I marshaled through 14 miles Christmas morning. At first it was to be 10 and get 4 in later, but with the busyness of the day I just knocked it out. Towards the end there is a local ballpark I tend to run around the perimeter on. There is a little trail that does not look like much, but this time I ran it. To my surprise it actually leads somewhere. The one branch goes about a half mile to the Oconomowoc River. The other branch after a half mile I had to turn back. I’m hoping to explore this. It has signs set up for snowmobiles so I’m hoping I can find a tie into the Ice Age. It would be a cool find to cut out road sections.
The evening was gorgeous. While everyone played cards I took Cookie for a walk. Hardly any wind. Very few vehicles. Mid 50s. As the sun was setting a farmer showed up to gather what was left of a big field of soybeans. We watched the big equipment work for a bit. It felt great to be outside again. Some mornings throughout the year as I am taking advantage of getting out exploring, often I’m baffled at the lack of others not getting out. I can’t tell you how many splendid days you can be tooling along and see no one. Days like today...yes there are people out. On a crisp 20 degree day with low wind...virtually zero people.
The Bugline trail runs near our place. It is a 16 mile paved trail that is not plowed in the winter. The snowmobiles get it then. Now if your dog makes deposits wouldn’t you at least kick it to the side? What’s the thought process here? Also is it mandatory for bikers to drop the banana peels on the trail? Dole sticker included? And when I run down this fabulous road they put in by the house that looks like a speedway, what’s the deal with people chucking their garbage out? Paint cans, beverage containers, fast food bags, etc. It is a rural road about 2.5 miles long that curves through some decent looking area. Not much traffic outside of those who live there. Plenty of locals walking, taking out the dog, or bicycling. Why are you throwing out your trash and destroying the new shoulders with the big truck tires? I know this is everywhere, but give me a break. Do I sound like an old man now?
Thursday, December 26, 2019
Monday, December 23, 2019
Magic carpets made of steel
Somewhere in that first season at our home course about 25-30 of us took off across the golf course. We wore sprinters spikes back in the day for stuff like this. Those fairways were crisp and clean. By now we had literally ran against a couple of the best teams in the state. I say this because we still had no idea what each new team we faced had for runners. On this little adventure not too many were ahead of me after the first half mile. Another mile goes by and it is basically 2 of us and 2 of them spread out by maybe 40 yards. I don't recall anything suddenly changing, but by 2 miles I found myself in the lead for the first time in my life. Thoughts of securing a win for the first time ever entered my mind, but at the same time I was fearful it would suddenly be snatched away. This was all new to me and I ran on in fear. At each turn I was looking back to see what the lay of the land was. On our course after the final turn you ran 400 yards straight to the finish. It was slightly uphill the whole way and I felt if I had the lead by then I would win. Nothing dramatic to report. I continued on without a challenge and won the race. Even better for us is we secured our second victory of the year. Maybe we could be better than we thought with a little work. It never entered my mind before the season that I would enjoy this as much as I did.
Fast forward to today and I can say that getting out multiple times a day is hard on me. The easy nature of the pace and workout is not difficult, but the oldness of the body is apparent. Still hoping to get slower and eventually cover more weekly miles at a pace I feel I need to zero in on the day. Some days I get stiff and it is uncomfortable. Perhaps the body can adjust. I understand there are several better ways to train than this. If I stepped out of my body and looked at me I would advise me totally different. I also can't step out of my body because if I could I would step into someone else's and run the crap out of it. Kind of like the Vulcan mind meld. Not sure what the end game is other than I have stated before. Pile up miles when I can and a big taper. Life doesn't stop for stuff like this. Every day can be a kaleidoscope of work and events that others deem more important than climbing into your brain and leaning into the bitter cold dark mornings. Playing Green Grass and High Tides on memory only helps for tiny amounts of the continuum. At some point there has to be satisfaction in touching the orange sign way up through the woods at the top of the hill 4 miles away and then turning for home. Your worst enemy then becomes yourself as you think up another mini adventure you can add to this run. In the end it is best to get back. Not because it is the healthiest or best idea, but because in my little piece of America I have a job. Besides I need to save a piece of myself for the evening if possible. That's the joy of dog ownership.
82.5 miles for the week.
Fast forward to today and I can say that getting out multiple times a day is hard on me. The easy nature of the pace and workout is not difficult, but the oldness of the body is apparent. Still hoping to get slower and eventually cover more weekly miles at a pace I feel I need to zero in on the day. Some days I get stiff and it is uncomfortable. Perhaps the body can adjust. I understand there are several better ways to train than this. If I stepped out of my body and looked at me I would advise me totally different. I also can't step out of my body because if I could I would step into someone else's and run the crap out of it. Kind of like the Vulcan mind meld. Not sure what the end game is other than I have stated before. Pile up miles when I can and a big taper. Life doesn't stop for stuff like this. Every day can be a kaleidoscope of work and events that others deem more important than climbing into your brain and leaning into the bitter cold dark mornings. Playing Green Grass and High Tides on memory only helps for tiny amounts of the continuum. At some point there has to be satisfaction in touching the orange sign way up through the woods at the top of the hill 4 miles away and then turning for home. Your worst enemy then becomes yourself as you think up another mini adventure you can add to this run. In the end it is best to get back. Not because it is the healthiest or best idea, but because in my little piece of America I have a job. Besides I need to save a piece of myself for the evening if possible. That's the joy of dog ownership.
82.5 miles for the week.
Monday, December 16, 2019
Road to perdition
Last night I could feel it. Sha-Sha-dubbie I was in tatters. But I laid low and didn't want to mentally handicap myself for the following day. It was really feeling necessary to have a day off, but that is the bane of high mileage weeks. A freakin' scourge to the whole operation. When you go to the biggest dance of the year you dance with the one who brung ya. Fortunately Monday was an off work day so I had plenty of time to grab 14 cups of coffee and get my mind right. Come to think of it this would be perfect training. Part of the idea is to see how to get stuff done. I ventured out on the first effort and it went well. The second effort of the day went well also so I feel like Dick's hat band already. Three more hours I'll take Cookie out for a power jog.
Then there is the dog. She's pretty use to the idea of not getting involved early. Any time after that she's does that stare at you deal and follow you around at the slightest movement. Remember the movie Animal House when Belusi gives that big speech about the German's bombing Pearl Harbor?
Then everyone's a dead man and he gets up having thought he rallied the troops and heads out all fired up...but no one comes. The dog does this all the time. Jump up and down and look excited and then get in front of you and run to the door. It's annoying. Does the same thing when she thinks it is time to eat.
Then there is the dog. She's pretty use to the idea of not getting involved early. Any time after that she's does that stare at you deal and follow you around at the slightest movement. Remember the movie Animal House when Belusi gives that big speech about the German's bombing Pearl Harbor?
Then everyone's a dead man and he gets up having thought he rallied the troops and heads out all fired up...but no one comes. The dog does this all the time. Jump up and down and look excited and then get in front of you and run to the door. It's annoying. Does the same thing when she thinks it is time to eat.
Sunday, December 15, 2019
What brings you up so high
The plug has been pulled and I am officially signed up for the Big Hill Bonk event. This is a last man standing race and the winner does gain entry via golden ticket to Big's Backyard Ultra. Now I have no allusions of grandeur that I might be that last person. I am a reasonable sot. The mindset is around being in the arena. You know, out there slugging it out doing the best I can do because at the end of the day I can certainly point to things not in my favor. We all can. That is the attraction. There is also the fact that you never know when the adventure bus makes the last stop.
Here is where I am at with this thing. Now granted, there are many items one has to consider before the initial starter pistol cracks. I only think about those in passing for now because the event is April 3rd. I have a couple months to start chewing on strategies, fueling, weather, sleep, gear, etc. My concern is getting my body beat into shape to keep on trucking big mamma status. When I moved to Florida in 1984 and drove through the night, somewhere around the GA/FL border at 1am in the morning I saw a bumper sticker. That sticker said, "If you don't like Hank Williams you can kiss my a$$. That's how my training is going to be.
When training for a marathon I found the concept of knowing exactly what you should be capable of running per mile the correct strategy for me. The training is hard; grueling actually. Running hard requires a lot of recovery when you are continually dialing it up. That's mostly why we train so we can learn to run and train faster. Well I ain't doing any of that. This process is learning to run slower. I still like to know where I should be per mile, but learning to pace yourself to run slow is also challenging. But if you are going to be in an event that requires moving until no one else is then
you have to learn to be a bulwark gliding through the seas. You better be able to take a pounding.
In summary this means I will attempt to cover many miles slowly. I'm working on running strategies in MY MIND each day. Because my back/hip could make me cash this all in early, I'm going to attempt to fix this by trying to create a reproducible (Thanks for the verbiage Clem) effort everyday. I feel like I have many more ignoramus comments to make, but I will share those down the line with my trusted 6 readers later.
100.6 miles for the week. Back a bit tender.
Here is where I am at with this thing. Now granted, there are many items one has to consider before the initial starter pistol cracks. I only think about those in passing for now because the event is April 3rd. I have a couple months to start chewing on strategies, fueling, weather, sleep, gear, etc. My concern is getting my body beat into shape to keep on trucking big mamma status. When I moved to Florida in 1984 and drove through the night, somewhere around the GA/FL border at 1am in the morning I saw a bumper sticker. That sticker said, "If you don't like Hank Williams you can kiss my a$$. That's how my training is going to be.
When training for a marathon I found the concept of knowing exactly what you should be capable of running per mile the correct strategy for me. The training is hard; grueling actually. Running hard requires a lot of recovery when you are continually dialing it up. That's mostly why we train so we can learn to run and train faster. Well I ain't doing any of that. This process is learning to run slower. I still like to know where I should be per mile, but learning to pace yourself to run slow is also challenging. But if you are going to be in an event that requires moving until no one else is then
you have to learn to be a bulwark gliding through the seas. You better be able to take a pounding.
In summary this means I will attempt to cover many miles slowly. I'm working on running strategies in MY MIND each day. Because my back/hip could make me cash this all in early, I'm going to attempt to fix this by trying to create a reproducible (Thanks for the verbiage Clem) effort everyday. I feel like I have many more ignoramus comments to make, but I will share those down the line with my trusted 6 readers later.
100.6 miles for the week. Back a bit tender.
Monday, December 9, 2019
Chunks of guys
During the first season, it is hard to recall what we actually did for training. We met about 2 weeks prior to the first meet and then raced twice a week. Being a new team, we had no weekend invites to attend so we were on our own on the weekends. Actually, us not knowing any better was probably the best action. Race a couple times a week to get used to how all that worked and then a few days of easy miles with sprints thrown in. As mentioned before most of us operated at a high level of activity outside of any sport events. We biked everywhere, always had pick-up games, and every free study hall we were in the gym playing floor hockey. Every once in awhile we played dodge ball just to loosen up the wing a little bit. The main goal was not to catch one in the conch at close range.
So I'm still daydreaming here on how to train and execute at a last man standing event. I'm off today so I'm working on getting up the nerve to actually enter the event here in Wisconsin for April 3rd. I want to get in the arena, primarily because at 58 one starts to see the light at the end of the tunnel may be turned off due to indifference. I don't believe my biggest challenge is in the training. I'm just not any good at anything over 8-10 hours and that's probably generous. Off course this is part of the draw. The other item is reaction to lack of sleep. You really can't practice this. This event starts at 5:30pm so you have to get through the first night. I am sleeping by 8pm most nights and it is not uncommon for me to be asleep already by 7pm this time of the year. Yes...I am up at the crack of nuts. That's where all my best training slots are.
But this might be an advantage for me. Many multi day participants of note in various sports have noted that a 5-10 minute nap can be very helpful. Since you have to be at the starting line every 60 minutes, one would be very lucky to get this long of shut eye, but it is possible I'm told if you are quick enough and tired enough to go to sleep. As I will probably be tired due to my current routine, perhaps I can get a few micro naps in the first night. For those who choose to marshal through without any sleep it will be difficult to do during the day. In this event that is the rub. It will not get dark the second night about 26+ hours after the initial start. How many people are going to still be standing? Probably not this guy, but I would rather be the person who grab a few winks earlier.
One other concern is oldness. We all tighten up and get creaky after many hours of running. For me the issue is it seems to be multiplied in specific areas. Once you get off kilter it really plays havoc on the posture, back, and hip region. Heck this happens working in the yard. I've looked and there is no silver bullet for this. That's why my training plan is all about running/walking slow to mimic the pace and piling up miles. It's the only current way I know to mimic reality.
So I'm still daydreaming here on how to train and execute at a last man standing event. I'm off today so I'm working on getting up the nerve to actually enter the event here in Wisconsin for April 3rd. I want to get in the arena, primarily because at 58 one starts to see the light at the end of the tunnel may be turned off due to indifference. I don't believe my biggest challenge is in the training. I'm just not any good at anything over 8-10 hours and that's probably generous. Off course this is part of the draw. The other item is reaction to lack of sleep. You really can't practice this. This event starts at 5:30pm so you have to get through the first night. I am sleeping by 8pm most nights and it is not uncommon for me to be asleep already by 7pm this time of the year. Yes...I am up at the crack of nuts. That's where all my best training slots are.
But this might be an advantage for me. Many multi day participants of note in various sports have noted that a 5-10 minute nap can be very helpful. Since you have to be at the starting line every 60 minutes, one would be very lucky to get this long of shut eye, but it is possible I'm told if you are quick enough and tired enough to go to sleep. As I will probably be tired due to my current routine, perhaps I can get a few micro naps in the first night. For those who choose to marshal through without any sleep it will be difficult to do during the day. In this event that is the rub. It will not get dark the second night about 26+ hours after the initial start. How many people are going to still be standing? Probably not this guy, but I would rather be the person who grab a few winks earlier.
One other concern is oldness. We all tighten up and get creaky after many hours of running. For me the issue is it seems to be multiplied in specific areas. Once you get off kilter it really plays havoc on the posture, back, and hip region. Heck this happens working in the yard. I've looked and there is no silver bullet for this. That's why my training plan is all about running/walking slow to mimic the pace and piling up miles. It's the only current way I know to mimic reality.
Sunday, December 8, 2019
Atlas Shrugged
As the season progressed that first season I would get incredibly worked up and nervous before meets during school. I mean I was almost ill. The butterflies were that bad. On the bus ride to meets I was so mentally wore out that I would curl up on the bus seat and go to sleep. The over riding thing that I thought about was the pain. Though I was learning a little it still came hard. When we started off I fled to the front determined to venture out as long as I could. We knew no better, no one advised us any different, and being our first year we had no idea how good any of the teams were. It turned out more often than not that they were a whole planetary system ahead of us in most cases. As previously mentioned the one team in our county was state champs that year.
Back to the pain. There is something awesome about flying across a golf course or athletic field near full tilt. Everyone of us was ass over tin cup. Honestly it felt good to be in it for a quarter mile or so. For me that first year I'd hang tough about a half mile and then the cream of the crop easily ground my bones to make their bread. In a couple races I faded and our best senior beat me out. He ran the 880 during track season and he was the funniest guy on the team. He would have been great had he been able to have had a couple seasons under his belt. He was always yelling at people during the race in a comical way.
