ll celebrate by driving farther south into Illanese territory for the week. Lately I’ve been hammering Carne Asada for dinner. The jalapeños have been slooping up the John B. No matter, I put on a few Sinatra tunes in the room and call it good. Being on the road actually motivates me to run. I’m asleep around 8pm. First thing in the morning I participate with black coffee, check the Pirate score, and get ready to run an hour.
Ran in MN last week. I have a few stock places to run. I know a few folks up there, but do a poor job alerting them in time for a run. I may start trying to run a second time for the day if it means running with someone. I get to where I don’t like missing the AM run. I feel best then and trying to run at night at times is like listening to Foreigner...brutal.
Not a lot of miles, but here is the longer run notes:
7/28 15.0 (10:22) Dewey and Tim / trail and paved
8/11 25.0 (10:29) Clarky and Adam night run on Ice Age
8/25 20.0 (10:30) Dewey / Butternut back roads
9/8 18.0 (10:03) Crawford out in the Sha on paved trail
Yes I am still out jogging 10 minute miles. This coming Saturday is Al’s Run 8k. It’s all about the participation now. I said uncle this year. Maybe next year I will go the speed work route. Then funny part is if I put in some serious Belt Buckle Bob training I would still be lucky to bone chip in under 33 minutes.
I’m 57 on September 11th. That sounds close to 60. I’ll be at a power plant looking at some work that came over from China. I’ll celebrate by driving farther south into Illanese territory for the week. Lately I’ve been hammering Carne Asada for dinner. The jalapeños have been slooping up the John B. No matter, I put on a few Sinatra tunes in the room and call it good. Being on the road actually motivates me to run. I’m asleep around 8pm. First thing in the morning I participate with black coffee, check the Pirate score, and get ready to run an hour.
Ran in MN last week. I have a few stock places to run. I know a few folks up there, but do a poor job alerting them in time for a run. I may start trying to run a second time for the day if it means running with someone. I get to where I don’t like missing the AM run. I feel best then and trying to run at night at times is like listening to Foreigner...brutal.
Not a lot of miles, but here is the longer run notes:
7/28 15.0 (10:22) Dewey and Tim / trail and paved
8/11 25.0 (10:29) Clarky and Adam night run on Ice Age
8/25 20.0 (10:30) Dewey / Butternut back roads
9/8 18.0 (10:03) Crawford out in the Sha on paved trail
Sunday, July 29, 2018
To the mattresses
The motivation to get out and turn a few has been good. I'm tired much of the time, but I am also active in many other areas. Getting out and just running without any thought to pace has been more freeing than I thought it would be. The process of still trying to figure when fast running will get in the equation is still there, but I try and ignore it. Experience shows that piling up a few miles does not necessarily make me slower, being older guarantees the slowness.
One obstacle is the PF in my left foot. I'm good on the right side for now. Ever since I drove off with my inserts nicely placed in my shoes that were riding on top of my car it has been a downhill slide. Like most Americans I will just figure it out and honestly I have learned a few things. Some days it is painful and when it just about seems like it can only get worse it is surprisingly manageable. I almost always self diagnose and figure stuff out. This bugger is one of those deals where the more you put into it the less it seems to get fixed. Yesterday on the 15 miles of trail and road it really hurt. This time I did no self treatment/maneuvering and today almost no pain.
The Glacial Trail 50m/50k is October 14th and I am thinking 50 mile. Mainly because I have never done that one and it is right up the road. I have many races I'd like to enter, but it is hard justifying them when you travel during the week. That and we have other obligations in life. The Glacial 50m looks like a hardy challenge. I'm not sure I can get under 9 hours on this course so that makes it worth doing. The course starts with about 40 minutes of darkness, the trail is a bit more challenging than Ice Age, it is a small field (about 10% of Ice Age size), and there are less aid stations/crew help than my spoiled self likes. In a way it should be a good exercise to try and work on strategies to aid me in this area. Problem is I will buy little of my own gear. I'll look to borrow a good light and possibly a gas station. Probably not a gas station as hopefully I'll get up to the course enough to figure out a hand held strategy and mooch a little crew help.
It dawned on me the reason I believe many people drop off the last half of a 50 mile may also be related to pace. When I train in an attempt to pace through a trail 50 mile I will work on building miles and get some long runs in. Typically I will run most days and because I am tired run 9:30 - 11:00 pace on road or trail...every day. In this manner on race day I go out at this pace as that is what my universal self is dialed into. With the taper I am much fresher, but at the same time it can take 15-30 miles before I get in the groove. I look for this on game day. On the other hand, other runners run less days a week, potentially cross train, and get in decent workouts on both the regular and longer runs. I'd argue this is what people recommend to them, or they figure this is optimal. This means much of their regular training runs can be at 8:00 - 9:00 pace. When race day comes they have a tough time staying back because it feels soooo easy. They eventually slow down because they have to and the body isn't set up to burn at the higher rate. Many of them aren't going to find a groove. The thrill is gone. Big guys in 2s, little guys in bunches. There is much more I could say about this, but I think this gets most of it across.
7/23 = 7.0 (10:10)
7/24 = 3.5 (10:07)
7/24 = 7.1 (10:47) Menomonee Park w/ Tim/Dewey/Robert
7/25 = 9.0 (9:28)
7/26 = 3.7 (9:44)
7/27 = 6.2 (9:41)
7/28 = 15.0 (10:22) Menomonee Park/Bugline w/ Dewey
7/29 = 8.5 (10:14)
Week = 60.0
One obstacle is the PF in my left foot. I'm good on the right side for now. Ever since I drove off with my inserts nicely placed in my shoes that were riding on top of my car it has been a downhill slide. Like most Americans I will just figure it out and honestly I have learned a few things. Some days it is painful and when it just about seems like it can only get worse it is surprisingly manageable. I almost always self diagnose and figure stuff out. This bugger is one of those deals where the more you put into it the less it seems to get fixed. Yesterday on the 15 miles of trail and road it really hurt. This time I did no self treatment/maneuvering and today almost no pain.
The Glacial Trail 50m/50k is October 14th and I am thinking 50 mile. Mainly because I have never done that one and it is right up the road. I have many races I'd like to enter, but it is hard justifying them when you travel during the week. That and we have other obligations in life. The Glacial 50m looks like a hardy challenge. I'm not sure I can get under 9 hours on this course so that makes it worth doing. The course starts with about 40 minutes of darkness, the trail is a bit more challenging than Ice Age, it is a small field (about 10% of Ice Age size), and there are less aid stations/crew help than my spoiled self likes. In a way it should be a good exercise to try and work on strategies to aid me in this area. Problem is I will buy little of my own gear. I'll look to borrow a good light and possibly a gas station. Probably not a gas station as hopefully I'll get up to the course enough to figure out a hand held strategy and mooch a little crew help.
It dawned on me the reason I believe many people drop off the last half of a 50 mile may also be related to pace. When I train in an attempt to pace through a trail 50 mile I will work on building miles and get some long runs in. Typically I will run most days and because I am tired run 9:30 - 11:00 pace on road or trail...every day. In this manner on race day I go out at this pace as that is what my universal self is dialed into. With the taper I am much fresher, but at the same time it can take 15-30 miles before I get in the groove. I look for this on game day. On the other hand, other runners run less days a week, potentially cross train, and get in decent workouts on both the regular and longer runs. I'd argue this is what people recommend to them, or they figure this is optimal. This means much of their regular training runs can be at 8:00 - 9:00 pace. When race day comes they have a tough time staying back because it feels soooo easy. They eventually slow down because they have to and the body isn't set up to burn at the higher rate. Many of them aren't going to find a groove. The thrill is gone. Big guys in 2s, little guys in bunches. There is much more I could say about this, but I think this gets most of it across.
7/23 = 7.0 (10:10)
7/24 = 3.5 (10:07)
7/24 = 7.1 (10:47) Menomonee Park w/ Tim/Dewey/Robert
7/25 = 9.0 (9:28)
7/26 = 3.7 (9:44)
7/27 = 6.2 (9:41)
7/28 = 15.0 (10:22) Menomonee Park/Bugline w/ Dewey
7/29 = 8.5 (10:14)
Week = 60.0
Sunday, July 22, 2018
We have the technology
I have been heat training consistently. Three layers with the final being a hood jersey. I also wear a stocking cap. The best benefit is it keeps most of the deer flies off, but not all. Some parts of the Ice Age Trail they are on you like a German Shepherd on a rib roast. I easily killed forty a week ago. I remember thinking in Church if I killed more deer flies on that single day than the other thousand attenders combined. My conclusion was yes. Based on passing zero people on the 10.5 mile Lowe Lake loop from my house, one rationalizes many people don't get after it early Sunday morning. Which is a shame because we have a fair amount of trail and decent access. I ran 8 miles on the Funk loop covering the Ice Age today and saw Tom and Kathryn coming the other way. We chatted for about a minute near the Oconomowoc, but it is best not to stop long this time of the year by water. They ran 14-15 and said they saw maybe a couple hikers.