After that first half mile the pain was already on board. As I said earlier you also find out the people you are typically near by the mile marker are the ones you end up racing against. You just don't want to be soft and give in. If I could maintain contact there was a reasonable chance I could find another gear near the end. I have nothing like that now, but I did then. It is a nice thing to have and I learned not everyone has it...though at the time I believed everyone did. I know it was the lowest rung of XC, but man I loved it.
Finished the week with 83.7 miles and I'm signed up for the Ice Age 50 mile in May.
Back to the pain. There is something awesome about flying across a golf course or athletic field near full tilt. Everyone of us was ass over tin cup. Honestly it felt good to be in it for a quarter mile or so. For me that first year I'd hang tough about a half mile and then the cream of the crop easily ground my bones to make their bread. In a couple races I faded and our best senior beat me out. He ran the 880 during track season and he was the funniest guy on the team. He would have been great had he been able to have had a couple seasons under his belt. He was always yelling at people during the race in a comical way.
After that first half mile the pain was already on board. As I said earlier you also find out the people you are typically near by the mile marker are the ones you end up racing against. You just don't want to be soft and give in. If I could maintain contact there was a reasonable chance I could find another gear near the end. I have nothing like that now, but I did then. It is a nice thing to have and I learned not everyone has it...though at the time I believed everyone did. I know it was the lowest rung of XC, but man I loved it.
Finished the week with 83.7 miles and I'm signed up for the Ice Age 50 mile in May.
Friday, November 29, 2019
Look inside for details
The one meet which cemented my enjoyment of XC was our meet at Riverside. When we arrived there was also another team they had on the schedule (Center HS) that day so with three teams there was a pretty sizeable field. Again this was all new to us. I had never heard of Center HS at that point in time as they were from another county. With a few races under our belts we knew the drill. Leave a bit early from school, learn the course, and dress for the weather. I liked a t-shirt under the race tops we had. All green with Spartans in white diagonally across the front. This day was a wet one. The course was okay, but it was overcast and plenty of rain had fallen. By now after running against some really good teams you figure out just let them fast ones go after a couple hundred yards. Thing is we are not educated enough to know who is who so you just wing it by perception. If that doesn't work then look around after a half mile and these are the folks you are probably going to be competing with.
This course largely ran around the high school property. You had a little bit of everything. A bit of macadam, sections of woods, and large grass field areas around the football field and perimeter. About a mile into the run I am running back and forth with one person from Riverside and one from Center. Honestly I have no idea what place we are in, but we do occasionally run by a few folks. I still remember the feeling of the first time of being comfortable running off their pace. Consciously my job was let them dictate the pace and I'll spend my time reacting to it. Several times I questioned my ability to hang, but strangely enough there were times they showed vulnerability and suddenly I'd be in front of them.
If there was one thing I felt I was marginally good at it was my willingness to kick it in at the end. My speed was decent and there always seemed to be an extra gear there one could touch off. The trick is knowing when. As we came down to a quarter mile to go you headed towards this one small sapling, made a sharp left, and ran on the grass beside the road about 300 yards to the finish. The three of us are still together and as I make the sharp left my feet go right out from under me and within a split second I hammer the ground. It is like someone shakes you out of a dream. The grass was cold and wet and those two guys are barreling for home. There is no planning now. How did Mike Tyson put it? Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face. As you have probably figured out by now, I was able to get past these two guys and finished 5th overall. I still remember the three of us chatting afterwards and them asking me what grade I was in. One of them was a junior and the other a senior. It felt good. Better yet my Dad was there as he really enjoyed coming to the races and then talking about them.
I'm still getting out about everyday learning how to run slow. I had the opportunity to see some people at Joel's annual fun run. Always good to catch up and see what people have been doing. We ran at Nashotah which I really like. It is only 9 miles away. I think I'll try and get out there more. I put in 10.6 miles this morning. I'm going back out now with the dog. She likes 2.5 miles, so that is the plan.
This course largely ran around the high school property. You had a little bit of everything. A bit of macadam, sections of woods, and large grass field areas around the football field and perimeter. About a mile into the run I am running back and forth with one person from Riverside and one from Center. Honestly I have no idea what place we are in, but we do occasionally run by a few folks. I still remember the feeling of the first time of being comfortable running off their pace. Consciously my job was let them dictate the pace and I'll spend my time reacting to it. Several times I questioned my ability to hang, but strangely enough there were times they showed vulnerability and suddenly I'd be in front of them.
If there was one thing I felt I was marginally good at it was my willingness to kick it in at the end. My speed was decent and there always seemed to be an extra gear there one could touch off. The trick is knowing when. As we came down to a quarter mile to go you headed towards this one small sapling, made a sharp left, and ran on the grass beside the road about 300 yards to the finish. The three of us are still together and as I make the sharp left my feet go right out from under me and within a split second I hammer the ground. It is like someone shakes you out of a dream. The grass was cold and wet and those two guys are barreling for home. There is no planning now. How did Mike Tyson put it? Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face. As you have probably figured out by now, I was able to get past these two guys and finished 5th overall. I still remember the three of us chatting afterwards and them asking me what grade I was in. One of them was a junior and the other a senior. It felt good. Better yet my Dad was there as he really enjoyed coming to the races and then talking about them.
I'm still getting out about everyday learning how to run slow. I had the opportunity to see some people at Joel's annual fun run. Always good to catch up and see what people have been doing. We ran at Nashotah which I really like. It is only 9 miles away. I think I'll try and get out there more. I put in 10.6 miles this morning. I'm going back out now with the dog. She likes 2.5 miles, so that is the plan.
Wednesday, November 27, 2019
Big Brain
After the Union meet we go face some really good programs. Teams such as New Castle, Mohawk, and Neshannock are just handing our heads to us. As I recall we ran Neshannock as our first home meet ever at the Green Meadows Golf Course. Coach grabs a measuring wheel somewhere and starts measuring out the course. I askes how he was measuring out of curiosity and he said 1,760 revolutions at a yard each make a mile. We ran 3 miles back then. I'm no math whiz, but I am a counter. I use numbers and letters in my daily life to compare distances, find matches, and estimate things without having to think about it. I count stair steps, look for letter matches in sentences, and guess step distances to objects quite a bit. Not enough where you know I'm doing it, but left alone these are just things my thoughts go to. Any who I point out right away that this particular wheel would need to be 36" in circumfrence and this one is clearly over 5 feet. No one there is buying it and I even grab a measuring tape and prove this particular wheel he has is 1,000 revolutions to the mile. We have the data. No one listens or cares and they go lay out the course.
When we come to race day against Neshannock (They win the AA Boys State title this year by 43 points) I personally go to their coach (who happens to live in our school district right near our high school) and point out this course is at least 5+ miles long. In fact it was laid out in two loops. This may have also clouded his judgement as he tells me after the walk through that it looks accurate to him. Again...what do I know I'm some sophomore in high school.
The race starts and the butt kicking starts early. We can't even match pace with the JV guys. One thing for sure is we have been running a long time. Suddenly out of no where they stop us around 4 miles. It was confusing. You are done now. Right here...just stop running. Thing is after Bailey and Gibson (sub 10 2-mile guys in track) went through the first loop in 15 minutes they realized something is wrong. This was one of the first times in my life that I realized people will ignore hard data if it is presented by someone they discount.
I have still not entered the last man standing event. I have been training with my thoughts geared towards this. In real life I should step outside my body, look at the shell that remains, and then construct an unbiased training program based on all the evidence which I have intimate knowledge. This probably won't happen because these events are unconventional. It is becoming clearer to me the approach may be what I have been suspecting. One needs to train to go slower. Master the time continuum and know exactly what 55 minute loops should feel like. Train for hours a day and master the run/walk strategy. I am recognizing that even being old, crippled, and slow that it can be hard to train this slow. If I was to offer any advice at this point I would tell the faster folks to learn to slow down. It will be a simpler thing to do for me beacause my regular training pace is 10-11 minute miles on the road. If you are a 7-8 person you better practice because there are things your body will absorb differently if not wired in. I'm probably wrong, but I'm probably right.
When we come to race day against Neshannock (They win the AA Boys State title this year by 43 points) I personally go to their coach (who happens to live in our school district right near our high school) and point out this course is at least 5+ miles long. In fact it was laid out in two loops. This may have also clouded his judgement as he tells me after the walk through that it looks accurate to him. Again...what do I know I'm some sophomore in high school.
The race starts and the butt kicking starts early. We can't even match pace with the JV guys. One thing for sure is we have been running a long time. Suddenly out of no where they stop us around 4 miles. It was confusing. You are done now. Right here...just stop running. Thing is after Bailey and Gibson (sub 10 2-mile guys in track) went through the first loop in 15 minutes they realized something is wrong. This was one of the first times in my life that I realized people will ignore hard data if it is presented by someone they discount.
I have still not entered the last man standing event. I have been training with my thoughts geared towards this. In real life I should step outside my body, look at the shell that remains, and then construct an unbiased training program based on all the evidence which I have intimate knowledge. This probably won't happen because these events are unconventional. It is becoming clearer to me the approach may be what I have been suspecting. One needs to train to go slower. Master the time continuum and know exactly what 55 minute loops should feel like. Train for hours a day and master the run/walk strategy. I am recognizing that even being old, crippled, and slow that it can be hard to train this slow. If I was to offer any advice at this point I would tell the faster folks to learn to slow down. It will be a simpler thing to do for me beacause my regular training pace is 10-11 minute miles on the road. If you are a 7-8 person you better practice because there are things your body will absorb differently if not wired in. I'm probably wrong, but I'm probably right.
Monday, November 18, 2019
No was all he said
Our high school is about a 20-25 minute drive from Union. Most everyone has a race story to tell which is what makes the sport pretty cool. No matter where you are, you are racing against someone else. Teammates included. The tradition back then was to stand and sing the school song shortly before reaching the high school. Might sound hokey now, but that was the drill. Just before this happens the results make it to the back of the bus and I see Laurel 27, Union 28. I yell up the coach to ask him why he hadn't told us we had won? He asked what was I talking about and I said low score wins in XC. His direct comment was that he thought is was scored like football. "No wonder the other coach kept telling me nice job!" Turns out we assumed we lost because they took the first 2 spots. We went 3, 4, 5, 6, 9 = 27 and they went 1, 2, 7, 8, 10 = 28. We had won our first competition. I'll be honest, I was hooked from there on out. In my mind it was the biggest XC win we had over the next few decades. First because we went 5 - 27 my 3 years there. Second after our class graduated it was decades before they ever started a team up again. Yes we were that bad, but everyone of us enjoyed it immensely. At my 40th reunion one of my classmates came up to me and said I was never a real fast runner, but because of your encouragement I still run today. I think that is now the biggest win.
On the current running front I am still pondering the last man standing event. Slots are slipping away. It is hard to honest with yourself. I hit the snuff can for over 30 years. Hardest thing I ever did was quit that. It was a friend that would never leave you. It feels a bit like that.
On the current running front I am still pondering the last man standing event. Slots are slipping away. It is hard to honest with yourself. I hit the snuff can for over 30 years. Hardest thing I ever did was quit that. It was a friend that would never leave you. It feels a bit like that.
Didn't put enough dirt down
We rocket off the starting line and man does it feel good. Looks like we all have the same strategy. After a couple hundred yards we begin to thin out. Soon after this and I mean real soon people drop like flies. Not a half mile into this thing and there are five of us up front with 2.5 miles to go. This is all new to me, but one thing is clear...I'm hurting already. All I know is it is a race. My job is to catch those guys ahead of me. We spread out. There are huge gaps of space between anyone I can see. With a mile to go it is clear I am not catching anyone ahead of me. I really had no idea that running could be this painful. This particular course has a gradual uphill the last quarter mile. There is no fan fair, you simply run to the finish line and it is all over. I don't recall having anyone finish near me. Coach seems glad to see me. I finish 3rd overall. Glad that is over. Everyone else seems to be like me. Tired as hell and bent over. My buddy Rob has the dry heaves. There are a few sprint finishes between teammates and competitors. Not long after this we climb on the bus and head home. Welcome to cross-country.
Today was an off day. Felt like a wash rag that you wring out. I cooked breakfast for Mrs. D and coaxed her into going to the 9am service today. Initially I was thinking of an easy hour or so, but at some point common sense has to kick in. I did stroll with the dog an easy hour at dusk. The public hunting area is right by my house with the gun club across the road. Tomorrow if an off day and thoughts of getting my hunting license is on my mind. You never know when something might be the last time you do that. Hunting was a favorite growing up. We shall see.
Today was an off day. Felt like a wash rag that you wring out. I cooked breakfast for Mrs. D and coaxed her into going to the 9am service today. Initially I was thinking of an easy hour or so, but at some point common sense has to kick in. I did stroll with the dog an easy hour at dusk. The public hunting area is right by my house with the gun club across the road. Tomorrow if an off day and thoughts of getting my hunting license is on my mind. You never know when something might be the last time you do that. Hunting was a favorite growing up. We shall see.
Saturday, November 16, 2019
I was drivin' that Model A
My recollection is we would leave early from school to go compete. Down to the locker room, change, roll up your stuff, and jump on the bus. Our team was about 15 guys. The group thinned out a few spots as some decided it wasn't for them. Some of the older guys (I had not turned 15 yet) who had been around and competed in track were busy rubbing themselves down with Mint Glo, which was a strong smelling product like Bengay. I guess the purpose was to warm up the muscles, but I didn't like the feel. Things were pretty loose on the way down. Once you arrived you got busy walking and touring the course so you knew where to be running. This would turn out to be an issue in the future as you'd forget where to go. As the time for the race approached I would get really nervous. I'd get all geared up. We would receive starting directions and soon after the little starters pistol would crack sending everyone flying out. No specific instructions from coach. You just made the best of it. It would be my first experience in a varsity sport and I was pumped to be flying our green and white colors.
I put in 32.3 kilometers today. It was a rather easy effort. I started at 5:30am and just kind of made my way. Just before halfway I stopped at the gas station my wife works at and picked up some Gatorade and a breakfast eggroll which was nasty. My back began to tighten up around 13-14 miles. This is the thing I'm trying to figure out. Perhaps it can be overcome, perhaps not. I intermixed about 15-20% walking and averaged 12:22 per mile. Running like this allows you to cover great distances, but it takes mucho time. I may take the dog out again like yesterday, but not in any exercise mode. She seems to like doing whatever nonsense dogs do. Dog owners know the drill. This dog does like to eat snow and for whatever reason chew on a pile of leaves once every now and then. There is one house with a chain link fence we pass that has 2-3 dogs that go bananas when we go by. The owner comes out almost every time and yells for them to knock it off. It seems to annoy him. Cookie gets a rise out of it. It's one of the things we both enjoy.
Big league tip for anyone who uses the roads a lot like I do. Get off or be prepared to get wayyyy off the road for every passing vehicle. There are multiple people every single day that don't give a rat's rump about you. It is very similar as when you are driving and the lane coming the other way has another vehicle or obstruction in the lane and the car coming towards you never thinks twice about coming into your lane. They are not going to wait, slow down, or yield to your right of way. They don't care, are stupid, or in some manner have no grasp of the responsibility of piloting 4,000 pounds of metal within feet of another object.
I put in 32.3 kilometers today. It was a rather easy effort. I started at 5:30am and just kind of made my way. Just before halfway I stopped at the gas station my wife works at and picked up some Gatorade and a breakfast eggroll which was nasty. My back began to tighten up around 13-14 miles. This is the thing I'm trying to figure out. Perhaps it can be overcome, perhaps not. I intermixed about 15-20% walking and averaged 12:22 per mile. Running like this allows you to cover great distances, but it takes mucho time. I may take the dog out again like yesterday, but not in any exercise mode. She seems to like doing whatever nonsense dogs do. Dog owners know the drill. This dog does like to eat snow and for whatever reason chew on a pile of leaves once every now and then. There is one house with a chain link fence we pass that has 2-3 dogs that go bananas when we go by. The owner comes out almost every time and yells for them to knock it off. It seems to annoy him. Cookie gets a rise out of it. It's one of the things we both enjoy.
Big league tip for anyone who uses the roads a lot like I do. Get off or be prepared to get wayyyy off the road for every passing vehicle. There are multiple people every single day that don't give a rat's rump about you. It is very similar as when you are driving and the lane coming the other way has another vehicle or obstruction in the lane and the car coming towards you never thinks twice about coming into your lane. They are not going to wait, slow down, or yield to your right of way. They don't care, are stupid, or in some manner have no grasp of the responsibility of piloting 4,000 pounds of metal within feet of another object.
Friday, November 15, 2019
You can't go it alone
The remarkable thing about practice that year was that I don't really have a good memory of what we did. There certainly were not any "distance runs" and if there was it was a few loops around the school property. After a few days you had an idea of who was capable of what. I was fortunate in the speed category, so anything we did I was at the front. After two weeks with no standard to compare ourselves with, off we went into our first dual meet competition. Looking back we had absolutely no idea of what we were doing. Our coach was a young guy who's job at the high school was to supervise the kids serving suspension. There was zero introduction to the sport. Being somewhat inclined to understand the sport, I found a primer on XC and learned how the scoring worked. What happened at our little race taught me it is possible to see results one way and end up with a different outcome.
So after work yesterday we had to be somewhere at 5:30. That meant no miles for the dog. She got even though and tore through the trash in the middle of the night to get at some left overs. This rarely happens, but the thing is after she completes the deal she wakes me so I can retrieve her water. No conscious. At 13 she is no different than when she was 3. One difference. She will still blow after wildlife and pull something and then be on the IR a few days.
A large part of me understands that to continue as a runner some compromises need to be made. Forget about the slow down phase that has come. The next progression involves extending the running life by reducing the act of running. I'm not ready to accept that because as most people I'm different and I'll fix the problem. What that involves is thinking about grand schemes to make that happen and put very little effort towards those fixes. Let's face it at some point there is a running version of me I just don't want to see and it does not involve race times. It's like this, I have found a way to get out around 2 hours a day and basically be okay. The issue is once you double or triple that time in an event my body balks. If you like running ultras that can be a problem. I see it two ways. First I continue the way I am and hope nothing changes. Second I contrive a running schedule that is smart and efficient, change my eating habits, and begin exercises to support my running deficient areas. Like my buddy Eric says. "If your gonna be dumb you gotta be tough."
So after work yesterday we had to be somewhere at 5:30. That meant no miles for the dog. She got even though and tore through the trash in the middle of the night to get at some left overs. This rarely happens, but the thing is after she completes the deal she wakes me so I can retrieve her water. No conscious. At 13 she is no different than when she was 3. One difference. She will still blow after wildlife and pull something and then be on the IR a few days.
A large part of me understands that to continue as a runner some compromises need to be made. Forget about the slow down phase that has come. The next progression involves extending the running life by reducing the act of running. I'm not ready to accept that because as most people I'm different and I'll fix the problem. What that involves is thinking about grand schemes to make that happen and put very little effort towards those fixes. Let's face it at some point there is a running version of me I just don't want to see and it does not involve race times. It's like this, I have found a way to get out around 2 hours a day and basically be okay. The issue is once you double or triple that time in an event my body balks. If you like running ultras that can be a problem. I see it two ways. First I continue the way I am and hope nothing changes. Second I contrive a running schedule that is smart and efficient, change my eating habits, and begin exercises to support my running deficient areas. Like my buddy Eric says. "If your gonna be dumb you gotta be tough."
Thursday, November 14, 2019
3 feet tall
In 1976 our little high school decided to have a boys cross country program. I was going to be a sophomore and knew nothing about the sport. The thought process was I have always been just about as fast as everyone else so I signed up. After several years of football this just seemed like a better path for a scrawny kid. I remember getting some sort of schedule printed off on one of those machines for the summer. Like everyone else I showed up the first day with basically zero training. I will add that in that era we were highly active kids. We were outside all day in the summer. That's what we did and we rode bikes everywhere. I can still remember those initial days of practice and some of the crap the seniors bestowed on us. So basically the same as any other high school sport. One of them sticks out in my mind. He simply declared he was the best runner we had. I had no reason to doubt him.
Today I just finished 13 kilometers. I'll try and sneak out later with the dog for another easy 5k. I've been moving around rather slowly and have been walking a lot more than usual. One reason was the Doc asked me to after a simple procedure I had and the other reason is this continuing hip/back pain. It really only becomes noticeable after a couple hours. Well, as a guy who like long events that is a problem. So I am trying to start exercises that might help. Which I hate. Plus the dog is 13 and needs a little break once in awhile, so I add in walking with her.
There is also a golden ticket event to be held in Wisconsin on April 3rd. The winner gets into the big dance at Big's Backyard Ultra next year. I've been looking at this for months. But I have little success in anything that basically requires more than 8-10 hours of being out there. I can't stop thinking about this, so I believe I'm going to be signing up. I am very pleased that Brother Grub signed up. He has as good a chance as anyone to do well. That's partially why I want to be there. Sure I want to go have a good go at it, but have to be realistic. I think it would be neat to at least be a part of an event that sends someone to Big's. I'm not getting any younger. I tell myself to find a way to manage the hip/back, pile up some slow miles, and just go have fun. So I thing that's what I am going to do.
Today I just finished 13 kilometers. I'll try and sneak out later with the dog for another easy 5k. I've been moving around rather slowly and have been walking a lot more than usual. One reason was the Doc asked me to after a simple procedure I had and the other reason is this continuing hip/back pain. It really only becomes noticeable after a couple hours. Well, as a guy who like long events that is a problem. So I am trying to start exercises that might help. Which I hate. Plus the dog is 13 and needs a little break once in awhile, so I add in walking with her.
There is also a golden ticket event to be held in Wisconsin on April 3rd. The winner gets into the big dance at Big's Backyard Ultra next year. I've been looking at this for months. But I have little success in anything that basically requires more than 8-10 hours of being out there. I can't stop thinking about this, so I believe I'm going to be signing up. I am very pleased that Brother Grub signed up. He has as good a chance as anyone to do well. That's partially why I want to be there. Sure I want to go have a good go at it, but have to be realistic. I think it would be neat to at least be a part of an event that sends someone to Big's. I'm not getting any younger. I tell myself to find a way to manage the hip/back, pile up some slow miles, and just go have fun. So I thing that's what I am going to do.
Saturday, October 26, 2019
Up on cripple creek
I had a DNF at the Glacial Trail 50 mile. I'm okay with that. Here's a brief recap. If you read my last post I felt good coming into the race. It was a cool (low 30's) day and overcast. It was basically dark the first hour. I was traveling slower than I expected, but what can you do. I knew two guys in the race which was Scott Meyers and Parker Rios. It was great to not only run with them, but to see how they managed the course.
Somewhere around 15 miles I noticed my right ankle had turned and it hurt. Thing is I cannot pinpoint exactly where it happened. Probably more of an accumulated total of smaller turns that just weakened it each time. The trail is rough in many spots. This was a higher ankle sprain. I still feel it today, primarily walking on steps.
Around 20 miles I did notice I was listing or tilting to the left. This has happened to me twice before. At Ice Age I think in 2017 and definitely at JFK in 2017. You may see this in other older runners at longer races. I know I have. Once it starts you really can't make it go away. Obviously there is an issue and for the first time I read somewhere about the possible relation to too much fluids. I was definitely in that camp. Whatever it was the crew noticed it and finally mentioned if I was aware of it. Which is a good question because you don't always know. Fact was I did notice and was somewhat bummed out because I was starting to feel the best I had all day past 25 miles.
Why wouldn't I think I could just out run it? Especially feeling decent. Eventually it was too much and my back was killing me. I could not stay erect enough to navigate the trails properly. I pulled the plug at 35.8 miles. Briefly I thought of walking it in, but it was cold and still in the 30's.
As before, the next day the back thing has all but disappeared. Whatever was causing the pain has gone away and all that remains is a back that is slightly sore. The ankle was painful enough that it kept me up quite a bit that night. Good thing was that pain subsided substantially each following day.
But I didn't drop because of the ankle. The back pain was the key to dropping.
Anyway I am now considering some new adventure. Perhaps I'll blog about this soon. I will say that the experience I just had at the race above taught me more about me and long distance running than I have learned in a long time. Hats off to Parker for taking 4th overall and another solid finish by Scotty. Both true legends the past 20-30 years in the sport.
Somewhere around 15 miles I noticed my right ankle had turned and it hurt. Thing is I cannot pinpoint exactly where it happened. Probably more of an accumulated total of smaller turns that just weakened it each time. The trail is rough in many spots. This was a higher ankle sprain. I still feel it today, primarily walking on steps.
Around 20 miles I did notice I was listing or tilting to the left. This has happened to me twice before. At Ice Age I think in 2017 and definitely at JFK in 2017. You may see this in other older runners at longer races. I know I have. Once it starts you really can't make it go away. Obviously there is an issue and for the first time I read somewhere about the possible relation to too much fluids. I was definitely in that camp. Whatever it was the crew noticed it and finally mentioned if I was aware of it. Which is a good question because you don't always know. Fact was I did notice and was somewhat bummed out because I was starting to feel the best I had all day past 25 miles.
Why wouldn't I think I could just out run it? Especially feeling decent. Eventually it was too much and my back was killing me. I could not stay erect enough to navigate the trails properly. I pulled the plug at 35.8 miles. Briefly I thought of walking it in, but it was cold and still in the 30's.
As before, the next day the back thing has all but disappeared. Whatever was causing the pain has gone away and all that remains is a back that is slightly sore. The ankle was painful enough that it kept me up quite a bit that night. Good thing was that pain subsided substantially each following day.
But I didn't drop because of the ankle. The back pain was the key to dropping.
Anyway I am now considering some new adventure. Perhaps I'll blog about this soon. I will say that the experience I just had at the race above taught me more about me and long distance running than I have learned in a long time. Hats off to Parker for taking 4th overall and another solid finish by Scotty. Both true legends the past 20-30 years in the sport.
Saturday, October 12, 2019
The cannons don't thunder
The Glacial Trail 50 mile is tomorrow at 6am. There is a feeling of anticipation as today is a Saturday and this is when one usually is running. Instead I have all day to think about tomorrow and get all my chores done in a timely manner. I have looked at the entry list multiple times and see 42 folks entered. I only know 2 of them personally. Scott Meyers has been around as long as I have been running. I saw him last at the Holy Funk run on August 10th where I put in 35 miles with Andrea. The other is "Brick" who I've known for 3-4 years now. We both ran the Wauwatosa Perimeter run at the end of July which was around 27 miles. Most of the people I know will be running the 50k which has always been the main event. There are routinely over a 100 runners in that one.
Having never run the 50 mile here, it was my carrot run in case I did not get in to Big's which I did not. It has always been on my to do list, but honestly putting up miles in the summer was only something done to race a fall marathon. That's seldom a goal now so I committed to run a lot of slow miles on about 11 runs a week. Nothing fancy. If you read my blog occasionally you can see that.
Back to the entrants list. It is my nature to look and see what the other runners have accomplished in ultras and how I might compare to them. My goal is 9:10 here simply because it is 11 minute miles. Though the course is not overly difficult it does have plenty of rocky sections, many short steep climbs, and leaf cover. For me and others it can be a challenge finding ones trail savvy. Especially for a fellow like me who has occasionally went out towards the upper part of the field just to see what might happen. Those thought do not go away, but memories of many failed attempts do linger. It is my intention tomorrow to strongly lean towards the latter, but I cannot rule out that foolishness may prevail.
Here is what I can say about tomorrow. I should be in shape as I averaged 81.8 miles over a 5 week period and just completed an average 2 week taper. At 58 it is no different than prior tapers in that how I currently feel never tips its hand on tomorrow's outcome. Just trust the work is done. I also have Tim crewing for me. I know Tim well and it is an honor to have this former 2 time state champion from the 70s assisting me. Dewey is having hip replacement surgery the following day so he is out. I'm hoping to be able to do well enough for Tim to relay positive updates to the Dew Master. These are the two guys I run with the most and it is great that they are willing to assist. Another positive is that I do know a fair amount of the volunteers and it is always great encouragement to hear from them. My weight is good as well as I weighed in at 170 today. Tomorrow will be cold. Really cold from normal with starting temps around freezing and maybe only getting to 45F for the high. Actually good running weather, but about 20-30 degrees less than we are all currently used to.
What does this all mean? It means I should be in absolutely no hurry to try and do anything. It is 50 miles so there is plenty of ground to try and cover comfortably. I do not walk much, but I think I will try and walk half the hills. With Tim handing me supplies I should be able to save a bit through the 7 aid stations. I know this is not necessary, but honestly this is what I have become used to. Like a relay team there does seem to be this sense of obligation to do well. You have to take care of yourself early. I've proven to myself numerous times that a conservative approach can result in positive finishes. Not sure why I have to remind myself of this ever time, but I do. The 2019 Ice Age is a strong reminder to stay conservative. Trying to be somebody at 20 miles in resulted in a beat down. Perhaps because I had family there and my mind went into flashback mode. No matter, twern't no Griz left anyway. Let's find out on here a few days later how it all worked out.
Having never run the 50 mile here, it was my carrot run in case I did not get in to Big's which I did not. It has always been on my to do list, but honestly putting up miles in the summer was only something done to race a fall marathon. That's seldom a goal now so I committed to run a lot of slow miles on about 11 runs a week. Nothing fancy. If you read my blog occasionally you can see that.