One thing I do see a lot of out this way on the road is bicyclists. Any day, any time, and any amount of them. Most are hauling along at a good clip. Car up! Runner up! Most are cordial. I do notice quite a few banana peels on the road and Bugline. Someone must have a routine as I see them at the Bugline and E crossing all the time. Actually it looks fun and like a solid workout. No matter, not my gig. I'd never spend that much on a bike, I'm scared of cars, and I probably wouldn't buy the 3-4 super hero outfits needed. I should get a power ranger one to run in for heat training.
I'm going to admit something. I watched a lot of the Hardrock 100 live coverage this week and justifiably was asked by my wife why I am so dumb. Staring at a screen for hours waiting for it to update is a bit daft, but I enjoyed it. I've always wanted to run this thing, but don't have a boss set of tools. I'm not a 100 guy. I have finished one. It would be a goal of mine to finish one somewhere in the mountains. Problem is my wife is concerned I'm not bright enough to exercise caution and might harm myself. This is partially true. It is also true these things require a lot of sand and I have not proved to have much of this commodity. To go run 10-12 hours...done. To go out there for 24-36 hours and death march...not so much. Fifty miles is a good distance for me. I can practically run all of that distance. You get yourself out there past 12-15 hours and there is some definite beat down. I am the guy who would want to and quite honestly need to be training at 80-90 a week. There is just too much power that has been drained from the system to do that. The dream is gone. Read anyone's blog still running past 50 years old and see what I mean. Example from this week. I ran 10.5 miles of which about 4 miles is trail and 6.5 is road. I averaged 11:04 a mile. I can site a ton of reasons this happened, but it doesn't matter. It was a death march and it should not have been. Even when I'm feeling zippy I average 9:48 per mile. I'd have to run between 15 - 16.5 hours a week to get around 90 miles a week. Of course I could run 60-70 miles and pretend that is just as good. Tried it. Felt like I was gut shot.
So I was looking for 50 mile races for the fall. I went on the Ultrarunning Calendar and looked on line. If you want to see what fat, old, and grey looks like, look at the picture of the guy posted for the Glacial Trail runs and get back to me. That freakin' guy is pondering running the 50 mile event this year. I pick chunks out of my stool bigger than that guy.
7/9 = 6.2 (10:40)
7/10 = 7.0 (10:02)
7/11 = 7.5 (9:39)
7/12 = OFF
7/13 = 6.3 (9:31)
7/14 = 10.2 (9:51) Fox loop w/ Crawford
7/15 = 10.6 (9:48)
Week = 47.8
7/16 = 6.0 (9:51)
7/17 = 8.0 (10:28)
7/18 = 8.0 (10:02)
7/19 = 7.5 (10:22) Menomonee Park w/ Robert, Dewey, Tim
7/20 = 6.5 (9:53)
7/21 = 10.5 (11:04)
7/22 = 8.0 (10:33)
Week = 54.5
One thing I do see a lot of out this way on the road is bicyclists. Any day, any time, and any amount of them. Most are hauling along at a good clip. Car up! Runner up! Most are cordial. I do notice quite a few banana peels on the road and Bugline. Someone must have a routine as I see them at the Bugline and E crossing all the time. Actually it looks fun and like a solid workout. No matter, not my gig. I'd never spend that much on a bike, I'm scared of cars, and I probably wouldn't buy the 3-4 super hero outfits needed. I should get a power ranger one to run in for heat training.
I'm going to admit something. I watched a lot of the Hardrock 100 live coverage this week and justifiably was asked by my wife why I am so dumb. Staring at a screen for hours waiting for it to update is a bit daft, but I enjoyed it. I've always wanted to run this thing, but don't have a boss set of tools. I'm not a 100 guy. I have finished one. It would be a goal of mine to finish one somewhere in the mountains. Problem is my wife is concerned I'm not bright enough to exercise caution and might harm myself. This is partially true. It is also true these things require a lot of sand and I have not proved to have much of this commodity. To go run 10-12 hours...done. To go out there for 24-36 hours and death march...not so much. Fifty miles is a good distance for me. I can practically run all of that distance. You get yourself out there past 12-15 hours and there is some definite beat down. I am the guy who would want to and quite honestly need to be training at 80-90 a week. There is just too much power that has been drained from the system to do that. The dream is gone. Read anyone's blog still running past 50 years old and see what I mean. Example from this week. I ran 10.5 miles of which about 4 miles is trail and 6.5 is road. I averaged 11:04 a mile. I can site a ton of reasons this happened, but it doesn't matter. It was a death march and it should not have been. Even when I'm feeling zippy I average 9:48 per mile. I'd have to run between 15 - 16.5 hours a week to get around 90 miles a week. Of course I could run 60-70 miles and pretend that is just as good. Tried it. Felt like I was gut shot.
So I was looking for 50 mile races for the fall. I went on the Ultrarunning Calendar and looked on line. If you want to see what fat, old, and grey looks like, look at the picture of the guy posted for the Glacial Trail runs and get back to me. That freakin' guy is pondering running the 50 mile event this year. I pick chunks out of my stool bigger than that guy.
7/9 = 6.2 (10:40)
7/10 = 7.0 (10:02)
7/11 = 7.5 (9:39)
7/12 = OFF
7/13 = 6.3 (9:31)
7/14 = 10.2 (9:51) Fox loop w/ Crawford
7/15 = 10.6 (9:48)
Week = 47.8
7/16 = 6.0 (9:51)
7/17 = 8.0 (10:28)
7/18 = 8.0 (10:02)
7/19 = 7.5 (10:22) Menomonee Park w/ Robert, Dewey, Tim
7/20 = 6.5 (9:53)
7/21 = 10.5 (11:04)
7/22 = 8.0 (10:33)
Week = 54.5
Wednesday, July 4, 2018
Final Curtain
There is this continual notion of setting a course for a stretch of brisk workouts so one can achieve some arbitrary race time. It does not have to be pulled out, or even mildly coaxed out. The notion is always there and it summons itself at will. Like auto picks for the lottery the plan to achieve the goal suddenly comes to you. When the cycle repeats for the same goal race or distance a new plan appears. Once, maybe twice a year I will even goes as far to write them on old school note paper, using pieces of random cardboard to create the cells. If you have read this far then you have probably done this. It ends with various days scribbled out, or the middle days of the week not quite filled out as one tries to determine if an additional hard workout can be inserted. These days they can be comical as if I was ever going to top out at 85 miles a week...with three harder type workouts per week.
This series of events usually ends with I could do it if I wanted to, or even needed to. Why would I need to? That's the issue right there. This other under the radar thought process keeps churning out the donuts without any rational thinking from husband Dave, work Dave, or even dog owner Dave. I SIMPLY CAN'T SHUT THIS OFF.
You know something. I have friends in their sixties who only allow themselves to run X amount a week and that's it. Many times they are folks with pretty stout performance records from the day. It seems they know a #2 conibear is out there and have to stay on the compound.
Dave likes to run. Dave would like to run around an hour a day 5 days a week and for 2-3 hours one other day a week. Dave likes just running comfortably and occasionally with hombres. Dave can go run for 4-5 hours a handful of times to be able to move through a short ultra essentially at the same pace his normal hour runs are at. I'm okay with this. What do we tell that other guy?
This series of events usually ends with I could do it if I wanted to, or even needed to. Why would I need to? That's the issue right there. This other under the radar thought process keeps churning out the donuts without any rational thinking from husband Dave, work Dave, or even dog owner Dave. I SIMPLY CAN'T SHUT THIS OFF.
You know something. I have friends in their sixties who only allow themselves to run X amount a week and that's it. Many times they are folks with pretty stout performance records from the day. It seems they know a #2 conibear is out there and have to stay on the compound.
Dave likes to run. Dave would like to run around an hour a day 5 days a week and for 2-3 hours one other day a week. Dave likes just running comfortably and occasionally with hombres. Dave can go run for 4-5 hours a handful of times to be able to move through a short ultra essentially at the same pace his normal hour runs are at. I'm okay with this. What do we tell that other guy?
Sunday, June 10, 2018
Raise the Jolly Roger
Not feeling too bad post Ice Age. I have decided to heat train this year after a positive outcome last year. Most days I have on a stocking cap, along with two long sleeve shirts, and topped with a hood jersey. Sure...friends think I'm a Cretan, but whatever. I'll control the world with my weather machine. It gets a little soggy in there, but you get accustomed to it. I must say I have had 2-3 people let me in on that apparently this is as good as training at altitude. I'm not trying to increase my red blood cell count. I have Polycythemia Vera (PV). Which basically means the cancer cells take over in the bone marrow and crank out red blood cells that are larger and at a faster pace. Normal life expectancy is 10-15 years, so being past that I'm doing all I can do to increase that second number. Don't panic. I live a normal life. I get analyzed and treated every month. I'm solid as Sears. When I was first diagnosed my hematocrit was 69%. Think about that. Any way, for the rest of the story ask me sometime when I am running with you.
Eero Mantyranta was a Finnish skier (CC) who competed in four Winter Olympics. He won three golds, two silvers, and two bronze medals. He was also the first Finnish sportsman who tested positive for doping in 1972. I found this interesting because he also had PV. When I was first diagnosed I signed up for the PV and related support list. Not to sound above it all, but there was so much negativity and such that it had no place for me. Currently we aim to keep the hematocrit below 45%. There is a lot more to it besides hematocrit, but I can't stress how important it is to stay on top of testing. The human body is doing stuff at certain times you really can't explain. Chronic diseases like this never improve out of no where. It's really about making the adjustments and going on as usual. I will answer one question. Do you think it ever helped you individually with your ability to run? At one time the answer would be yes.