Back to the entrants list. It is my nature to look and see what the other runners have accomplished in ultras and how I might compare to them. My goal is 9:10 here simply because it is 11 minute miles. Though the course is not overly difficult it does have plenty of rocky sections, many short steep climbs, and leaf cover. For me and others it can be a challenge finding ones trail savvy. Especially for a fellow like me who has occasionally went out towards the upper part of the field just to see what might happen. Those thought do not go away, but memories of many failed attempts do linger. It is my intention tomorrow to strongly lean towards the latter, but I cannot rule out that foolishness may prevail.
Here is what I can say about tomorrow. I should be in shape as I averaged 81.8 miles over a 5 week period and just completed an average 2 week taper. At 58 it is no different than prior tapers in that how I currently feel never tips its hand on tomorrow's outcome. Just trust the work is done. I also have Tim crewing for me. I know Tim well and it is an honor to have this former 2 time state champion from the 70s assisting me. Dewey is having hip replacement surgery the following day so he is out. I'm hoping to be able to do well enough for Tim to relay positive updates to the Dew Master. These are the two guys I run with the most and it is great that they are willing to assist. Another positive is that I do know a fair amount of the volunteers and it is always great encouragement to hear from them. My weight is good as well as I weighed in at 170 today. Tomorrow will be cold. Really cold from normal with starting temps around freezing and maybe only getting to 45F for the high. Actually good running weather, but about 20-30 degrees less than we are all currently used to.
What does this all mean? It means I should be in absolutely no hurry to try and do anything. It is 50 miles so there is plenty of ground to try and cover comfortably. I do not walk much, but I think I will try and walk half the hills. With Tim handing me supplies I should be able to save a bit through the 7 aid stations. I know this is not necessary, but honestly this is what I have become used to. Like a relay team there does seem to be this sense of obligation to do well. You have to take care of yourself early. I've proven to myself numerous times that a conservative approach can result in positive finishes. Not sure why I have to remind myself of this ever time, but I do. The 2019 Ice Age is a strong reminder to stay conservative. Trying to be somebody at 20 miles in resulted in a beat down. Perhaps because I had family there and my mind went into flashback mode. No matter, twern't no Griz left anyway. Let's find out on here a few days later how it all worked out.
Saturday, October 5, 2019
Keep it legal
Water is down. Out at the laundromat. Off course I forgot detergent and then proceed to use the slots there and by bleach by mistake. Good times! Dog almost 13. Does what she wants. Eats the plants. Tosses up for grins. Hey I want to hang outside, but please let me back in in 7 minutes. Can I eat 2 hours early today? Classic.
Got in 349.5 miles for September. Missed my last PM run on 9/30. Was a tad under the weather for a couple days. Trying to not run too much on this short taper. This coming 50 miler I’ve heard can be a lonely one with only about 40 runners. It is an out and back. We have 7 opportunities for aid so a bit spread out. Only know one other guy entered. Though I’ll know the majority of the helpers at aid stations which is nice.
The plan is to twinkle toe down to the turn in about 4:30. Repeat on the way back and see if there is a person or two to chase after. A 4:40 return time will yield a 9:10 finish which is the goal. Eleven minute miles. Hope being 58 keeps me disciplined and not channeling visions of grandeur early on. The current weather looks partly cloudy with a low of 36F and a high of 46F. That could be some good running weather.
I have some medical stuff to attend to in a couple weeks. Nothing major, but I believe they want me fairly docile for a couple weeks. I guess. After I am back up and at it I would like to consider the next adventure. Be nice to try something new. I’ve also kind of starting thinking of a marathon (race) when I turn 60. Why not? Just need to stay away from getting busted up.
Got in 349.5 miles for September. Missed my last PM run on 9/30. Was a tad under the weather for a couple days. Trying to not run too much on this short taper. This coming 50 miler I’ve heard can be a lonely one with only about 40 runners. It is an out and back. We have 7 opportunities for aid so a bit spread out. Only know one other guy entered. Though I’ll know the majority of the helpers at aid stations which is nice.
The plan is to twinkle toe down to the turn in about 4:30. Repeat on the way back and see if there is a person or two to chase after. A 4:40 return time will yield a 9:10 finish which is the goal. Eleven minute miles. Hope being 58 keeps me disciplined and not channeling visions of grandeur early on. The current weather looks partly cloudy with a low of 36F and a high of 46F. That could be some good running weather.
I have some medical stuff to attend to in a couple weeks. Nothing major, but I believe they want me fairly docile for a couple weeks. I guess. After I am back up and at it I would like to consider the next adventure. Be nice to try something new. I’ve also kind of starting thinking of a marathon (race) when I turn 60. Why not? Just need to stay away from getting busted up.
Thursday, September 26, 2019
Make it take it
I updated the watch and it is much more accurate. At least on the mileage. Ran 19k today and the watch had me red lining quite often with a 219 heart rate. After the run it also informed me I need 82 hours of recovery. Good work if you can get it. I am definitely tired, but slowly cutting the miles by 1k a day. Checked into the JFK 50 miler and it’s sold out this year. Wouldn’t mind trying to squeeze another event in. Beautiful day as I took off and the wife and I went kayaking. Pretty choppy and windy on Okauchee Lake. Put in another 1:40 out there. Gonna catch some serious rack tonight.
Monday, September 23, 2019
Saw my baby down by the river
So being off work today I did decide to run up into the new turf I mentioned yesterday. I limited myself to 16k which was a bit difficult to do. At 8k I was up there on Chenequa Drive where Thurston and Lovey live, but made the decision to go back as I want to get another run in later today. There are some big cribs up there and new ones being built. There is also a huge golf course and I figured I best stay of those paths before they released the hounds. I'm thinking of scouting it out with the vehicle later...we will see. Nice clean area with a few nice vistas. There are some hills which are good. Very low traffic. Guys with ties driving out into the world mainly. Hey this is not Palm Beach or anything, but pretty nice digs.
I put in 23k yesterday and had the idea I could cut my daily mileage by 1k daily before the 50 mile and go like this; 22, 21, 20, 19, 18, 17, 16, 15, 14, 13, 12, 11, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, race day. That is the plan for now.
I have found over the years that any time I am building up mileage that once you get to a certain point like 85 miles a week, it just seems easier to pile on extra mileage. Getting an extra 20 miles in doesn't seem as hard as compared to someone running 40 and wanting to get to 60 miles. That has always been my experience with easy miles. Anyone else experience this? Not that I am going to do that now, but it was tempting to over do it today.
This is my 4th Monday off in a row and I got to tell you this is pure gold. Mostly how I over achieve at getting nothing significant done. Sometimes the thought goes through my head as to how cool it would be if most of my/our stuff was gone. I control that. I've spoke to myself about getting stuff pared down. Some progress made, but just another thing on the endless list. I have books and stuff people have given me I swear will be read, and letters I will write, etc. Just this moment I am looking at a piece of equipment that served me well for years. One of those, copies, fax, scanner deals. I have not used it in well over a year. Believe it or not my phone has replaced much of the need for any equipment. If I need anything printed I go down the road to the little library. I just remembered about 6 years ago or so I threw out a bunch of crap one use to hang up from work, etc. My wife said I found these diplomas in the trash...you should keep these. I did. Not sure where they are at now, but what good is that crap.
I'll finish today with this. Everything is swell over here. It just seems that no matter if it is work, social, home, personal, or whatever that the plan changes all the time. "Hey, we are going in this direction now." "Let's put more effort into this." "That doesn't work with Terrance, can we make other plans?" So sometimes when the dog bugs the hell out of me to take her out in the evening, it seems like the best advice I received all day.
I put in 23k yesterday and had the idea I could cut my daily mileage by 1k daily before the 50 mile and go like this; 22, 21, 20, 19, 18, 17, 16, 15, 14, 13, 12, 11, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, race day. That is the plan for now.
I have found over the years that any time I am building up mileage that once you get to a certain point like 85 miles a week, it just seems easier to pile on extra mileage. Getting an extra 20 miles in doesn't seem as hard as compared to someone running 40 and wanting to get to 60 miles. That has always been my experience with easy miles. Anyone else experience this? Not that I am going to do that now, but it was tempting to over do it today.
This is my 4th Monday off in a row and I got to tell you this is pure gold. Mostly how I over achieve at getting nothing significant done. Sometimes the thought goes through my head as to how cool it would be if most of my/our stuff was gone. I control that. I've spoke to myself about getting stuff pared down. Some progress made, but just another thing on the endless list. I have books and stuff people have given me I swear will be read, and letters I will write, etc. Just this moment I am looking at a piece of equipment that served me well for years. One of those, copies, fax, scanner deals. I have not used it in well over a year. Believe it or not my phone has replaced much of the need for any equipment. If I need anything printed I go down the road to the little library. I just remembered about 6 years ago or so I threw out a bunch of crap one use to hang up from work, etc. My wife said I found these diplomas in the trash...you should keep these. I did. Not sure where they are at now, but what good is that crap.
I'll finish today with this. Everything is swell over here. It just seems that no matter if it is work, social, home, personal, or whatever that the plan changes all the time. "Hey, we are going in this direction now." "Let's put more effort into this." "That doesn't work with Terrance, can we make other plans?" So sometimes when the dog bugs the hell out of me to take her out in the evening, it seems like the best advice I received all day.
Sunday, September 22, 2019
The wild frontier
Looks like the field for Big’s Backyard is set. With only 75 entrants getting in, I doubt 20% of the field will drop in a few weeks. Which means it’s all systems go for the Glacial Trail 50 mile. That is 3 weeks out from today and I feel pretty good about where I am physically. Got in about 91 miles this week and would be happy with about 80 next week. It is no more than power jogging these days, but honestly that is all I have and I am enjoying it.
A doe and three fawns got in front of me yesterday in one of the near by neighborhoods. Not close as I was doing about 20mph, but I did miss my turn. Suddenly I am finding all this new running turf I was unaware of. Looking forward to some exploratory shuffling up there. Probably require 9-10 mile minimum run, but new turf is always a bonus. Might get up there tomorrow.
I have this new GPS watch. Not even remotely close to being accurate. Not the miles, heart rate, or sleep data. There are many things you can track, but it throws out all these numbers not remotely accurate. I called customer service only because of the severity of difference. Known 6.5 mile loop measured 5.1 miles. Known 2 miles out measured 2.4 out and 1.86 back. Comical at best, but they gave me a place to go to load up new software or some thing. I am off tomorrow, maybe I can figure it out. I picked the watch for my 35 anniversary gift. I’ll use it, but get me reasonably close!
So what to expect at the 50? It is an out and back and with Dewey getting a hip replacement the following day he is out. Tim has stepped in and that is awesome. Honestly I like crew for the convenience, but it is also huge knowing someone you run with will be out there sharing the experience and rooting you on. I like the intel as well. I’m not that far gone where I don’t like to catch people or hold them off. That’s part of the reason I do this. Eleven minute miles is a 9:10 so that is the goal. I’ll plan on going out conservative in the dark and stay within myself the first half. I’ll try and keep it that way and if I can catch a hot spot the last 10-15 miles try and ride that in. Always sounds easy when you are sitting on the couch watching the Packer game.
I can’t believe how easy it was to cover 90 miles when you don’t care about the pace 95% of the time. A couple times a week if I feel thermodynamic, I’ll catch a mile or two around 8:30 pace, but that’s it. Since the wife works full time at the end of the day I get the dog out for a couple and then add on another 2-3 on top of that. Truly a win - win - win, because if the dog wasn’t involved the world has a different spin. Just how life works and I am good with that.
A doe and three fawns got in front of me yesterday in one of the near by neighborhoods. Not close as I was doing about 20mph, but I did miss my turn. Suddenly I am finding all this new running turf I was unaware of. Looking forward to some exploratory shuffling up there. Probably require 9-10 mile minimum run, but new turf is always a bonus. Might get up there tomorrow.
I have this new GPS watch. Not even remotely close to being accurate. Not the miles, heart rate, or sleep data. There are many things you can track, but it throws out all these numbers not remotely accurate. I called customer service only because of the severity of difference. Known 6.5 mile loop measured 5.1 miles. Known 2 miles out measured 2.4 out and 1.86 back. Comical at best, but they gave me a place to go to load up new software or some thing. I am off tomorrow, maybe I can figure it out. I picked the watch for my 35 anniversary gift. I’ll use it, but get me reasonably close!
So what to expect at the 50? It is an out and back and with Dewey getting a hip replacement the following day he is out. Tim has stepped in and that is awesome. Honestly I like crew for the convenience, but it is also huge knowing someone you run with will be out there sharing the experience and rooting you on. I like the intel as well. I’m not that far gone where I don’t like to catch people or hold them off. That’s part of the reason I do this. Eleven minute miles is a 9:10 so that is the goal. I’ll plan on going out conservative in the dark and stay within myself the first half. I’ll try and keep it that way and if I can catch a hot spot the last 10-15 miles try and ride that in. Always sounds easy when you are sitting on the couch watching the Packer game.
I can’t believe how easy it was to cover 90 miles when you don’t care about the pace 95% of the time. A couple times a week if I feel thermodynamic, I’ll catch a mile or two around 8:30 pace, but that’s it. Since the wife works full time at the end of the day I get the dog out for a couple and then add on another 2-3 on top of that. Truly a win - win - win, because if the dog wasn’t involved the world has a different spin. Just how life works and I am good with that.
Monday, September 16, 2019
Wicked hard
Al’s Run 8k in 33:38. Way better than expected. Most of team exceeded expectations. Weather certainly cooler than previous years. Big picnic up at Ryan’s crib. Great to see the gang and catch up. I trained through the week and hit about 71. Another 2 weeks of training and then about 12-13 days of taper before 50 mile. Still just slow miles. Whatever the day gives me. One note about Al’s is I went through 4 miles at 28:00 flat. As I have done in the past I just let it go. The 7:00s was about as fast as I could seem to go. Ran the last 0.97 miles in 5:38. I was blowing by people. Which is nice. However, it does make one ponder why it took so long to loosen up. I guess when one trains at 10 and 11 minute miles most of the time it is hard to achieve active flight mode.
Monday, September 9, 2019
Just a bit outside
I’m off today. What that means any longer I am not sure. There is always the feeling like something needs to done, or moved forward. Honestly it can get old. We have about 10 things in our life we do repeatedly +1 and we go about claiming how great it is. If anything, running allows me to have the conception of a goal/adventure and matriculate towards that end. I also enjoy watching others go through the process at all levels. Yes I still go to HS meets occasionally. Yes I track my friends progress on my phone running 100 milers. Running or jogging now-a-days is and can be selfish on my end because I can and have let it be 2-3+ hours a day. Not all running time mind you, but travel, get ready, etc. I ran 84.7 miles last week. That’s a lot for me, but I just don’t enjoy running a 50 miler on memory.
I’m excited about the Glacial Trail 50 mile. I have not done that distance there. It can be challenging with a bit of rugged trail with additional leaf coverage. Not sure I can break 9 hours, but hey why am I putting in these miles? I turned my ankle up there last year and that makes for a longer day. It just seems the faster one is the smoother the trail becomes. I’d like to get in another solid 3 weeks and then an 11 day taper of sorts. I have Al’s Run 8k this Saturday, but I am training right through that. If I break 40 then good enough. Can’t you see we got the damn ballgame on here?
I’m excited about the Glacial Trail 50 mile. I have not done that distance there. It can be challenging with a bit of rugged trail with additional leaf coverage. Not sure I can break 9 hours, but hey why am I putting in these miles? I turned my ankle up there last year and that makes for a longer day. It just seems the faster one is the smoother the trail becomes. I’d like to get in another solid 3 weeks and then an 11 day taper of sorts. I have Al’s Run 8k this Saturday, but I am training right through that. If I break 40 then good enough. Can’t you see we got the damn ballgame on here?
Tuesday, September 3, 2019
That rabbit's dynamite!
So the plan is not dynamic in any way as I begin to drill down on 5 weeks of training. Monday through Friday achieve a minimum of 1.5 hours of running per day on 2 runs. On the weekend run back to back 15 milers with a bonus dog run on Saturday evening to shake things out. First week went okay as I achieved 79.5 miles. Yes I am tired, but that goes with the turf. I do a fair amount of out and backs which works great. If I run 6 miles in the morning it goes like this. First 1.5 miles the body figures out we are doing something. Next 1.5 miles go better and I usually want to extend a bit farther, but I try not to as I am going for a run later. At 3 miles I turn and it feels like the run is pretty much done as I head to the barn. Over the last 1-2 miles I perk up a bit and run decent. I don't worry about being tired because if one has ever done doubles over a period of time the body adapts rather quickly. More sleep and food required, but that's not a problem.
Very difficult to get into the cruise zone as I age. In the day the search was on for a hot spot to come. When it would I'd calculate the Kentucky windage and figure if I could continue in this manner to the finish. Sometimes yes and sometimes no. In today's world, if I start to feel decent, I can't depend on it. It may only last a few minutes. It is a feeling of clarity. Near optimal movement over the earth's surface with minimal management needed. The holy grail of a runner. I'd run thousands of miles for just a tiny moment of this elixir. After all, it is why many of us run. Not to be confused with runners high...whatever that mumbo jumbo is. I'm talking about when you are laying it down and even with the pedal to the floor there is little exertion felt.
Sorry, I just time warped. I meant to say these moments don't exist any longer. But they could to some degree. That's why I go out and run. I am trying to make a bit of this happen. But like Frank Shorter said, "It's not all good looks and a secret recipe." Honestly most success in distance running comes from being a mileage hog. Whatever that number is to you, there is always someone else who is doing more.
Very difficult to get into the cruise zone as I age. In the day the search was on for a hot spot to come. When it would I'd calculate the Kentucky windage and figure if I could continue in this manner to the finish. Sometimes yes and sometimes no. In today's world, if I start to feel decent, I can't depend on it. It may only last a few minutes. It is a feeling of clarity. Near optimal movement over the earth's surface with minimal management needed. The holy grail of a runner. I'd run thousands of miles for just a tiny moment of this elixir. After all, it is why many of us run. Not to be confused with runners high...whatever that mumbo jumbo is. I'm talking about when you are laying it down and even with the pedal to the floor there is little exertion felt.
Sorry, I just time warped. I meant to say these moments don't exist any longer. But they could to some degree. That's why I go out and run. I am trying to make a bit of this happen. But like Frank Shorter said, "It's not all good looks and a secret recipe." Honestly most success in distance running comes from being a mileage hog. Whatever that number is to you, there is always someone else who is doing more.
Sunday, September 1, 2019
Yifter the shifter
I get a kick out of this continuing trend towards less miles in training runners. The main thing is the main thing. You want to run at your best then the first 5 big rocks in the jar are running. If the goal is to achieve the best result then figure out how to run more. I have no problem with all the other stuff, just say that you want to achieve at 60 - 70 - 80 percent of the potential. When I run 35 miles a week I get 35 mile a week results. If I add other elements that add up to 2-3 hours of other work, I personally still get less of an outcome if I spent that time running. Most of my posse is out doing ultra events throughout the year so lack of running definitely has an effect. Hey, I get the fact that in older people one must rely on other aerobic alternatives to stay in the game. I’m not that far away.
Sometimes we just don’t want to do the work. All this running does more than get you physically ready for an ultra. You have to figure all the other elements out which to me is the challenge. I can be somewhat of a minimalist. I don’t have a lot of gear. I borrow it once or twice a year from friends who are super generous and usually have multiple versions of what I need. I also don’t go over 50 miles events. Anyway, I’m still learning stuff after a lifetime of running. I just had to incorporate a new system of running shorts because of continued chafing issues. And I did it with stuff I already owned. Outside of all the things one manages to keep on your feet for hours, I’ve noticed the older I get it is difficult to stay in the zone. The auto pilot is broke. Focus, energy swings, and general karma have been thrown out. You have to deal with staying in cruise mode continually. Adjustments are made over minutes and not miles. You have to go run a ton of miles to work on this. Just like anything else.
So with my 35th work anniversary I get to pick a nice gift. Lots of choices and the value of these are around $500. I noticed a Suunto 9 GPS watch which I would never buy on my own. It has a ton of features which I would use few. I like the long battery it provides. I read reviews and most of the complaints are stuff I would not use. People actually care about posting all their runs? What’s the deal? I just want to actually race you over 50 miles, not try and beat your Hoboken Joe 3.4 loop PR.
Sometimes we just don’t want to do the work. All this running does more than get you physically ready for an ultra. You have to figure all the other elements out which to me is the challenge. I can be somewhat of a minimalist. I don’t have a lot of gear. I borrow it once or twice a year from friends who are super generous and usually have multiple versions of what I need. I also don’t go over 50 miles events. Anyway, I’m still learning stuff after a lifetime of running. I just had to incorporate a new system of running shorts because of continued chafing issues. And I did it with stuff I already owned. Outside of all the things one manages to keep on your feet for hours, I’ve noticed the older I get it is difficult to stay in the zone. The auto pilot is broke. Focus, energy swings, and general karma have been thrown out. You have to deal with staying in cruise mode continually. Adjustments are made over minutes and not miles. You have to go run a ton of miles to work on this. Just like anything else.
So with my 35th work anniversary I get to pick a nice gift. Lots of choices and the value of these are around $500. I noticed a Suunto 9 GPS watch which I would never buy on my own. It has a ton of features which I would use few. I like the long battery it provides. I read reviews and most of the complaints are stuff I would not use. People actually care about posting all their runs? What’s the deal? I just want to actually race you over 50 miles, not try and beat your Hoboken Joe 3.4 loop PR.
Saturday, August 31, 2019
Let me wear your coat
Well with about 7 weeks to Big’s Backyard I am 16th on the wait list. With only 75 spots it does not look promising to get in. However, with only 208 miles in July and 225 in August, I figured I better get motivated to train just in case. So I signed up for the Glacial Trail 50 mile on October 13th so I have to train now. I feel pretty good after a couple real low mileage weeks. I am ready to put a few miles in and may get 80 in this week if I can get tomorrow’s miles in.
I have honestly been enjoying the run easy plan. My back/hip hurts way less, the dog can power jog a bit with me, and I’m never totally spent as when one is airing it out. The dog is good for about 2.5 miles with one drink stop. I then circle back out for the final 15 minutes. It also lets me get a second run in without wife feedback. In fact I may be kinda earning some bonus pointage, but they are like the mallow cup or green stamp deal...you never get to use them. You really just don’t go backwards, which is nice.
We have strongly settled on relocating to Florida when done here. We lived there previously and left there on January 1, 1997. Never thought I’d go back, but one thing is for sure, not going back to live in the WPB to Miami corridor. That place is built out all the way to the Everglades.
I have honestly been enjoying the run easy plan. My back/hip hurts way less, the dog can power jog a bit with me, and I’m never totally spent as when one is airing it out. The dog is good for about 2.5 miles with one drink stop. I then circle back out for the final 15 minutes. It also lets me get a second run in without wife feedback. In fact I may be kinda earning some bonus pointage, but they are like the mallow cup or green stamp deal...you never get to use them. You really just don’t go backwards, which is nice.
We have strongly settled on relocating to Florida when done here. We lived there previously and left there on January 1, 1997. Never thought I’d go back, but one thing is for sure, not going back to live in the WPB to Miami corridor. That place is built out all the way to the Everglades.
Monday, August 12, 2019
She’d a made Whitefish Bay
Andrea and I put in close to 35 miles on Saturday afternoon and into just past midnight on Sunday. The running and moving portion took 8:22:29, or better yet about 14:30 per mile. That’s not counting all the bigger stops for aid and changes at the car. It was Angela and straight up Tina’s 3rd year for the festival. Probably close to 30 people running various distances. Andrea and I started 2 hours early at 4pm. Not sure how many went the full 50 miles.
It was not easy and required effort. Effort I am more than willing to initiate and accept, but have learned I only have so much juice. Why would I even consider another 100, or a last man standing event? Outside of the erosion of skin from the surface of my body, one gets all lurched up. I mean lurched up in the sense of creaky, stiff, old man like. Granted, I did come in with 35-36 miles the 4 days prior, but after a lifetime of trotting around one would think this would be much easier than it was. Andrea is training for the Superior Sawtooth 100 and is in pretty fine form. I was pleased to be able to keep up. I never bonked or cramped, but dang it was not easy at all.
Either way I am examining much about what the future looks like. Running has always been a great alternate vehicle to step out of the rat race. And that is just what it all is. Having the energy to manage all these continuous prompts is ponderous. One just wants to get off the merry-go-round and let some other George Jetson character take my place. Looking to ground control to Major Tom before the circuit is dead if you are feeling me. I’ll be 58 next month and it might be time to stop trying to win one for the Gipper. Looking forward to the, “I think the old guy down on the corner can sharpen you blades.” “You mean the dude I see running up in the Big Belt and the Blue with no socks?” Yeah that dude. The one who said he doesn’t wear sox because Bobby Orr didn’t.
Any ways I put in about 70 last week with two days off. I’ll decide if I’m going to go do the 12 hour run for a bit of entertainment this week. That’s August 31st. I hope to, but it seems I’m gone so much for work and then pounding out miles that Donna should justifiably say no. We shall see.
I want to add I just learned my great uncle is buried at Arlington National Cemetery. He died 10/19/18 in WW1 from disease in Europe. He was a private in the Medical Corps. His name was Leroy Dehart. My Dad’s middle name is Leroy. I knew all my relatives closely on that side of the family. You mean no one ever mentions this...ever? My Dad was named after him and never any mention? I find this randomly on line and no one knows squat? My brother went out to the grave this weekend and took photos. He does have his name on one of the Foreign Legion building back in rural PA, so maybe they have more info. I find it interesting. Perhaps they just did not know.
It was not easy and required effort. Effort I am more than willing to initiate and accept, but have learned I only have so much juice. Why would I even consider another 100, or a last man standing event? Outside of the erosion of skin from the surface of my body, one gets all lurched up. I mean lurched up in the sense of creaky, stiff, old man like. Granted, I did come in with 35-36 miles the 4 days prior, but after a lifetime of trotting around one would think this would be much easier than it was. Andrea is training for the Superior Sawtooth 100 and is in pretty fine form. I was pleased to be able to keep up. I never bonked or cramped, but dang it was not easy at all.
Either way I am examining much about what the future looks like. Running has always been a great alternate vehicle to step out of the rat race. And that is just what it all is. Having the energy to manage all these continuous prompts is ponderous. One just wants to get off the merry-go-round and let some other George Jetson character take my place. Looking to ground control to Major Tom before the circuit is dead if you are feeling me. I’ll be 58 next month and it might be time to stop trying to win one for the Gipper. Looking forward to the, “I think the old guy down on the corner can sharpen you blades.” “You mean the dude I see running up in the Big Belt and the Blue with no socks?” Yeah that dude. The one who said he doesn’t wear sox because Bobby Orr didn’t.
Any ways I put in about 70 last week with two days off. I’ll decide if I’m going to go do the 12 hour run for a bit of entertainment this week. That’s August 31st. I hope to, but it seems I’m gone so much for work and then pounding out miles that Donna should justifiably say no. We shall see.
I want to add I just learned my great uncle is buried at Arlington National Cemetery. He died 10/19/18 in WW1 from disease in Europe. He was a private in the Medical Corps. His name was Leroy Dehart. My Dad’s middle name is Leroy. I knew all my relatives closely on that side of the family. You mean no one ever mentions this...ever? My Dad was named after him and never any mention? I find this randomly on line and no one knows squat? My brother went out to the grave this weekend and took photos. He does have his name on one of the Foreign Legion building back in rural PA, so maybe they have more info. I find it interesting. Perhaps they just did not know.
Saturday, August 3, 2019
2019 Blog Hop Challenge
2019 Blog Hop Challenge Questions
1. Who are you? If applicable, share anything you want about your cancer (type, stage, when diagnosed, whatever.) Share something about yourself such as where you live, the name of your blog and it’s “mission” (no links here, though, or you might end up in spam), a challenge you have faced or are facing now, or whatever you want.Dave Dehart. I have had Polycythemia Vera since 2002. The name of my blog is How Far To The Barn. It is primarily about running. I live in WI with my wife Donna and my primary challenge is work.
2. Have you ever participated in a blog hop before?
No I have not.
3. What’s your favorite sort of blog post to write and/or read – personal story, informational, how to, controversial, political, opinion, rant or other?
I stick to running based blogs, though many people ramble about just about anything. Running blogs (especially those geared towards long distances) can be full of useful tidbits.
Fallible, Hungry, Dependable
5. Name three of your favorite books from your youth (whatever age that means to you.) that had an impact on you.
My Side of the Mountain
Self-Made Olympian
The Deerslayer
6. What are you reading right now, or what’s on your to-read list for when you have time?
See You at the Terminus by Brian Frain
7. What’s your favorite dessert of all time?
Chocolate cake with chocolate icing.
8. Tell us about a special pet you have, had, or would like to have. (Never wanted a pet, that’s okay too.)
ET was a kitten my very young kids found. That cat could kill any varmint and cut rabbits in half. There was no daily limit. And he lived among us like he was a normal being.
9. What’s something people don’t know about you and might be surprised to learn?
I like to watch birds. I like to listen to them.
10. Do you believe healthcare is a privilege or a right?
No
11. What’s your favorite thing about blogging and/or reading blogs?
It is a great way to see that many of us are the same, but at the same time so much different. Many running blogs have individuals taking on adventures I could never accomplish. It motivates me. To see people do incredible things somehow motivates me to get out and run my simple few miles a day.
12. What’s something you really suck at?
Technology
13. What’s something you’re pretty good at?
Mowing the grass.
14. How do you escape from cancer (or life in general) worries?
I'm just out pounding a few miles. Looking for a little adventure here and there. Last Saturday I was able to finish the Tosa Perimeter Run around the city of Wauwatosa with 9 others. I might sign up for a 12 hour run at the end of August.
http://nancyspoint.com/
Sunday, July 7, 2019
Angel Martin
Kayaked about 5 hours with several delays to toss the hook. The wife and I were shutout. Great day to get on the mighty Oconomowoc River and power our way up to Loew Lake. Saw one person the stretch up and 34 on the way back. Plus about 10 humans in line. I thought we started late. No matter twern’t no Grizz left anyway.