Eero Mantyranta was a Finnish skier (CC) who competed in four Winter Olympics. He won three golds, two silvers, and two bronze medals. He was also the first Finnish sportsman who tested positive for doping in 1972. I found this interesting because he also had PV. When I was first diagnosed I signed up for the PV and related support list. Not to sound above it all, but there was so much negativity and such that it had no place for me. Currently we aim to keep the hematocrit below 45%. There is a lot more to it besides hematocrit, but I can't stress how important it is to stay on top of testing. The human body is doing stuff at certain times you really can't explain. Chronic diseases like this never improve out of no where. It's really about making the adjustments and going on as usual. I will answer one question. Do you think it ever helped you individually with your ability to run? At one time the answer would be yes.
Saturday, May 19, 2018
Lovin', touchin', squeezin'
Lovin'
It's no mystery to anyone who knows me that this is my favorite race. On May 12th I finished my 17th Ice Age 50 mile. You could not ask for conditions any better than what we had. The rain held and after starting in the low 40s, I don't think it got any higher than the low 50s. I started out conservative as usual and after 9 miles was in about 65th+ place out of just under 400 starters. As usual I met a few new people and caught up with a couple others. Dewey was on hand as expert crew so I could easily get through the transitions. I chose not to carry a water bottle which suits me as I rarely train with one. Once on the single track I made plans to get into a trail trance and tippy toe down to the turn at 21.7. Again, only one quick pit stop on the trail and Dewey zipped me through the aid stations. I did pass the conga line of 10-12 people at about 14.5 miles so as not to get out of my rhythm. As the leaders started coming back I counted 53 people ahead of me roughly. When it was my time to turn I made a mental note to keep it tight as people start coming back.
By now I am shirtless and saw very few guys taking advantage of this opportunity. It was sort of a pick me up. I begin picking off a few people as I spend very little time walking hills. I'll walk them the first quarter of the race, but as people tire they walk way slower. I pick up huge chunks of real estate. Surprisingly there always seems to be someone to gather in. In past years (when there was only 25-35 ahead at the turn) I might go miles before seeing anyone. So far my target of breaking 8:30 seems doable. I just can't get carried away early like last year going after people. I get back to Highway 12 in pretty good shape, but I have something pressing to take care of.
Touchin'
From 12 there is about 24 miles to go and I have to crunch. Just out of the station up on the hill there is a crossing I can dart over to. This takes way longer than I want as I watch several people from my perch get back ahead of me. No big deal. I start touchin' the earth a bit faster and there is a set of younger ladies I had passed just past the 21.7 turn. I cannot close the gap and in fact they pull away from me. I heard them say it was their first 50 mile. The one will finish 3rd overall in just under 8:05 and I eventually will get ahead of the other later on, but for now I have to let them go. Through the winding woods to Duffin I catch a couple more and at about 30.5 miles I finally accept a bottle from Dewey. He won't be able to render aid personally for about 10 miles.
This is where I run a bit with Bill Hutchinson. Bill's having a good run and he introduces himself as we have a common friend in Steve H-K. Bill goes on to tell me he reads this blog which must bring me up to double digits for readers by now. Not bad for 7 years. Bill points out a trio of runners going up the hill to Confusion Corner and I tell him I'm going to run up this puppy. We part for now and Bill goes on to have a solid finish. This where I start winding in people who went out too fast. This back segment has plenty of small and winding hills. I'm doing okay, but I'm just trying to maintain at this point. The genie is still in the bottle and I am hoping Larry Hagman isn't out on the trails today. I'm hoping to Mary Martin it in the rest of the way as there is about 17 miles to go.
Just before Horseman's, Dewey tells me Stuart is a minute up on me and Robert is 2 minutes up. This only really matters because both are my age and John Horns (MN) is so far ahead that he ain't coming back. I meet former Ice Age champ (Stuart) at the aid station. He basically tells me he's a bit knackered and to have a good finish. I return the comment and start towards Emma wondering if I'll see Robert anywhere. Just before halfway out to Emma I see Robert and he is walking the hills. I get pretty close to him, but he keeps pulling away on anything remotely flat. I watch him pull into Emma and soon after I am there as well. We acknowledge each other and I know at this point I can't just light out after him. There is 9.7 miles to go and I have to stick with what I am doing. In my mind I hear Keith Jackson's voice, "We have a dandy brewing here!"
None of this is remotely important, but Robert and I know each other well. After a back injury that kept him from running for at least a year he is back running well. You really only get a few places in the woods here where you can see someone 30-60 seconds ahead of you. Each time I'd get to one of these spots I'd get a glimpse of Robert walking the far hill. I am going to find out if my run the hill doctrine (I will walk a few short steps at times) is any match for his walk the hill and take off method. I'm confident because this has worked all day. I'm afraid to walk a hill because then I'll lose sight for good. On the backside of Star I see Robert walking what is one of the largest hills on the course. I charge up most of it, allowing one little short walk break before starting the last 3 miles. Again I see him at Confusion Corner and once through there and around the bend go fairly hard on the downhill. At Bluff (1.5 miles to go) I pull the plug and can see I am getting closer. Robert does not look back, but I know, that he knows, that I know, that he knows I'm coming. With about 0.7 miles to go there is a decent little hill and I get within 50 yards of him. I actually hear him tell Joel Lammers (Another former champ our age who is out due to a knee issue) something along the lines of look who's right behind me.
That's where it ended right there. I could not close anymore and if anything Robert put a little more ground on me. I didn't let up. He just wasn't having it that day and finished 20 seconds ahead of me in 8:28:01 to my 8:28:21 and also garnered the RRCA WI title for our age. Congrats Robert! The effort also had me clip one more guy by a few seconds at the very end which allowed me to finish in 29th overall. I'll take it.
Dewey thanks for everything it really helps having legendary crew. Clem and Tim thanks for coming out to cheer. Bill great meeting you out on the trail and congrats on a great run. Dean that was a great PR! Andy congrats on the 27th finish and the sub 10:00 performance. Poulton's great seeing you all and Kevin as well. Mr. Mallach another tremendous job as RD. Angela thanks for gathering up all those wonderful and thoughtful volunteers.
Squeezin'
All in all I held up well. I broke 8:30 and did a little racing at the end. I would not have broke 8:30 if Robert wasn't up there pushing. With 2 miles to go my watch said 8:11:xx, so pushing it got me under 8:30. It was good to visit for a couple hours and then get home for a shower. Sitting on the couch about 8:30pm I moved to itch my groin which I'm prone to do on occasion and something did not feel right. I was up in there trying to figure it out, but couldn't without eye balling it. I wasn't sure what the deal was until I had the wife come over and confirm it was a tick buried in. I got out the tweezers and squeezed his rear end right out of there. Two days later in the shower I discovered another on the back nape of my neck that broke free. Freakin' free loaders.
It's no mystery to anyone who knows me that this is my favorite race. On May 12th I finished my 17th Ice Age 50 mile. You could not ask for conditions any better than what we had. The rain held and after starting in the low 40s, I don't think it got any higher than the low 50s. I started out conservative as usual and after 9 miles was in about 65th+ place out of just under 400 starters. As usual I met a few new people and caught up with a couple others. Dewey was on hand as expert crew so I could easily get through the transitions. I chose not to carry a water bottle which suits me as I rarely train with one. Once on the single track I made plans to get into a trail trance and tippy toe down to the turn at 21.7. Again, only one quick pit stop on the trail and Dewey zipped me through the aid stations. I did pass the conga line of 10-12 people at about 14.5 miles so as not to get out of my rhythm. As the leaders started coming back I counted 53 people ahead of me roughly. When it was my time to turn I made a mental note to keep it tight as people start coming back.
By now I am shirtless and saw very few guys taking advantage of this opportunity. It was sort of a pick me up. I begin picking off a few people as I spend very little time walking hills. I'll walk them the first quarter of the race, but as people tire they walk way slower. I pick up huge chunks of real estate. Surprisingly there always seems to be someone to gather in. In past years (when there was only 25-35 ahead at the turn) I might go miles before seeing anyone. So far my target of breaking 8:30 seems doable. I just can't get carried away early like last year going after people. I get back to Highway 12 in pretty good shape, but I have something pressing to take care of.
Touchin'
From 12 there is about 24 miles to go and I have to crunch. Just out of the station up on the hill there is a crossing I can dart over to. This takes way longer than I want as I watch several people from my perch get back ahead of me. No big deal. I start touchin' the earth a bit faster and there is a set of younger ladies I had passed just past the 21.7 turn. I cannot close the gap and in fact they pull away from me. I heard them say it was their first 50 mile. The one will finish 3rd overall in just under 8:05 and I eventually will get ahead of the other later on, but for now I have to let them go. Through the winding woods to Duffin I catch a couple more and at about 30.5 miles I finally accept a bottle from Dewey. He won't be able to render aid personally for about 10 miles.