I did sneak in 12.1 kilometers at 5:20pm. It was difficult the first half, but I loosened up the last half and got it in the bank to get in a 50 mile week. Been some time since I pulled that feat off. Ten minute miles is laying it down now-a-days. The days of be good or be gone are a distant memory. I think the main reason to getting out is to insure the parts still work. My hip/back issue the past six months is not as bothersome now. I gave up trying stretch it, get to the pain area, and strengthen the area. Apparently all that did was aggravate the hell out of it. Another example of just let stuff take care of itself. Kind of like the PF. I still wear the inserts when I’m in street shoes. Otherwise I just walk around now, or throw another folded in half shoe liner in when I run and let it work out. I tinker around with how much stuff I’ll throw in the shoes for a run. Just sitting out on the porch here with dog and I have red, yellow, blue, and black ones laying around and drying up. Good times. So psyched to get back to work tomorrow.
So another thought about training and not getting into Big’s. Maybe I’ll finally do that swan song 100 miler. Either an official one or the fictitious Commando 100. Again...not a guy who likes to go longer than 50 miles. Ten hours is plenty long. Thirty hours just seems like unnecessary punishment. Not sure why people get fired up to do them. That is a long way on foot. Hats off to those who can consistently pull them off.
Anyway, time to watch the Rockford Files. Good to have a bit of levity once-in-a-while.
I did sneak in 12.1 kilometers at 5:20pm. It was difficult the first half, but I loosened up the last half and got it in the bank to get in a 50 mile week. Been some time since I pulled that feat off. Ten minute miles is laying it down now-a-days. The days of be good or be gone are a distant memory. I think the main reason to getting out is to insure the parts still work. My hip/back issue the past six months is not as bothersome now. I gave up trying stretch it, get to the pain area, and strengthen the area. Apparently all that did was aggravate the hell out of it. Another example of just let stuff take care of itself. Kind of like the PF. I still wear the inserts when I’m in street shoes. Otherwise I just walk around now, or throw another folded in half shoe liner in when I run and let it work out. I tinker around with how much stuff I’ll throw in the shoes for a run. Just sitting out on the porch here with dog and I have red, yellow, blue, and black ones laying around and drying up. Good times. So psyched to get back to work tomorrow.
So another thought about training and not getting into Big’s. Maybe I’ll finally do that swan song 100 miler. Either an official one or the fictitious Commando 100. Again...not a guy who likes to go longer than 50 miles. Ten hours is plenty long. Thirty hours just seems like unnecessary punishment. Not sure why people get fired up to do them. That is a long way on foot. Hats off to those who can consistently pull them off.
Anyway, time to watch the Rockford Files. Good to have a bit of levity once-in-a-while.
Saturday, July 6, 2019
If I can go that distance
I could get used to these 4 day weekends. Get some runs in, a bit of kayaking and fishing, do the stuff needed, and general walkabout. I am getting close. I can smell the inside of the old work truck I'll own with cool stuff inside it. Stuff like old ball hats, gloves, and lures. Maybe even an emergency camping set-up. Stopped in where the Wife works today to pick up ice cream and a chicken sandwich. She's thinking fishing later today so I may have to blow off a chore or two. As long as I finish weeding the garden later I'm good with that.
I did 3 x 6k in 50 minute segments today. Loop 1 road 42:54, Loop 2 trail 43:58, and Loop 3 road 41:56 in the pouring rain. I was going to go farther, but have to save some juice. The trail loop needed effort. One could easily slide back to 8:00 minute 1k splits and leave a scant 2:00 before the next segment. I recognized some work needs done here. The deer flies were terrible, even with a Penn State stocking cap and my trusted hoodie. They were bouncing off me they were so thick. Even getting under my glasses and occasionally getting in behind the neck. Worse than a German Shepherd on a rib roast bad. So I opted for the road the last loop. Good thing because it poured and with glasses on it is tedious. Hated it! Weather is always the equalizer. In the future fantasy world where one ambles along strong as bull, one seldom considers how ponderous weather can be. I was drenched anyway after running the first two loops.
Running slow is hard work. For one it makes you slower. For two it takes forever to cover a few miles. For three you have to do an incredible amount of it to possibly make any endurance gains. All I'm slowly accomplishing is trying to get used to mastering the time continuum. Can I vacuum pack time? The beatings will continue until morale improves. Who trains like this for a race they will probably never get in?
Reading other blogs, apparently I'm supposed to be resting quite a bit. Look I get it. Let your body absorb the training. That's probably great advice for people who actually can get somewhere in running. Thing is when you are only a running bum, all that nonsense means little. Pile it high if you can. Figure out the stuff that goes along with it along the way. I figured out today I am currently way over my head for a backyard ultra. Not sure how to overcome some of the cards I have in this hand, but if I can stay reasonably consistent, ramp up a bit of mileage, and have a few key workouts, maybe I won't be another bum from the neighborhood if I get in.
I did 3 x 6k in 50 minute segments today. Loop 1 road 42:54, Loop 2 trail 43:58, and Loop 3 road 41:56 in the pouring rain. I was going to go farther, but have to save some juice. The trail loop needed effort. One could easily slide back to 8:00 minute 1k splits and leave a scant 2:00 before the next segment. I recognized some work needs done here. The deer flies were terrible, even with a Penn State stocking cap and my trusted hoodie. They were bouncing off me they were so thick. Even getting under my glasses and occasionally getting in behind the neck. Worse than a German Shepherd on a rib roast bad. So I opted for the road the last loop. Good thing because it poured and with glasses on it is tedious. Hated it! Weather is always the equalizer. In the future fantasy world where one ambles along strong as bull, one seldom considers how ponderous weather can be. I was drenched anyway after running the first two loops.
Running slow is hard work. For one it makes you slower. For two it takes forever to cover a few miles. For three you have to do an incredible amount of it to possibly make any endurance gains. All I'm slowly accomplishing is trying to get used to mastering the time continuum. Can I vacuum pack time? The beatings will continue until morale improves. Who trains like this for a race they will probably never get in?
Reading other blogs, apparently I'm supposed to be resting quite a bit. Look I get it. Let your body absorb the training. That's probably great advice for people who actually can get somewhere in running. Thing is when you are only a running bum, all that nonsense means little. Pile it high if you can. Figure out the stuff that goes along with it along the way. I figured out today I am currently way over my head for a backyard ultra. Not sure how to overcome some of the cards I have in this hand, but if I can stay reasonably consistent, ramp up a bit of mileage, and have a few key workouts, maybe I won't be another bum from the neighborhood if I get in.
Friday, July 5, 2019
I will be your night in shining armor
A bit of banter this week amongst a few fellow runners about a possible on-the-fly 100 miler. I was told to put it together and a few hardy folks would show up. My ambition is there, but I'm more of a let's start here and end here. All the stuff in between is on you. But hey, maybe that is all that's required. I had my Ice Age Trail book out (Thanks Dean!) and there are a lot of options. Of course a date would need selected. Let me know you finished over the weekend and I'll put a list together of finishers. I could come up with some sort of hand out afterwards...or not. The thought is in my head. There is at least one other reason to do it, but I have to massage the brain a bit and see if I'm worthy to be trusted with the notion. I do know people would show and people would go about as far as they wanted. Some would indeed finish. As is typical, I'm sure a few other hardy folks would be out supporting and checking out the small band of knuckleheads. It would be in the latter part of 2019.
So the idea of Big's wasn't released from the brain. It takes on activity outside of my normal list of things I do or do not particularly want to do. Most reading this know the typical crap, but if you are new to life and life past 50 years old it is along the lines of laundry, fishing, work, grocery shopping, work, mowing grass, work, weeding the garden, walk dog, work, grocery shopping, work, painting projects, burn stuff, fishing, work. A true master can select the one item that is on the like to do list. Of course I didn't list running because you already know running is sorta what this blog is about most times. My big brain told me as I laid in bed at 11:00pm putting up with the fireworks, that here are some great ideas on how to consider training for Big's. In no particular order:
-Consider doing 12 hours at Robert's event witch is a flat 1 mile trail loop on 8/31. Aim for 50 miles. Run 5 miles the first two loops and 4 miles the last 10 loops. Any extra time left on the hour I wait until the next hour starts.
-Consider doing all of Tina and Angela's What the Funk 80k through the night on 8/10. Practice covering the distance with power jogging and emotional rescue walking.
-Actually practice 4.167 mile loops every hour as the race has on select weekends.
-Randomly practice 3.5 mile loops in 50 minute bites during the work week to mimic process. Best when wife leaves for work at 3:45am days. I could squeeze in 4 circuits in 3:10 before work.
-Occasionally risk confrontation by wife by making use of middle of the night can't sleep and putting shoes on and running a 4.167 mile circuit.
Looks like work to me, but it helped me go back to sleep around midnight.
So the idea of Big's wasn't released from the brain. It takes on activity outside of my normal list of things I do or do not particularly want to do. Most reading this know the typical crap, but if you are new to life and life past 50 years old it is along the lines of laundry, fishing, work, grocery shopping, work, mowing grass, work, weeding the garden, walk dog, work, grocery shopping, work, painting projects, burn stuff, fishing, work. A true master can select the one item that is on the like to do list. Of course I didn't list running because you already know running is sorta what this blog is about most times. My big brain told me as I laid in bed at 11:00pm putting up with the fireworks, that here are some great ideas on how to consider training for Big's. In no particular order:
-Consider doing 12 hours at Robert's event witch is a flat 1 mile trail loop on 8/31. Aim for 50 miles. Run 5 miles the first two loops and 4 miles the last 10 loops. Any extra time left on the hour I wait until the next hour starts.
-Consider doing all of Tina and Angela's What the Funk 80k through the night on 8/10. Practice covering the distance with power jogging and emotional rescue walking.
-Actually practice 4.167 mile loops every hour as the race has on select weekends.
-Randomly practice 3.5 mile loops in 50 minute bites during the work week to mimic process. Best when wife leaves for work at 3:45am days. I could squeeze in 4 circuits in 3:10 before work.
-Occasionally risk confrontation by wife by making use of middle of the night can't sleep and putting shoes on and running a 4.167 mile circuit.
Looks like work to me, but it helped me go back to sleep around midnight.
Thursday, July 4, 2019
Fort Nuts
I remembered that I am about 17th on the wait list for Big's Backyard on October 19th. I've averaged about 150 miles the past few months. I better start looking to double that mileage. Did I say double mileage? Is that by Fort Nuts? I check in regularly and there is a lot of movement on the list. The true runners. The ones winning other Backyard events for Golden Tickets into Big's are being added to the race. I'm just hoping to dumb into this thing. Having said that, I best be prepared to stumble bum around for a long time. I'm not someone with a resume that smacks of "distance king." I have finished a total of one 100 miler. I'm hoping this is something different. Most of us want to believe we are special is some unforeseen way at something. I signed up for this thing so if I get in I better be able to save face. My goal would be to go as long as I could. Not sure how that will play out at 58 years old, but for now it sounds better than doing any fast running. Is that by Fort Nuts as well?
Sunday, June 23, 2019
Damage report Mr. Sulu!
Blasted out a solid 7.4 miles with Dewey today on the bugline. Powered it out at about 10:49 pace. They had to call the water trucks in to tamp down the fire trail we were leaving behind. Not everyone has the same talent pool to draw from. So lucky to be alive and able to catch small glimpses of life as it whizzed by.
Other than that another loosely put together week of fun running. You come to learn in the greater scheme of using the same fairways as a human form or animal to move along that everyone has a different set of rules. I traverse in 3 primary ways. Driving, running, and dog walking. When I drive I get annoyed at bikes that refuse to move over to the side. They are right, but 15 mph and claiming the lane seems like a defiant move. I also am amazed at parents with strollers very close to highways that are 55mph. When I run I get annoyed at folks driving and looking at the phone. This would be especially annoying and dangerous if I rode a bike. I just don't feel safe biking. When I walk the dog the best part is other dogs leaving their yard to get a sniff of my dog at full speed. She loves confrontation, or at least lets on like it is no big deal. Of course I have her on a leash, but if you cross over the road it is all fair game. I don't like this because somehow we are the annoying factor. Here comes that gray haired guy with the white T on. Not sure why he lets his semi-toothless dog bite our dog in the face. Out Doberman and Irish Setter are really sweet dogs. People tend not to say crap either, so I don't bother. "Winston...Winston!" Too late then Braaah. I did have to tell one lady last year in the best language I could to basically call her dog back. When people know you are fired up they don't want to say squat.
Look I drive more than I run on the roads. Do everyone a favor if you are on it for another reason other than driving and stay out of the way. I truly get it, but from my view many people don't. Trust me, a week does not guy by when it seems like someone...sends me a message. My favorite is running through 4 ways in rural areas and people would rather run you over than give you a turn to ramble through the intersection. If I ever wanted to pull someone through a car window then that is the time. Again it is a small percentage of people, but they exist. It's just easier to wait to everyone is gone and go back to laying down 10:30 miles and vanish out of sight.
Other than that another loosely put together week of fun running. You come to learn in the greater scheme of using the same fairways as a human form or animal to move along that everyone has a different set of rules. I traverse in 3 primary ways. Driving, running, and dog walking. When I drive I get annoyed at bikes that refuse to move over to the side. They are right, but 15 mph and claiming the lane seems like a defiant move. I also am amazed at parents with strollers very close to highways that are 55mph. When I run I get annoyed at folks driving and looking at the phone. This would be especially annoying and dangerous if I rode a bike. I just don't feel safe biking. When I walk the dog the best part is other dogs leaving their yard to get a sniff of my dog at full speed. She loves confrontation, or at least lets on like it is no big deal. Of course I have her on a leash, but if you cross over the road it is all fair game. I don't like this because somehow we are the annoying factor. Here comes that gray haired guy with the white T on. Not sure why he lets his semi-toothless dog bite our dog in the face. Out Doberman and Irish Setter are really sweet dogs. People tend not to say crap either, so I don't bother. "Winston...Winston!" Too late then Braaah. I did have to tell one lady last year in the best language I could to basically call her dog back. When people know you are fired up they don't want to say squat.
Look I drive more than I run on the roads. Do everyone a favor if you are on it for another reason other than driving and stay out of the way. I truly get it, but from my view many people don't. Trust me, a week does not guy by when it seems like someone...sends me a message. My favorite is running through 4 ways in rural areas and people would rather run you over than give you a turn to ramble through the intersection. If I ever wanted to pull someone through a car window then that is the time. Again it is a small percentage of people, but they exist. It's just easier to wait to everyone is gone and go back to laying down 10:30 miles and vanish out of sight.
Saturday, June 22, 2019
The Juice is loose
In Sunset Boulevard we see how life plays out for an aging stage queen. The scenario plays out fairly regularly for many in some ways. Pain reminded me this week of what are you doing that makes it so important to beat on me and do these grandiose movements? There is not a good answer. Of what importance is it to go to the mattresses to try and run 30 seconds a mile faster for 5 miles? What does this pay? It pays nothing, but does have a cost. I'm pretty sure when I look at my entire biological profile and trajectory that channeling Naftali Temu ain't gonna happen. It's over. Go try and enjoy running for the sake of running as much as you can. Maybe go see a Doctor and see what the deal is with the hip/back. The internet can't solve everything and even if it could you won't know because you just read stuff.
I'm still basically going to run about everyday I can, but the idea there is one last big one out there is gone. I only have so much peanut butter to spread across that sandwich everyday. I'll race Al's on 9/14. I'll power jog the Glacial 50k in October. Finally, if the ultra sirens smile upon me and I get into Big's Backyard Ultra on October 19th then I'll lay it all out one final time. Currently I am 17th on the wait list. I'll be ready. Pack a lunch.
I'm still basically going to run about everyday I can, but the idea there is one last big one out there is gone. I only have so much peanut butter to spread across that sandwich everyday. I'll race Al's on 9/14. I'll power jog the Glacial 50k in October. Finally, if the ultra sirens smile upon me and I get into Big's Backyard Ultra on October 19th then I'll lay it all out one final time. Currently I am 17th on the wait list. I'll be ready. Pack a lunch.
Sunday, June 16, 2019
The Axemen
I've been thinning out all the crap I have accumulated and it is a bit of a job. The sport card collection needs to go from about 120,000 to about 20,000. I've given away about 10,000 to this point. I have more magazines than I remember every having. The wife alerted me to a bonus pile in the shed. I peaked in and it has some cool stuff. Back when Bill McChesney was the high school sensation, Walt Stack was Walt Stack, and Tom Fleming was not afraid of anyone. They are all gone now. Bill in 1992, Walt in 1995, and Tom in 2017. All different as runners and all inspiring in many ways.
I've split with a bunch of running gear and shirts I had in boxes. I had no idea were all my Al's run shirts had gone. Goodwill has them all now. Some stuff is hard to part with, but as any lifetime runner I have a 100 shirts easily. Many never worn. For whatever reason the old Wheeling Distance Classic 20k from the '90s is going to make the cut over many of the new long sleeve shirts one gets. I wish races would give out socks. Those I burn through. I thought about going Bobby Orr this summer, but we shall see. I still sport the floppy sock look Pete Maravich had in the day. Not many runners my age pull their socks up all the way. Heck, maybe they do. I'm just finding out Pluto's not a planet any longer.
The week was not bad. Slowly adding a couple more miles a week.
Mon = 8.5k easy
Tue = 8k easy
Wed = 8k w/ 10 x 1:00 w/ 1:00 jog
Thu = 11.6k easy at Menomonee Park with Dewey, Tim, Robert, and Tim Lammers
Fri = Off
Sat = 16.3k easy w/ Crawford
Sun = 13.1k at good effort. Averaged 8:37 mle
Total = 65.5k
Have to start putting the fork down and cut way back on candy, ice cream, and pie. I also have to seriously start considering at least one other type of aerobic workout and my hip/back let's me know it is there every day.
I've split with a bunch of running gear and shirts I had in boxes. I had no idea were all my Al's run shirts had gone. Goodwill has them all now. Some stuff is hard to part with, but as any lifetime runner I have a 100 shirts easily. Many never worn. For whatever reason the old Wheeling Distance Classic 20k from the '90s is going to make the cut over many of the new long sleeve shirts one gets. I wish races would give out socks. Those I burn through. I thought about going Bobby Orr this summer, but we shall see. I still sport the floppy sock look Pete Maravich had in the day. Not many runners my age pull their socks up all the way. Heck, maybe they do. I'm just finding out Pluto's not a planet any longer.
The week was not bad. Slowly adding a couple more miles a week.
Mon = 8.5k easy
Tue = 8k easy
Wed = 8k w/ 10 x 1:00 w/ 1:00 jog
Thu = 11.6k easy at Menomonee Park with Dewey, Tim, Robert, and Tim Lammers
Fri = Off
Sat = 16.3k easy w/ Crawford
Sun = 13.1k at good effort. Averaged 8:37 mle
Total = 65.5k
Have to start putting the fork down and cut way back on candy, ice cream, and pie. I also have to seriously start considering at least one other type of aerobic workout and my hip/back let's me know it is there every day.
Monday, June 10, 2019
Man overboard
The idea that some type of Ingrid Kristiansen training model was going to be employed must have been a cruel joke on myself. I could not lace my shoes up at this point and claim similarly to any functional training model. Not even the famous HS plan from cross-country of go run around the lake a couple times and we will finish up with some sprints. That at least did not wear us out. It was more of a pond anyway. Which brings me up to a larger point. Either I never listened, or more than likely no one ever advised me on how to race. We all just blew out to the front and hung as long as we could. The last 75% of the race was carried out in deep agony and senseless thoughts of doing better the next time...repeatedly...for years. Of course in college it was a different story. You ran the same way, but it did not yield any front running. I did lead through the mile in what was as I remember my last collegiate cc race, but that is another story. My only regret was not continuing on as far as I could of which may have been another quarter mile or so.
So I’ve always been a bum as far as running goes. It is and always has been a fun part of life I would never trade. It has been an adventure and hopefully I will still find joy getting out for a race here and there. Lately I have had typical movement issues that come along with age. I can’t help looking at my dog blast out of the starting blocks after a squirrel only to peter out or blow up after what amounts to less than 10 seconds of fury. It’s obvious as she nears her 13th birthday that the brain is still wired to will the body to damn near get the squirrel, but reality sets in one neighbor’s yard over that they are just toying with you. They are playing chess while you are playing checkers. The thrill is still there until it isn’t. Making the transition for me is a known fact. I just am not a guy to go to swim, bike, or ski. I’m more walk, frisbee, softball, or fishing.
None-the-less, I am going to try and get a couple quicker workouts in a week. Another run of 10 miles or so and the rest just easy runs. Probably need to have the hip looked at, but as with most all other ailments I try and figure them out myself. Not sure it even is the hip, but it seems to migrate the pain to my lower back. I’ve tried every odd position I can think of to try and get a bead on the area to no avail. Is there a position I can get to the trouble spot. So far...no.
So I’ve always been a bum as far as running goes. It is and always has been a fun part of life I would never trade. It has been an adventure and hopefully I will still find joy getting out for a race here and there. Lately I have had typical movement issues that come along with age. I can’t help looking at my dog blast out of the starting blocks after a squirrel only to peter out or blow up after what amounts to less than 10 seconds of fury. It’s obvious as she nears her 13th birthday that the brain is still wired to will the body to damn near get the squirrel, but reality sets in one neighbor’s yard over that they are just toying with you. They are playing chess while you are playing checkers. The thrill is still there until it isn’t. Making the transition for me is a known fact. I just am not a guy to go to swim, bike, or ski. I’m more walk, frisbee, softball, or fishing.
None-the-less, I am going to try and get a couple quicker workouts in a week. Another run of 10 miles or so and the rest just easy runs. Probably need to have the hip looked at, but as with most all other ailments I try and figure them out myself. Not sure it even is the hip, but it seems to migrate the pain to my lower back. I’ve tried every odd position I can think of to try and get a bead on the area to no avail. Is there a position I can get to the trouble spot. So far...no.
Sunday, June 9, 2019
Put the hammer down!
I read about these older fellas running unbelievable times. I also read more about older folks in the same boat as many of us...slow. At 16 weeks out from Al’s 8k the week was a total of 50k run. I got in 3 x 880y on t-mill at 3:20 and a 10k in 49:58 off the couch. This week was 58.6k with a t-mill progression run up to 7.8mph that felt like hell and a 5k workout in 21:56. I was somewhat pleased with the 5k which came the day after a 10.2 miler (easy). I plugged that in the calculator and it says I should be able to blaze a 36:07 8k. Sha-shadubby...shattered. Don’t mind the maggots. There is a lot of work to do. I might be that guy now that sets big goals and everyone but me sees how fruitless it is. You know the guy. Ramble on how they want to break 3:00 one more time then run 3:23. In this case run a 31:30 8k and do it in 33:57. Not remotely sure why any of this matters, but I’m going out to the shed today to grab some old 70s running mags and see if these tea leaves tell me anything.
Monday, May 27, 2019
Which way to Munich
So Al's Run 8k is mid-September. This is the other race I've been consistently running for a period of time. I must say that the past 5 years I have run the Glacial 50k in early October, so that has become a staple. Al's run is a classic and also a team event. I run for Hillrunner.com and if anything really enjoy seeing the guys. In reality, it is the only time I see them during the year. After the run is the big picnic up at Ryan's crib. Good times! Like most years I figure I'll get in Zulu shape and storm the Bastille, but rarely do...or can. Last year was a comical 34:26 finish which is barely under 7 minutes a mile. Like most years I aim to improve upon that. But by how much? I figure it has to be a stretch goal so as penned earlier I pulled out 31:30 which is about 6:20 per mile.
Now that doesn't sound fast, but let me assure you it is for me. The year I ran 31:55 in 2015 I was training for the Lakefront Marathon and finished in 3:06:15 using the Beck program. I was in good shape. Maybe not 8k shape, but solid shape. Now I have to turn back the clock and consider training that is able to work the speed, be somewhat entertaining, and not be a whole heck of a lot of miles.
I've been around a long time and one thing I have never done over any period of time is run with the gas down (with a slight pull back) on many of my weekly runs. I was always interested in Ingrid Kristiansen's training because of the simplicity. I can't go into it here, but I would like to at least mirror the elements I remember. There are other legends out there who's training seemed fascinating to me like Jim Spivey and Eddie Eyestone, but if anything they give you ideas on workouts.
Let me first say that if you follow along with what I'm going to be doing it won't resemble any of these because of the necessary rest days and complete lack of speed or miles. My basic plan (sorry I don't know all the correct training language) is to run 30-40 minutes about 8 times a week and have two other runs during the week around 1:15 - 2:00 range. The 30-40 minute runs will hopefully be something like this; 2 as speed/tempo work, 4 as just under tempo, and 2 however I feel. The other 2 runs be one as longer hard effort and an easier longish run. That's pretty much it. Of course I'm going to have to work up to this and hope to eventually have one run be telephone pole pick-ups, another as 6 x 3:20, and the other as a tempo of 2 - 6 miles. Sure I'll adjust when necessary, but that's life. This is hard for me to communicate (or do even), but try and stay on the high aerobic side (mildly uncomfortable) as opposed to be anaerobic more than I like.
Let's see what happens. I might change next week, but this is the plan for now. At this point how many more aerobic runs can I do? Here is last week:
Mon = Off
Tue = 8k in 45:48 (5:43) Eagan, MN
Wed = Off
Thu = 10.8k in 1:15:41 (7:00) Men. Park w/ Dewey and Tim
Fri = 6.4k in 39:00 (6:06) Home
Sat = 10.9k in 1:15:36 (6:56) Men. Park w/ Tim
Sun = 8k in 40:13 w/ 6k in 28:09 (4:41.5) Bugline. That's only 7:33 pace!
Total = 44.1k
Now that doesn't sound fast, but let me assure you it is for me. The year I ran 31:55 in 2015 I was training for the Lakefront Marathon and finished in 3:06:15 using the Beck program. I was in good shape. Maybe not 8k shape, but solid shape. Now I have to turn back the clock and consider training that is able to work the speed, be somewhat entertaining, and not be a whole heck of a lot of miles.
I've been around a long time and one thing I have never done over any period of time is run with the gas down (with a slight pull back) on many of my weekly runs. I was always interested in Ingrid Kristiansen's training because of the simplicity. I can't go into it here, but I would like to at least mirror the elements I remember. There are other legends out there who's training seemed fascinating to me like Jim Spivey and Eddie Eyestone, but if anything they give you ideas on workouts.
Let me first say that if you follow along with what I'm going to be doing it won't resemble any of these because of the necessary rest days and complete lack of speed or miles. My basic plan (sorry I don't know all the correct training language) is to run 30-40 minutes about 8 times a week and have two other runs during the week around 1:15 - 2:00 range. The 30-40 minute runs will hopefully be something like this; 2 as speed/tempo work, 4 as just under tempo, and 2 however I feel. The other 2 runs be one as longer hard effort and an easier longish run. That's pretty much it. Of course I'm going to have to work up to this and hope to eventually have one run be telephone pole pick-ups, another as 6 x 3:20, and the other as a tempo of 2 - 6 miles. Sure I'll adjust when necessary, but that's life. This is hard for me to communicate (or do even), but try and stay on the high aerobic side (mildly uncomfortable) as opposed to be anaerobic more than I like.
Let's see what happens. I might change next week, but this is the plan for now. At this point how many more aerobic runs can I do? Here is last week:
Mon = Off
Tue = 8k in 45:48 (5:43) Eagan, MN
Wed = Off
Thu = 10.8k in 1:15:41 (7:00) Men. Park w/ Dewey and Tim
Fri = 6.4k in 39:00 (6:06) Home
Sat = 10.9k in 1:15:36 (6:56) Men. Park w/ Tim
Sun = 8k in 40:13 w/ 6k in 28:09 (4:41.5) Bugline. That's only 7:33 pace!
Total = 44.1k
Saturday, May 18, 2019
Baa, Baa, Black Sheep
The big dance of 2019 has came and went. I can state that I did finish. It was a great day to run and the event was as usual top notch.
- Dewey on crew again was great. My brother Bryan and sister Brenda came out from PA to take the event in. They had a great time and thanks to Dewey for making the whole day come together.
- I had a bad patch from 22 to 28, but did recover well enough to get through Duffin (30.5 miles) in 5:09.
- Ran up Star Mountain okay, but about 2 miles past that the bottom came out. The last 10 miles was particularly difficult as the last 9.7 took me 2:37 to finish. Sixteen plus minutes a mile is slow, especially since I ran the last 2 miles a 12 minute pace.
- The take away's are this; not enough weekly base miles, too much electrolyte (needed 50% water, not 0%) the first 35 miles, and I need to start walking more hills.
- I finished my 18th in 9:44:44. That is my second slowest out there. Too early to pontificate about 2020.
Al's Run 8k is 9/14. I'll be 58 by then. I've sorta decided to try and work on running faster for a change. There is time to retool. There is no science or feel behind the 31:30 shape I'd like to achieve, other than it is a high end goal. That's right about 6:20 mile pace for 8k. That would also work out to sub 20:00 pace for a 5k. Not sure I can come close to cashing that check, but the idea of not shooting for under 6:30 pace seems hardly worth trying. The training projector will have elements (in my mind) of Ingrid Kristiansen based training I read about years ago. I have none of the info, just a compromised mind of what appealed to me years ago. Obviously I can't train the way she did, but I can pursue the 3-4 things my mind retained that I liked...plus some really slow recovery running.