This is where I run a bit with Bill Hutchinson. Bill's having a good run and he introduces himself as we have a common friend in Steve H-K. Bill goes on to tell me he reads this blog which must bring me up to double digits for readers by now. Not bad for 7 years. Bill points out a trio of runners going up the hill to Confusion Corner and I tell him I'm going to run up this puppy. We part for now and Bill goes on to have a solid finish. This where I start winding in people who went out too fast. This back segment has plenty of small and winding hills. I'm doing okay, but I'm just trying to maintain at this point. The genie is still in the bottle and I am hoping Larry Hagman isn't out on the trails today. I'm hoping to Mary Martin it in the rest of the way as there is about 17 miles to go.
Just before Horseman's, Dewey tells me Stuart is a minute up on me and Robert is 2 minutes up. This only really matters because both are my age and John Horns (MN) is so far ahead that he ain't coming back. I meet former Ice Age champ (Stuart) at the aid station. He basically tells me he's a bit knackered and to have a good finish. I return the comment and start towards Emma wondering if I'll see Robert anywhere. Just before halfway out to Emma I see Robert and he is walking the hills. I get pretty close to him, but he keeps pulling away on anything remotely flat. I watch him pull into Emma and soon after I am there as well. We acknowledge each other and I know at this point I can't just light out after him. There is 9.7 miles to go and I have to stick with what I am doing. In my mind I hear Keith Jackson's voice, "We have a dandy brewing here!"
None of this is remotely important, but Robert and I know each other well. After a back injury that kept him from running for at least a year he is back running well. You really only get a few places in the woods here where you can see someone 30-60 seconds ahead of you. Each time I'd get to one of these spots I'd get a glimpse of Robert walking the far hill. I am going to find out if my run the hill doctrine (I will walk a few short steps at times) is any match for his walk the hill and take off method. I'm confident because this has worked all day. I'm afraid to walk a hill because then I'll lose sight for good. On the backside of Star I see Robert walking what is one of the largest hills on the course. I charge up most of it, allowing one little short walk break before starting the last 3 miles. Again I see him at Confusion Corner and once through there and around the bend go fairly hard on the downhill. At Bluff (1.5 miles to go) I pull the plug and can see I am getting closer. Robert does not look back, but I know, that he knows, that I know, that he knows I'm coming. With about 0.7 miles to go there is a decent little hill and I get within 50 yards of him. I actually hear him tell Joel Lammers (Another former champ our age who is out due to a knee issue) something along the lines of look who's right behind me.
That's where it ended right there. I could not close anymore and if anything Robert put a little more ground on me. I didn't let up. He just wasn't having it that day and finished 20 seconds ahead of me in 8:28:01 to my 8:28:21 and also garnered the RRCA WI title for our age. Congrats Robert! The effort also had me clip one more guy by a few seconds at the very end which allowed me to finish in 29th overall. I'll take it.
Dewey thanks for everything it really helps having legendary crew. Clem and Tim thanks for coming out to cheer. Bill great meeting you out on the trail and congrats on a great run. Dean that was a great PR! Andy congrats on the 27th finish and the sub 10:00 performance. Poulton's great seeing you all and Kevin as well. Mr. Mallach another tremendous job as RD. Angela thanks for gathering up all those wonderful and thoughtful volunteers.
Squeezin'
All in all I held up well. I broke 8:30 and did a little racing at the end. I would not have broke 8:30 if Robert wasn't up there pushing. With 2 miles to go my watch said 8:11:xx, so pushing it got me under 8:30. It was good to visit for a couple hours and then get home for a shower. Sitting on the couch about 8:30pm I moved to itch my groin which I'm prone to do on occasion and something did not feel right. I was up in there trying to figure it out, but couldn't without eye balling it. I wasn't sure what the deal was until I had the wife come over and confirm it was a tick buried in. I got out the tweezers and squeezed his rear end right out of there. Two days later in the shower I discovered another on the back nape of my neck that broke free. Freakin' free loaders.
Sunday, April 15, 2018
speed of lightning, roar of thunder
I finished the week up today with 18.5 on sloppy roads. I did feel decent and this was a bonus. Was going to cover 15 miles and promised myself a coke if I reached 18.5. I picked that number as it gave me 70 miles for the week on 6 runs.
4/9 = Off
4/10 = 6.3 (9:37) Joliet roads
4/11 = 7.4 (9:15) Lombard rails to trails
4/12 = 13.3 (9:56) Menomonee Park w/ Tim and Dewey
4/13 = 12.0 (10:27) Ice Age
4/14 = 12.5 (9:41) into the abyss at 4:50am
4/15 = 18.5 (10:14) into the slop
Week = 70.0
Clem sent me the recent 50k article on Tyler Andrews who ran 2:46:06.8 on the track. Looks like a new world 50k track record. The article mentioned Barney Klecker, who's wife Janis was an Olympian. Their son is a top notch runner at Colorado. I mention this because I see John Horns (55y) is now registered for Ice Age. John is an excellent runner and won Kettle 100 outright in his 50s. I have gotten by him at Ice Age (rarely), but man the age group competition is always stout. Of course with the internet I looked him up to see how he is running. One article mentioned he is Janis Klecker's brother. I think it will possibly require a sub 8:15 to get in the top 3 this year. Weather dependent. You never know at Ice Age. Some guys are just beat up, or coming back from injuries. I have the secret crew strength. If you ain't blastin' you ain't lastin'. No time for uniform changes or Sweet Polly Purebred damsel-in-distress twinkle-toe scenarios. Stand aside...can't you see we have the dang ballgame on here?
In other stats, I have averaged 51.75 miler per week since January 1st. Better than I thought. Runs over 2 hours January through March:
1/5 = 2:17:03
1/6 = 2:02:33
1/20 = 2:10:52
1/27 = 2:29:28
2/3 = 2:45:55
2/10 = 2:01:53
2/17 = 2:27:07
2/24 = 2:28:57
3/3 = 2:22:00
3/4 = 2:01:31
3/10 = 3:00:00
3/17 = 4:27:47
3/31 = 4:20:00
April runs over 1:30:
4/2 = 1:54:11
4/3 = 1:48:16
4/4 = 1:34:12
4/7 = 1:57:30
4/8 = 1:48:53
4/12 = 2:12:11
4/13 = 2:05:26
4/14 = 2:01:05
4/15 = 3:09:12
I'll pull the next couple weeks together and see how I feel. I'll weigh in tomorrow.
Underdog Cartoon theme song
when criminals in this world appear
and break the laws that they should fear
and frighten all who see or hear
the cry goes up both far and near
for Underdog! Underdog! Underdog! Underdog!
speed of lightning, roar of thunder
fighting all who rob or plunder
Underdog. Underdog! when in this world the headlines read
of those whose hearts are filled with greed
who rob and steal from those who need
to right this wrong with blinding speed
goes Underdog! Underdog! Underdog! Underdog! speed of lightning, roar of thunder
fighting all who rob or plunder
Underdog. Underdog
4/9 = Off
4/10 = 6.3 (9:37) Joliet roads
4/11 = 7.4 (9:15) Lombard rails to trails
4/12 = 13.3 (9:56) Menomonee Park w/ Tim and Dewey
4/13 = 12.0 (10:27) Ice Age
4/14 = 12.5 (9:41) into the abyss at 4:50am
4/15 = 18.5 (10:14) into the slop
Week = 70.0
Clem sent me the recent 50k article on Tyler Andrews who ran 2:46:06.8 on the track. Looks like a new world 50k track record. The article mentioned Barney Klecker, who's wife Janis was an Olympian. Their son is a top notch runner at Colorado. I mention this because I see John Horns (55y) is now registered for Ice Age. John is an excellent runner and won Kettle 100 outright in his 50s. I have gotten by him at Ice Age (rarely), but man the age group competition is always stout. Of course with the internet I looked him up to see how he is running. One article mentioned he is Janis Klecker's brother. I think it will possibly require a sub 8:15 to get in the top 3 this year. Weather dependent. You never know at Ice Age. Some guys are just beat up, or coming back from injuries. I have the secret crew strength. If you ain't blastin' you ain't lastin'. No time for uniform changes or Sweet Polly Purebred damsel-in-distress twinkle-toe scenarios. Stand aside...can't you see we have the dang ballgame on here?
In other stats, I have averaged 51.75 miler per week since January 1st. Better than I thought. Runs over 2 hours January through March:
1/5 = 2:17:03
1/6 = 2:02:33
1/20 = 2:10:52
1/27 = 2:29:28
2/3 = 2:45:55
2/10 = 2:01:53
2/17 = 2:27:07
2/24 = 2:28:57
3/3 = 2:22:00
3/4 = 2:01:31
3/10 = 3:00:00
3/17 = 4:27:47
3/31 = 4:20:00
April runs over 1:30:
4/2 = 1:54:11
4/3 = 1:48:16
4/4 = 1:34:12
4/7 = 1:57:30
4/8 = 1:48:53
4/12 = 2:12:11
4/13 = 2:05:26
4/14 = 2:01:05
4/15 = 3:09:12
I'll pull the next couple weeks together and see how I feel. I'll weigh in tomorrow.
Underdog Cartoon theme song
when criminals in this world appear
and break the laws that they should fear
and frighten all who see or hear
the cry goes up both far and near
for Underdog! Underdog! Underdog! Underdog!
speed of lightning, roar of thunder
fighting all who rob or plunder
Underdog. Underdog! when in this world the headlines read
of those whose hearts are filled with greed
who rob and steal from those who need
to right this wrong with blinding speed
goes Underdog! Underdog! Underdog! Underdog! speed of lightning, roar of thunder
fighting all who rob or plunder
Underdog. Underdog
Saturday, April 14, 2018
Jimmy legs
Ice Age is 4 weeks from today and I have not made it out to the course one time. Next week in the 35 mile training run which I will attempt with my friend Andy. Part of it is the drive down there and being busy with other things. But the big reason for not going there is the crap weather. I have commitments today, so I ran at 4:50am. Twenty-three mph winds, rain, and just at that 34 degree mark to complete the ambiance. In the day we went there months out from race day. There were always people you new there. Not so much now. I'm sure people still go out, but I don't really know many of them. I am also in that too slow to keep up with the main group and too fast to spend an extra hour or so getting a normal run for me in. In some ways it is fine. I spend more time running myself up here on the Northern Ice Age.
Running alone is getting more preferable because I run in my own groove. Feel good, feel slow, feel tired, feel caffeinated, feel good, feel fat and on and on. Now-a-days Ice Age is getting out there like one big training run, taking care of myself, and then looking for a hot spot to grab on to over the last 15-20 miles. Though in this day and age it is more the last 13 miles I look for it.
The good news is I am in decent shape. I've cobbled together a fair amount of 10-11 mile runs during the week instead of my old 6 a day during the week. Knowing I would not be able to go long Saturday (today), I decided to run 2 hours a day Thursday through Sunday. So far so good the past three days have been 2:12:11, 2:05:26, and 2:01:05. I'll get my 2 hours in tomorrow and if it goes well maybe close to 2:30. I've held together fairly well and the biggest thing is just forgetting about time.
I'm almost out the other end of the pipe. I'll run less miles during the week and get the big run in next Saturday. The following week I'll run a bit everyday and on that Saturday two weeks out I'll look to do a simulation run on close to 20 miles of the course. It is also a good time to make mental notes about the course. I'll time some of the harder sections and make an estimate what it will take to run time wise on them race day. Then when I'm suffering at the end, I just look at my watch and tell myself it should take 23 minutes (or whatever) to finish the challenging segment. This way I just shut everything off in my head and treat it like a 23 minute run. It I get there in 21 minutes I can then get a feel for how I am doing. If it is 26 minutes then I better reevaluate. Over the years I can get fairly close to my estimates. It just seems to make the run manageable.
Running alone is getting more preferable because I run in my own groove. Feel good, feel slow, feel tired, feel caffeinated, feel good, feel fat and on and on. Now-a-days Ice Age is getting out there like one big training run, taking care of myself, and then looking for a hot spot to grab on to over the last 15-20 miles. Though in this day and age it is more the last 13 miles I look for it.
The good news is I am in decent shape. I've cobbled together a fair amount of 10-11 mile runs during the week instead of my old 6 a day during the week. Knowing I would not be able to go long Saturday (today), I decided to run 2 hours a day Thursday through Sunday. So far so good the past three days have been 2:12:11, 2:05:26, and 2:01:05. I'll get my 2 hours in tomorrow and if it goes well maybe close to 2:30. I've held together fairly well and the biggest thing is just forgetting about time.
I'm almost out the other end of the pipe. I'll run less miles during the week and get the big run in next Saturday. The following week I'll run a bit everyday and on that Saturday two weeks out I'll look to do a simulation run on close to 20 miles of the course. It is also a good time to make mental notes about the course. I'll time some of the harder sections and make an estimate what it will take to run time wise on them race day. Then when I'm suffering at the end, I just look at my watch and tell myself it should take 23 minutes (or whatever) to finish the challenging segment. This way I just shut everything off in my head and treat it like a 23 minute run. It I get there in 21 minutes I can then get a feel for how I am doing. If it is 26 minutes then I better reevaluate. Over the years I can get fairly close to my estimates. It just seems to make the run manageable.
Sunday, April 1, 2018
One tasty burger
Saturday I jogged 5 miles up to the St. Augustine lot and ran 14.4 miles with Robert and Dewey. I then lumbered back home from there. It was a lunch box run. Wind, rain, and snow mixed in throughout the run, with the best weather found in the last 10 miles or so. The trails up around Holy Hill were cautious. At times the wet snow flakes were the size of nickels. Felt like Al Bundy the first 5 miles on the road, but then did okay on the trails. The run home on the road was at least 40 seconds a mile faster. Not sure how that all works, but it is in the bank.
I spoke to Robert about the runner lean I have to the right at the end of many ultras and especially 50 milers. The announcer at JFK even mentioned it when bone chipping in, "and here comes a runner with the famous JFK lean." It does seem common, so I looked up a few stretches, etc. I guess 5-10 minutes of a routine won't hurt me. I am also glad to report that a few wall squats every other day have had a positive outcome for my knee. No pain Saturday at all. Thanks Dean!
One hundred percent disclosure on something. I reviewed my last 6 weeks of training for Ice Age in 2009. I know every time I'm on here I have a new formula. In fact let me reach up to the bulletin board here and pluck one off that I created 7 weeks ago that was never utilized. Okay...that's in the trash. The year 2009 was the first time in like 4 years I was healthy enough to run well. I was able to run well in 2008, but my enthusiasm created my first and only stress fracture which required 10 weeks off. That meant no Ice Age. So in 2009 a wiser human took over the control tower and came up with the idea to run within yourself. See your future, be your future. Run hard when it feels right; in other words a true how far to the barn mentality. When I felt good I let it go. I was 47...at some point common sense had to kick in.
At the 2009 Ice Age, true to my word I went out like it was a casual training run. No pressure. Like any long event if you stay back you'll start passing people in jimmy stacks. It just never stopped that day and I ended up 5th overall. It was also the best I ever felt at the end of a 50 miler. Had I cracked the Drakos 3? Everybody twist. I now held information. Information that could control the world. But I didn't have that. It lead to more of the, "I don't run to take beatings" mentality. I was after all still myself. Another bum from the neighborhood. "This is reality Greg."
https://www.getyarn.io/yarn-clip/1873836b-fe0a-4ed7-bffa-0edcbd821628
So what did those last 6 weeks look like. Unless stated the runs are on roads.
Unless stated the dog is Cookie.
3/30 = 8.5 (8:16) w/ dog
3/31 = 8.0 (8:13)
4/1 = 4.5 (9:00) w/ dog
4/2 = OFF
4/3 = OFF
4/4 = 26.0 (9:27) Ice Age course trails (Christine, Robert, Ricker)
4/5 = OFF
Week = 47.0
4/6 = 6.0 (8:31) w/ dog
4/7 = 7.0 w/ 30:00 tempo
4/8 = 6.2 (8:30) w/ dog
4/9 = 5.8 w/ 6 x Lowell Hill
4/10 = OFF
4/11 = 20.0 (9:00) Ice Age course trails
4/12 = 8.0 (8:47) w/ dog
Week = 53.0
4/13 = OFF
4/14 = 7.5 w/ 5k tempo in 19:32
4/15 = 7.0 Lapham Trails
4/16 = 7.7 w/ dog
4/17 = OFF
4/18 = 30.0 (9:00) Ice Age course trails (Bruce, Kirby)
4/19 = 7.2 (9:48) Minooka trails (Clem, Andy)
Week = 59.4
4/20 = OFF
4/21 = OFF
4/22 = 5.0 (8:00) w/ dog
4/23 = 4.0 w/ 15 x Horab Hill
4/24 = OFF
4/25 = 21.0 (8:34) Ice Age course trails (Christine, Ricker, Kirby)
4/26 = OFF
Week = 30.0
4/27 = 5.0 (8:20) w/ dog
4/28 = OFF
4/29 = 6.6 (8:11) Lapham trails w/ dog (Ricker, Todd)
4/30 = 4.8 w/ 10 x Horab Hill
5/1 = OFF
5/2 = 5.4 (9:38) w/ dog
5/3 = 7.6 (9:13) Minooka trails (Clem, Andy)
Week = 29.4
5/4 = OFF
5/5 = 5.0 (9:00) w/ dog
5/6 = 3.4 (8:49) w/ dog
5/7 = OFF
5/8 = OFF
5/9 = 50.0 Ice Age 7:20:57 (8:50)
5/10 = OFF
Week = 58.4
I know Cookie would be up for it.
Last week was 62.0 miles on 5 runs.
I spoke to Robert about the runner lean I have to the right at the end of many ultras and especially 50 milers. The announcer at JFK even mentioned it when bone chipping in, "and here comes a runner with the famous JFK lean." It does seem common, so I looked up a few stretches, etc. I guess 5-10 minutes of a routine won't hurt me. I am also glad to report that a few wall squats every other day have had a positive outcome for my knee. No pain Saturday at all. Thanks Dean!
One hundred percent disclosure on something. I reviewed my last 6 weeks of training for Ice Age in 2009. I know every time I'm on here I have a new formula. In fact let me reach up to the bulletin board here and pluck one off that I created 7 weeks ago that was never utilized. Okay...that's in the trash. The year 2009 was the first time in like 4 years I was healthy enough to run well. I was able to run well in 2008, but my enthusiasm created my first and only stress fracture which required 10 weeks off. That meant no Ice Age. So in 2009 a wiser human took over the control tower and came up with the idea to run within yourself. See your future, be your future. Run hard when it feels right; in other words a true how far to the barn mentality. When I felt good I let it go. I was 47...at some point common sense had to kick in.
At the 2009 Ice Age, true to my word I went out like it was a casual training run. No pressure. Like any long event if you stay back you'll start passing people in jimmy stacks. It just never stopped that day and I ended up 5th overall. It was also the best I ever felt at the end of a 50 miler. Had I cracked the Drakos 3? Everybody twist. I now held information. Information that could control the world. But I didn't have that. It lead to more of the, "I don't run to take beatings" mentality. I was after all still myself. Another bum from the neighborhood. "This is reality Greg."
https://www.getyarn.io/yarn-clip/1873836b-fe0a-4ed7-bffa-0edcbd821628
So what did those last 6 weeks look like. Unless stated the runs are on roads.
Unless stated the dog is Cookie.
3/30 = 8.5 (8:16) w/ dog
3/31 = 8.0 (8:13)
4/1 = 4.5 (9:00) w/ dog
4/2 = OFF
4/3 = OFF
4/4 = 26.0 (9:27) Ice Age course trails (Christine, Robert, Ricker)
4/5 = OFF
Week = 47.0
4/6 = 6.0 (8:31) w/ dog
4/7 = 7.0 w/ 30:00 tempo
4/8 = 6.2 (8:30) w/ dog
4/9 = 5.8 w/ 6 x Lowell Hill
4/10 = OFF
4/11 = 20.0 (9:00) Ice Age course trails
4/12 = 8.0 (8:47) w/ dog
Week = 53.0
4/13 = OFF
4/14 = 7.5 w/ 5k tempo in 19:32
4/15 = 7.0 Lapham Trails
4/16 = 7.7 w/ dog
4/17 = OFF
4/18 = 30.0 (9:00) Ice Age course trails (Bruce, Kirby)
4/19 = 7.2 (9:48) Minooka trails (Clem, Andy)
Week = 59.4
4/20 = OFF
4/21 = OFF
4/22 = 5.0 (8:00) w/ dog
4/23 = 4.0 w/ 15 x Horab Hill
4/24 = OFF
4/25 = 21.0 (8:34) Ice Age course trails (Christine, Ricker, Kirby)
4/26 = OFF
Week = 30.0
4/27 = 5.0 (8:20) w/ dog
4/28 = OFF
4/29 = 6.6 (8:11) Lapham trails w/ dog (Ricker, Todd)
4/30 = 4.8 w/ 10 x Horab Hill
5/1 = OFF
5/2 = 5.4 (9:38) w/ dog
5/3 = 7.6 (9:13) Minooka trails (Clem, Andy)
Week = 29.4
5/4 = OFF
5/5 = 5.0 (9:00) w/ dog
5/6 = 3.4 (8:49) w/ dog
5/7 = OFF
5/8 = OFF
5/9 = 50.0 Ice Age 7:20:57 (8:50)
5/10 = OFF
Week = 58.4
I know Cookie would be up for it.
Last week was 62.0 miles on 5 runs.
Sunday, March 25, 2018
Warren G. Harding...crikey!
Yes it has occurred to me that I am not training in a way which would optimize my run at Ice Age. It seems clear that I should bank on the single long run and have a really good effort speed wise on another day. I should probably throw a nice mid week long run in there every couple weeks and spend most of the other days either petering around for 50 minutes easy, or just rest entirely. It would probably only take a mix of about 9 of these types of runs in a month and it would work fine. Problem is I don't care to run faster much anymore and I seem tired anyway; rested or not. Besides I kind of like going out tired early in the morning and just figure out how to make it work. Bone chipping it over 50 miles does mean you have to figure out how to make it when uncomfortable.
Truth be told I started running more in HS because I wanted it to hurt less. It was easier to hurt over the last three laps in the 2 mile rather than the last six. Head out with the leaders and hang on. How dumb were we? Can't blame the coaches...we had no distance coach. Back then it was 6 quarters after a warm-up then you were done, followed by 3-4 miles the next day with 8 x 100 sprints. All mixed in with 2-3 meets a week. Good times! Must have been okay though because our 4 x 880y relay record turns 40 this year. The 39 seasons after going to the 4 x 800m has not replaced this yet via conversion. It's been a good run, I hope someone crushes it. No one knows who Havranek-Dehart-Linton-Miller are anyway. Think of it this way. I was born in 1961, so 40 years earlier in 1921 we were three years removed from WWI. Just for grins I looked up Havranek on LinkedIn and just sent a note to connect. He was our only Senior on the team. Pretty sure I have not talked to him since then. Linton and I graduated the same year in '79 and were good friends. I ran into him on a trip back home in late '12. He still lives in the school district. That the record still stood was one of the first things he told me. If you read the blog I mentioned last year I ran by the HS and just had to go look through the gym window. My cousin graduated the same year (different HS) and her daughters both went on to beat and set the new HJ record. What about Miller? He had the 880 record at the time...I think 1:58. It's since been bettered a couple times. Low 1:50s now by another Miller kid (not related). That Miller set the 400, 800, and 1600 records. The old Miller was a beast. Heck of a football player. Everyone called him Grubby, but I'm not sure to his face. He ran on the 4x8, 4x4, 880, and threw the javelin. Of course back then most all of us competed in 3-4 events. Me? I was on the 4x8 and ran the 1 and 2 mile. The girl I took to the senior prom won gold at states in the javelin (I remember seeing her in T&F news in the top 50 while in HS) and just for grins medaled like 5th in the 800m at states. Went full ride on a basketball scholarship to Fordham. I will end by saying the song Sultans of Swing was out my senior year. Time to climb out of the way back machine.
Week 35 miles on 4 runs. I was tired.
Truth be told I started running more in HS because I wanted it to hurt less. It was easier to hurt over the last three laps in the 2 mile rather than the last six. Head out with the leaders and hang on. How dumb were we? Can't blame the coaches...we had no distance coach. Back then it was 6 quarters after a warm-up then you were done, followed by 3-4 miles the next day with 8 x 100 sprints. All mixed in with 2-3 meets a week. Good times! Must have been okay though because our 4 x 880y relay record turns 40 this year. The 39 seasons after going to the 4 x 800m has not replaced this yet via conversion. It's been a good run, I hope someone crushes it. No one knows who Havranek-Dehart-Linton-Miller are anyway. Think of it this way. I was born in 1961, so 40 years earlier in 1921 we were three years removed from WWI. Just for grins I looked up Havranek on LinkedIn and just sent a note to connect. He was our only Senior on the team. Pretty sure I have not talked to him since then. Linton and I graduated the same year in '79 and were good friends. I ran into him on a trip back home in late '12. He still lives in the school district. That the record still stood was one of the first things he told me. If you read the blog I mentioned last year I ran by the HS and just had to go look through the gym window. My cousin graduated the same year (different HS) and her daughters both went on to beat and set the new HJ record. What about Miller? He had the 880 record at the time...I think 1:58. It's since been bettered a couple times. Low 1:50s now by another Miller kid (not related). That Miller set the 400, 800, and 1600 records. The old Miller was a beast. Heck of a football player. Everyone called him Grubby, but I'm not sure to his face. He ran on the 4x8, 4x4, 880, and threw the javelin. Of course back then most all of us competed in 3-4 events. Me? I was on the 4x8 and ran the 1 and 2 mile. The girl I took to the senior prom won gold at states in the javelin (I remember seeing her in T&F news in the top 50 while in HS) and just for grins medaled like 5th in the 800m at states. Went full ride on a basketball scholarship to Fordham. I will end by saying the song Sultans of Swing was out my senior year. Time to climb out of the way back machine.
Week 35 miles on 4 runs. I was tired.
Saturday, March 24, 2018
Larry Yount
I was out on the road last week for work and decided to spend a long weekend visiting my Mom and siblings. This was very enjoyable and I did get to double digits on hot dog consumption. I did spend Saturday touring around North Park running the Lt. JC Stone 50k on the park roads. Started comfy, loosened up around 10 miles, stayed steady, and then bull winkled the final 10 at 8:08 pace. I'll take it. It was 17 degrees at the start, but the very low wind factor made it runnable. My 4:27 finish was 19 minutes faster than when I ran 4:46 here at the GNC 50k in 1999. It was a good trainer for Ice Age.
I consider myself knowledgeable about most all things related to running. I've been running since the 70s so I know how to run 20 miles without a bottle, power dump without travelers checks, flip my shorts around if I'm chafing, or even handle a couple farm bred canines. I never really accomplished anything in running, but certainly understand what accomplished ones look like. In the cartoon world I'm your Tennessee Tuxedo level. If I was a rock band then probably Bloodrock. Baseball player...similar to Larry Yount. Even looking at these they were all way beyond my grasp.
Beck of the Peck is a blog I read and I am reminded there of the amount of Shamanism that has entered our avocation. I don't wander much on the internet. I go to a couple blog sites and read the variety of blogs those folks have attached there. I do enjoy these. Much like looking up clips of the Pens and old movie dancers: (I'm probably unable to do this attachment correctly)
https://youtu.be/M1F0lBnsnkE
Regardless, the recent post had me linking to a few places I'd probably not find. What other world exists out there? I know I don't look like a runner, but how many runners exist that claim very respectful finish times and yet at the same time would blend in better for a China Buffet ad? Look I've ran a handful of ultra events and I can't pound out hundreds of miles using special drinks and a positive attitude. It got me to thinking of what people have told me over the years about what they were going to achieve. The mere act of discussing what you are going to achieve and dressing appropriately for the part ended up being enough. I'll leave it at that. I don't claim any extra special disposition, but do some people have any clue I'm not The Incredible Mr. Limpet? I know a good fish story when I hear one.
Last week 58.1 miles on 4 runs.
I consider myself knowledgeable about most all things related to running. I've been running since the 70s so I know how to run 20 miles without a bottle, power dump without travelers checks, flip my shorts around if I'm chafing, or even handle a couple farm bred canines. I never really accomplished anything in running, but certainly understand what accomplished ones look like. In the cartoon world I'm your Tennessee Tuxedo level. If I was a rock band then probably Bloodrock. Baseball player...similar to Larry Yount. Even looking at these they were all way beyond my grasp.
Beck of the Peck is a blog I read and I am reminded there of the amount of Shamanism that has entered our avocation. I don't wander much on the internet. I go to a couple blog sites and read the variety of blogs those folks have attached there. I do enjoy these. Much like looking up clips of the Pens and old movie dancers: (I'm probably unable to do this attachment correctly)
https://youtu.be/M1F0lBnsnkE
Regardless, the recent post had me linking to a few places I'd probably not find. What other world exists out there? I know I don't look like a runner, but how many runners exist that claim very respectful finish times and yet at the same time would blend in better for a China Buffet ad? Look I've ran a handful of ultra events and I can't pound out hundreds of miles using special drinks and a positive attitude. It got me to thinking of what people have told me over the years about what they were going to achieve. The mere act of discussing what you are going to achieve and dressing appropriately for the part ended up being enough. I'll leave it at that. I don't claim any extra special disposition, but do some people have any clue I'm not The Incredible Mr. Limpet? I know a good fish story when I hear one.
Last week 58.1 miles on 4 runs.
Sunday, March 11, 2018
Fisher's Big Wheel
I went for a run around 1pm today which is unusual for me. It was nice to run in shorts and the sunshine. I was out on the Ice Age up by Holy Hill and it was sloppy. As much as I was enjoying the solitude I became disenchanted when I began hitting 13-14 minute miles due to the footing. At one of the road sections I just beat it back around on the macadam. It is remote back there as many of you know. I just wound it out in low and enjoyed rural Washington County.
Just under 9 weeks to Ice Age and again I want to do well, but the will to do the extra stuff just is not there. The biggest gain I can make is to drop from 180 to 170. That's hard to do as I eat the same way I always do. Seems every time you turn around I'm supposed to be minding something else. I have zero problem running 60 a week, I just don't have the motivation to look after a sore knee, the PF creeping back, a week back, and anything that even resembles 8 minute miles let alone 7's. What am I talking about? The fastest run I had this week was in Peru, IL on the roads when I blazed 9:30 pace for 9.1 miles. I saw Beck writing about how retarded this whole exercise is and I can see his point. I've tried not to ponder the steady decline and yes I should be happy I can still move forward. Part of my wonderment is how I have fooled myself into believing that achieving 10 minute miles at Ice Age is solid as Sears.
62.1 miles this week on 6 runs.
Just under 9 weeks to Ice Age and again I want to do well, but the will to do the extra stuff just is not there. The biggest gain I can make is to drop from 180 to 170. That's hard to do as I eat the same way I always do. Seems every time you turn around I'm supposed to be minding something else. I have zero problem running 60 a week, I just don't have the motivation to look after a sore knee, the PF creeping back, a week back, and anything that even resembles 8 minute miles let alone 7's. What am I talking about? The fastest run I had this week was in Peru, IL on the roads when I blazed 9:30 pace for 9.1 miles. I saw Beck writing about how retarded this whole exercise is and I can see his point. I've tried not to ponder the steady decline and yes I should be happy I can still move forward. Part of my wonderment is how I have fooled myself into believing that achieving 10 minute miles at Ice Age is solid as Sears.
62.1 miles this week on 6 runs.
Sunday, March 4, 2018
I can mobilize 3 divisions in 48 hours
A couple weeks ago I learned that trying to run fast wears me out for a large part of the week. Being wore out means less miles and runs that have no rear end in them. I decided to give up (which is a common thing as I age) on this for now and just run easy. No pressure, just see if you can rack up 60-70 miles a week on 6 runs. The hope is as I thin out and get used to twinkle toeing around that perhaps I'll have a few runs that resemble running.
It seems at an elevated weight I can still set a treadmill goal time and distance and hit it. Just like I'm sure I could wallop a whiffle ball about as far as I could at 17 years old. Problem is I am waxed for a few days. Apparently the mental ability to finish the workout is still present. The ability to jog around easy and relax for a couple days is not. That's all I want to say about that. Some of you have already processed this.
But, as usual I have no plans on running slow at Ice Age in 10 weeks. I've dopamined myself into believing I'll stumble across a hot spot on that day and ride it in. Much like Bullwinkle, "Hey Rocky, watch me pull a rabbit out of my hat!" That's the plan. The funny thing is most of my peers are at the same point, or are busting apart. Ron Daws once said, "Who pulls a muscle at seven minute miles?" I'm feeling pretty good at tens.
Last week 50.2 on 5 runs.
This week 59.0 on 6 runs.
I turned on the TV last week. What motivates people to get mired in the garbage? It was like bizzaro world from Seinfeld. I guess living on 30 for 30 and M*A*S*H (Henry Blake era) reruns has left me lagging behind.
It seems at an elevated weight I can still set a treadmill goal time and distance and hit it. Just like I'm sure I could wallop a whiffle ball about as far as I could at 17 years old. Problem is I am waxed for a few days. Apparently the mental ability to finish the workout is still present. The ability to jog around easy and relax for a couple days is not. That's all I want to say about that. Some of you have already processed this.
But, as usual I have no plans on running slow at Ice Age in 10 weeks. I've dopamined myself into believing I'll stumble across a hot spot on that day and ride it in. Much like Bullwinkle, "Hey Rocky, watch me pull a rabbit out of my hat!" That's the plan. The funny thing is most of my peers are at the same point, or are busting apart. Ron Daws once said, "Who pulls a muscle at seven minute miles?" I'm feeling pretty good at tens.
Last week 50.2 on 5 runs.
This week 59.0 on 6 runs.
I turned on the TV last week. What motivates people to get mired in the garbage? It was like bizzaro world from Seinfeld. I guess living on 30 for 30 and M*A*S*H (Henry Blake era) reruns has left me lagging behind.
Saturday, March 3, 2018
What if
Recently someone brought up the question of how long does it take to do this running. My basic answer was with changing, running, and travel about 10-15 hours a week. That got me to thinking. What if my wife was a kiter. Not a real word, but someone who flew kites a lot. Almost everyday she had to get out and hang some air. Dark, windy, whatever it was necessary to maintain the edge and feed the drive. The basement and part of random rooms would have pieces of kites, manuals, and kite clothes all over. Several times a week the phone would start to make sounds as her buddies planned a mid week, or a blowout kite weekend. She'd think nothing of dropping $80 bucks to enter events and openly ask for me to come join her. Sure I'd go a few times and see what the draw was. I'd listen to people I don't know ramble on about aerodynamics, how Terrance lost the kite rally of '01 when he had to power dump, and that fact that kiter's may be the best group of people ever. Most of our extracurricular activities such as weddings, bar mitzvah's, and even vacations included these people. When all the fall leaves needed raking over the weekend you are told Shandra suddenly needs you to run the picket fence kite drill with her for a big event...you'll be back in 4-5 hours. Then you learn what we should really do next year after I qualify is travel to Ketchum, Idaho for the 75th annual Spearhawk G-Force Nationals. You'll freaking love it there and Barbie is bringing her family and dogs. Her husband Gene (or Steve I don't remember) is coming along and he knows a ton about butterflies. This is really cool that your wife does this. I mean she could be hanging out at bars, so you are really lucky.
Sunday, January 21, 2018
Corn King
I'm thinking I need to put a shorter race on the horizon so I have something to focus on. It will get me to look at losing a bit of weight and conduct a few faster workouts. I'm up near 179 which is about what I end up without any governance. The days of unbridled hamburgers and hot dogs, along with cake and ice cream almost daily will need to subside.
Maybe by next week I can report a mini race schedule. I think I'll spend the week deciding how the training should play out. It will be built around one primary long run a week. That is how far I have thought it through this year. Sure there will be 1-2 harder efforts a week, but I may eschew even a medium long run during the week. Would like to have a few double days and keep the weekly mileage over 60.
1/15 = AM, 5.0 (10:05) snowy roads
1/15 = PM, 5.5 (9:43) roads
1/16 = AM, 4.6 (10:56) snowy roads at 3am
1/17 = AM, 7.0 w/ 5.0 (7:37) progression on New Orleans t-mill
1/18 = PM, 7.1 (10:24) mostly road w/ Dewey and Tim
1/19 = AM, 4.3 (10:14) road
1/20 = AM, 13.5 (9:42) Fox loop+ on paved path w/ Dewey and Christine
1/21 = AM, 9.0 (9:43) Keesus+ on roads
Week = 56.0
Maybe by next week I can report a mini race schedule. I think I'll spend the week deciding how the training should play out. It will be built around one primary long run a week. That is how far I have thought it through this year. Sure there will be 1-2 harder efforts a week, but I may eschew even a medium long run during the week. Would like to have a few double days and keep the weekly mileage over 60.
1/15 = AM, 5.0 (10:05) snowy roads
1/15 = PM, 5.5 (9:43) roads
1/16 = AM, 4.6 (10:56) snowy roads at 3am
1/17 = AM, 7.0 w/ 5.0 (7:37) progression on New Orleans t-mill
1/18 = PM, 7.1 (10:24) mostly road w/ Dewey and Tim
1/19 = AM, 4.3 (10:14) road
1/20 = AM, 13.5 (9:42) Fox loop+ on paved path w/ Dewey and Christine
1/21 = AM, 9.0 (9:43) Keesus+ on roads
Week = 56.0
Sunday, January 14, 2018
Ode to the O & B
One of the greatest tools of the runner is the mighty out & back. I'm and O & B guy from way back. It's like you are getting away with something. I mean a 6 miler should be like a day off. You no sooner are getting warmed up and it's time to turn around and get back to the barn. Then it's like you're done for the day. I'm not sure why every 6 miler isn't an 8. Perhaps because 6 miles takes an hour now-a-days.
It is also real useful when picking the direction you are heading into. Take the bad stuff early on and get the reprieve on the way back. It seems like common sense. I'm the guy who plays a game with the climate control on the dash. I only allow myself one button decision, or one turn up or down per mile. The odometer has to hit the .0 for me to choose. If I forget or am distracted tough luck. Not sure of the purpose, but it makes me value my decision. Just like which direction I head out first running.
As I travel for work I end up in a lot of new destinations. What would life be like without the steady hand of the O & B? Keep it simple and head for the side roads. Again I say roads because all runners know that sidewalks in the winter are a cancer. Many do not shovel. Many do not look backing out the driveway. Many have hidden ice like a glazed donut. Many are real close to houses who let their dogs out at 5:30am and they try and play superhero. They are just no match for experienced dog warriors such as myself. It is all most embarrassing for the dog. For whatever reason they feel obligated to get up in here on me. It is just easier to be out on the road in these cases and have people flick their high beams at me to be assured I see them. Sometimes it's the zero move over policy so they can send me a message that I need to be on the sidewalk. What am I telling you all this for? You live it.
1/8 = 4.6 (10:29) roads home
1/9 = 4.6 (9:50) t-mill in Superior
1/10 = 6.0 (10:19) roads in Superior
1/11 = 4.6 (9:38) roads in Green Bay in shorts for a bonus 46F morning
1/12 = 5.3 (10:13) roads home
1/13 = 10.3 (9:47) roads in The Sha w/ Christine
1/14 = 8.0 (10:06) roads and trail home
Week = 43.4
It is also real useful when picking the direction you are heading into. Take the bad stuff early on and get the reprieve on the way back. It seems like common sense. I'm the guy who plays a game with the climate control on the dash. I only allow myself one button decision, or one turn up or down per mile. The odometer has to hit the .0 for me to choose. If I forget or am distracted tough luck. Not sure of the purpose, but it makes me value my decision. Just like which direction I head out first running.
As I travel for work I end up in a lot of new destinations. What would life be like without the steady hand of the O & B? Keep it simple and head for the side roads. Again I say roads because all runners know that sidewalks in the winter are a cancer. Many do not shovel. Many do not look backing out the driveway. Many have hidden ice like a glazed donut. Many are real close to houses who let their dogs out at 5:30am and they try and play superhero. They are just no match for experienced dog warriors such as myself. It is all most embarrassing for the dog. For whatever reason they feel obligated to get up in here on me. It is just easier to be out on the road in these cases and have people flick their high beams at me to be assured I see them. Sometimes it's the zero move over policy so they can send me a message that I need to be on the sidewalk. What am I telling you all this for? You live it.
1/8 = 4.6 (10:29) roads home
1/9 = 4.6 (9:50) t-mill in Superior
1/10 = 6.0 (10:19) roads in Superior
1/11 = 4.6 (9:38) roads in Green Bay in shorts for a bonus 46F morning
1/12 = 5.3 (10:13) roads home
1/13 = 10.3 (9:47) roads in The Sha w/ Christine
1/14 = 8.0 (10:06) roads and trail home
Week = 43.4
Saturday, January 6, 2018
...my friend can stick around
I recently penned that a goal of 3,000 miles seemed doable in 2018. By January 2nd I already knew that was not realistic and I did not need any extra pressure to perform. I do not think the word perform is wrong here. It would take a massive performance and commitment to devote that much time to such a frivolous number. Pardon me for losing my head for a second.
I have also learned and don't mind saying that I am becoming (or have already become) the slowest guy you are training with. I want the handful of friends who read this to know I may cause you to run slower than you want if we get together. I have no desire to move any faster than necessary, so please get out ahead of me. The good news is most of the shared runs are just that...shared runs. These are the highlight of my week away from work and into the world of conversation. Conversation...remember those days? Is it any wonder my closest friends are those I run with?
I'm tired, but in a really good way. The idea of getting out most days for 1-2 hours at pedestrian paces in winter conditions is awesome. Being under motivated is not an issue. Running in a comfortable relaxed pace with all these clothes on is a lot of extra work. There is only so much energy allotted me in a given day and all of us met it out as we see fit. Mine goes to work, running, and the social discourse required for relationships outside the first two time magnets. Some of you may be thinking this attitude will pass on my part, but it will not. For the past several years it has become apparent to me there is a trade off. Run less + cross train + do healthy crap = faster times/running. Not interested. I'll do what I want which is essentially run most days and be happy that I still can.
This in no way means that when races come up I don't do the best I can. Most races I enter are to essentially do that. Since I am my own best friend I typically enjoy doing hard workouts myself. They are my workouts. No different than the books I choose to read, but I have to tell you up front that apart from that I am slow. Here is the index to what I'm talking about:
Winter trails = 10 - 13 minute miles
Summer trails = 9 - 11 minute miles
Winter roads = 9:30 - 10:30 miles
Summer roads = 8:45 - 10 minute miles.
So if you reach out to me to do a run...thanks for including me. It will be the highlight of my running week. If you think by some reason I may want to thrash around a bit you are probably wrong. I simply won't run less during the week to feel better. I have not reached that stage yet. Sure I'll run 30 seconds faster a mile faster a mile if that's the deal, but past that erodes my running enthusiasm for the days ahead.
The disclaimer is this is not the present situation with any of my running friends. The runs have been actually at pace perfect. However, Ice Age looms just over 4 months away and if it appears I'm sand bagging I am not. That's all I have for that day.
I have also learned and don't mind saying that I am becoming (or have already become) the slowest guy you are training with. I want the handful of friends who read this to know I may cause you to run slower than you want if we get together. I have no desire to move any faster than necessary, so please get out ahead of me. The good news is most of the shared runs are just that...shared runs. These are the highlight of my week away from work and into the world of conversation. Conversation...remember those days? Is it any wonder my closest friends are those I run with?
I'm tired, but in a really good way. The idea of getting out most days for 1-2 hours at pedestrian paces in winter conditions is awesome. Being under motivated is not an issue. Running in a comfortable relaxed pace with all these clothes on is a lot of extra work. There is only so much energy allotted me in a given day and all of us met it out as we see fit. Mine goes to work, running, and the social discourse required for relationships outside the first two time magnets. Some of you may be thinking this attitude will pass on my part, but it will not. For the past several years it has become apparent to me there is a trade off. Run less + cross train + do healthy crap = faster times/running. Not interested. I'll do what I want which is essentially run most days and be happy that I still can.
This in no way means that when races come up I don't do the best I can. Most races I enter are to essentially do that. Since I am my own best friend I typically enjoy doing hard workouts myself. They are my workouts. No different than the books I choose to read, but I have to tell you up front that apart from that I am slow. Here is the index to what I'm talking about:
Winter trails = 10 - 13 minute miles
Summer trails = 9 - 11 minute miles
Winter roads = 9:30 - 10:30 miles
Summer roads = 8:45 - 10 minute miles.
So if you reach out to me to do a run...thanks for including me. It will be the highlight of my running week. If you think by some reason I may want to thrash around a bit you are probably wrong. I simply won't run less during the week to feel better. I have not reached that stage yet. Sure I'll run 30 seconds faster a mile faster a mile if that's the deal, but past that erodes my running enthusiasm for the days ahead.
The disclaimer is this is not the present situation with any of my running friends. The runs have been actually at pace perfect. However, Ice Age looms just over 4 months away and if it appears I'm sand bagging I am not. That's all I have for that day.
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