The thing that sticks in my mind from last year at Al's is that I went through the first mile which is largely downhill in 7:05. I just couldn't crack up the oxygen, or get any flow going. Old people need sub race pace work as well. Yes sir, yes sir, 3 bags full!
- Dewey on crew again was great. My brother Bryan and sister Brenda came out from PA to take the event in. They had a great time and thanks to Dewey for making the whole day come together.
- I had a bad patch from 22 to 28, but did recover well enough to get through Duffin (30.5 miles) in 5:09.
- Ran up Star Mountain okay, but about 2 miles past that the bottom came out. The last 10 miles was particularly difficult as the last 9.7 took me 2:37 to finish. Sixteen plus minutes a mile is slow, especially since I ran the last 2 miles a 12 minute pace.
- The take away's are this; not enough weekly base miles, too much electrolyte (needed 50% water, not 0%) the first 35 miles, and I need to start walking more hills.
- I finished my 18th in 9:44:44. That is my second slowest out there. Too early to pontificate about 2020.
Al's Run 8k is 9/14. I'll be 58 by then. I've sorta decided to try and work on running faster for a change. There is time to retool. There is no science or feel behind the 31:30 shape I'd like to achieve, other than it is a high end goal. That's right about 6:20 mile pace for 8k. That would also work out to sub 20:00 pace for a 5k. Not sure I can come close to cashing that check, but the idea of not shooting for under 6:30 pace seems hardly worth trying. The training projector will have elements (in my mind) of Ingrid Kristiansen based training I read about years ago. I have none of the info, just a compromised mind of what appealed to me years ago. Obviously I can't train the way she did, but I can pursue the 3-4 things my mind retained that I liked...plus some really slow recovery running.
The thing that sticks in my mind from last year at Al's is that I went through the first mile which is largely downhill in 7:05. I just couldn't crack up the oxygen, or get any flow going. Old people need sub race pace work as well. Yes sir, yes sir, 3 bags full!
Friday, April 19, 2019
Fire at will
Finally I have an eleven day stretch of days off. I’m going to try hard to overlook work email and calls. Futuristically the light at the end of the tunnel is brighter. The thought of not going to work in its present form rings loudly. As in running, there comes a time when the dreams fade away. Motoring around in a straight six is okay, but taking the world on in a 4 cylinder is tiresome. In both realms, the prospect of pushing out to sea seems so right.
This is the last big weekend to get any miles in before Ice Age. As much as I can’t wait to start the race the zeal to train is waning. It’s 7:20am and I’m still typing this on my phone. I want to run, but am pretty sure I’ll just trot around here for about 3 hours and maybe close to that tomorrow. At noon tomorrow, the wife and I are driving to Florida. Part of that effort is to consider permanent residence at some point. We lived there in the past. I thought we’d never go back, but it is a big state. We’ve studied and visited Arizona, but we aren’t feeling that.
Honestly the plan in my head is to thin most everything out. Toss all the crap out. I’m not a minimalist at heart, but seeing what those ahead of me have stockpiled appears to be a burden. You might not think you have much, but if you look around you do. Same for running. Get up and run an hour. Done. Maybe get a 2 hour effort in on the weekend with someone. Personally I am doing fine. We just want to start the process now. Why? Because too many people seem to wait until it appears just right. That’s a tough target to hit.
This is the last big weekend to get any miles in before Ice Age. As much as I can’t wait to start the race the zeal to train is waning. It’s 7:20am and I’m still typing this on my phone. I want to run, but am pretty sure I’ll just trot around here for about 3 hours and maybe close to that tomorrow. At noon tomorrow, the wife and I are driving to Florida. Part of that effort is to consider permanent residence at some point. We lived there in the past. I thought we’d never go back, but it is a big state. We’ve studied and visited Arizona, but we aren’t feeling that.
Honestly the plan in my head is to thin most everything out. Toss all the crap out. I’m not a minimalist at heart, but seeing what those ahead of me have stockpiled appears to be a burden. You might not think you have much, but if you look around you do. Same for running. Get up and run an hour. Done. Maybe get a 2 hour effort in on the weekend with someone. Personally I am doing fine. We just want to start the process now. Why? Because too many people seem to wait until it appears just right. That’s a tough target to hit.
Sunday, April 14, 2019
I don’t even have a garage
Not a lot to report. Took Monday and Tuesday as zeroes. Put 3 in at 7:19 pace on the mill Wednesday and a 10k easy with the boys Thursday. Friday was another day off. Saturday was 25.2k at a good clip (for me) that was half road and trail. It was not fast, but I did feel the effort afterwards. Sunday I banked 22.7k easy at Lapham. Thirteen k of that with Ice Age legend Clement Grum. Not many fellas walking the earth with a sub 6 hour on that course! Thanks for the effort Clem.
A lower mileage week at about 41 miles, but some good hoofing in there. I’ll get a good midweek tempo in and then a longer run on Friday. Hopefully 25-30 miles down on the course. I actually may skip going down as it is a minimum 1:40 driving round trip. We are driving to Florida the next day for a badly needed full week+ get away. Time to investigate the next chapter of life a bit. We lived there before. Might go back. When you look outside now an snow is covering the ground again it gets old. Florida has a ton of stuff I don’t personally endorse, but as warm weather states go it is not the worst.
I’ll spend the last 3 weeks sharpening up and resting. I still like all this running, but I’m going to have to re-evaluate. Honestly, I don’t have the same amount of juice any longer and other aspects of life (perceived) don’t seem to get easier. Again, read anyone else’s blog who is 10 years on either side of me and it will say the same. Hoping to drop out of the rat race in the next 2-3 years.
A lower mileage week at about 41 miles, but some good hoofing in there. I’ll get a good midweek tempo in and then a longer run on Friday. Hopefully 25-30 miles down on the course. I actually may skip going down as it is a minimum 1:40 driving round trip. We are driving to Florida the next day for a badly needed full week+ get away. Time to investigate the next chapter of life a bit. We lived there before. Might go back. When you look outside now an snow is covering the ground again it gets old. Florida has a ton of stuff I don’t personally endorse, but as warm weather states go it is not the worst.
I’ll spend the last 3 weeks sharpening up and resting. I still like all this running, but I’m going to have to re-evaluate. Honestly, I don’t have the same amount of juice any longer and other aspects of life (perceived) don’t seem to get easier. Again, read anyone else’s blog who is 10 years on either side of me and it will say the same. Hoping to drop out of the rat race in the next 2-3 years.
Saturday, April 6, 2019
Built like a car
Stumbled out for a long run today. Only 5 weeks to the dance and nothing over 20 miles since John Dick in early February. I decided to run out past Lowe Lake 55 minutes and turn back. If I did that 3 times that would give me over 30 miles. I wouldn't measure it until the last circuit. Turns out it is 17.36 kilometers each trip so I put it down for 52k. That's a solid 32.3 miles so happy to get the effort in. I averaged 10:00 minutes per mile for the whole thing with splits of 1:49:31 / 1:48:25 / 1:45:05 for a total time of 5:23:01. Each segment has about 2 miles of trail, 1 mile of dirt road, and the rest is paved back road. It is a nice little route. The road section is first and last with the dirt road and trail at the far end. I would like to run on the Ice Age course, but didn't feel like investing 50 minutes driving each way.
These are my takeaways. I ran in the Sketchers I bought a couple weeks ago at a store closing sell. I like them, just not positive they have enough rear end in them for some of the rocks at Ice Age. I will have to test that out. The PF in the left foot was fine and did not notice any pain formation. It is becoming clearer that the right hip pain is probably an issue that is not going to go away. I will reevaluate my running future after my Ice Age break. I'll continue to run, but I may have to jumble things around with other activities. This pain leads to back pain as well on the right side more than likely to the compensating I do for it. It hurt, but nothing over the top. I took 200mg of Advil after the first and second segments were complete. Four+ hours later it is a steady ache. I'm hoping to get about another 10.5 miles in tomorrow, so hopefully I can start out with minimal pain tomorrow. I tried to run at a controlled even pace. I tend to feel better as time goes on. This was true today with the exception of the hip/back pain. If this can be minimized somehow it seems things would continue in a positive manner. I really felt like I could of easily ran another 5 miles, but knew that was pointless. It is more about surviving for another day at this point. Not sure if the majority of the running on the trails, with the constant gear changes and softer surfaces might be easier on the hip.
I was pleased with my ability to take down 32 ounces of liquid on each return. I would then take a 20 ounce bottle for the segment. I would not hit the water until the way back. I did not consume a lot of food. Nothing was eaten before the run. I had two 190 calorie bars, half a peanut butter sandwich, and a mountain dew 2/3rds of the way through the run. I just free wheeled it back with the water and felt fine on the last circuit. I'm not a big eater, but I also know in the real world I may have to consume about double what I did today during the 50 miler. Steady running allows for a steady burn and the food seems to digest okay when I'm not blasting. During Ice Age I tend to rely a lot on Pepsi and Mountain Dew the last 20 miles. That and a bunch of Gatorade. The first 50k is generally a time when I eat more food. The last 30k is more going by feel and finding the zone. As I age this is harder to find and also harder to stay in. My answer tends to be start more conservative every year and stretch things out.
3/31 AM = 18.6k in 2:09 at Menomonee Park with Dewey and Tim
4/1 = OFF
4/2 AM = 10.6k in 61:23 with Zeke in Eagan, MN
4/3 PM = 10k in 47:45 on the t-mill. Pretty solid tempo fartlek effort
4/4 PM = 13.4k in 1:19:34 on the roads
4/5 = OFF
4/6 = 52k in 5:23:01 up near the Emerald lot and back 3 times.
Total = 104.6k (close to 65 miles)
These are my takeaways. I ran in the Sketchers I bought a couple weeks ago at a store closing sell. I like them, just not positive they have enough rear end in them for some of the rocks at Ice Age. I will have to test that out. The PF in the left foot was fine and did not notice any pain formation. It is becoming clearer that the right hip pain is probably an issue that is not going to go away. I will reevaluate my running future after my Ice Age break. I'll continue to run, but I may have to jumble things around with other activities. This pain leads to back pain as well on the right side more than likely to the compensating I do for it. It hurt, but nothing over the top. I took 200mg of Advil after the first and second segments were complete. Four+ hours later it is a steady ache. I'm hoping to get about another 10.5 miles in tomorrow, so hopefully I can start out with minimal pain tomorrow. I tried to run at a controlled even pace. I tend to feel better as time goes on. This was true today with the exception of the hip/back pain. If this can be minimized somehow it seems things would continue in a positive manner. I really felt like I could of easily ran another 5 miles, but knew that was pointless. It is more about surviving for another day at this point. Not sure if the majority of the running on the trails, with the constant gear changes and softer surfaces might be easier on the hip.
I was pleased with my ability to take down 32 ounces of liquid on each return. I would then take a 20 ounce bottle for the segment. I would not hit the water until the way back. I did not consume a lot of food. Nothing was eaten before the run. I had two 190 calorie bars, half a peanut butter sandwich, and a mountain dew 2/3rds of the way through the run. I just free wheeled it back with the water and felt fine on the last circuit. I'm not a big eater, but I also know in the real world I may have to consume about double what I did today during the 50 miler. Steady running allows for a steady burn and the food seems to digest okay when I'm not blasting. During Ice Age I tend to rely a lot on Pepsi and Mountain Dew the last 20 miles. That and a bunch of Gatorade. The first 50k is generally a time when I eat more food. The last 30k is more going by feel and finding the zone. As I age this is harder to find and also harder to stay in. My answer tends to be start more conservative every year and stretch things out.
3/31 AM = 18.6k in 2:09 at Menomonee Park with Dewey and Tim
4/1 = OFF
4/2 AM = 10.6k in 61:23 with Zeke in Eagan, MN
4/3 PM = 10k in 47:45 on the t-mill. Pretty solid tempo fartlek effort
4/4 PM = 13.4k in 1:19:34 on the roads
4/5 = OFF
4/6 = 52k in 5:23:01 up near the Emerald lot and back 3 times.
Total = 104.6k (close to 65 miles)
Saturday, March 30, 2019
Working at the car wash
The local Village is about 2.5 miles down the road. They put up those electronic signs that flash and say how fast you are going. They work really well, AS THE LARGE MAJORITY OF PEOPLE DRIVE 25 MPH OR LESS. I'm so tempted to throw the car in neutral, exit the vehicle, start bone chipping as fast as possible, crash through the window, and commander the vehicle for sanity purposes. It seems people will drive 22-23 mph, just to be safe from the long arm of the law. Honest to Hali Salasi they are just handing out drivers license now-a-days. These mph things are like gold, gold I tell you. Oh well, maybe I should just relax, but it is comical watching others power around on occasion with fanfare.
Honestly the record is 18 mph.
Ran 19.4 miles today. Really wasn't that difficult. Thinking I'll do 10+ tomorrow if I don't have to drive to Pontiac, MI for work. Then turn around and drive to MN. Everybody twist. Come on people now, smile on your brother, everybody get together, learn to love one another right now.
I don't turn the radio on often in the car. So I do on Friday am some random cheesehead calls and dedicates this Zepplin song to his wife. Then we have to hear this starry starry night story about hearts and love and meaning. That's why I generally leave it off. Play the music. Give the scores. Tell us the current weather.
3/24 = OFF
3/25 AM = 10.5k in 66:13
3/26 AM = 10.5k w/ an 8k in 38:36
3/27 PM = 17k in 1:44:34 up around Lowe Lake. Trails getting better.
3/28 PM = 11.2k in 1:17:34 at Menomonee Park w/ Dewey, Tim, Robert
3/29 = OFF
3/30 AM = 31.2k in 3:25:02. Nordic to Emma and back 1:44:53/1:40:09
Total = 80.4k (49.9 miles)
That's about the limit. 50 miles is top end. The right side back/hip is part of the limiter.
I'll try and get another decent one in tomorrow.
Honestly the record is 18 mph.
Ran 19.4 miles today. Really wasn't that difficult. Thinking I'll do 10+ tomorrow if I don't have to drive to Pontiac, MI for work. Then turn around and drive to MN. Everybody twist. Come on people now, smile on your brother, everybody get together, learn to love one another right now.
I don't turn the radio on often in the car. So I do on Friday am some random cheesehead calls and dedicates this Zepplin song to his wife. Then we have to hear this starry starry night story about hearts and love and meaning. That's why I generally leave it off. Play the music. Give the scores. Tell us the current weather.
3/24 = OFF
3/25 AM = 10.5k in 66:13
3/26 AM = 10.5k w/ an 8k in 38:36
3/27 PM = 17k in 1:44:34 up around Lowe Lake. Trails getting better.
3/28 PM = 11.2k in 1:17:34 at Menomonee Park w/ Dewey, Tim, Robert
3/29 = OFF
3/30 AM = 31.2k in 3:25:02. Nordic to Emma and back 1:44:53/1:40:09
Total = 80.4k (49.9 miles)
That's about the limit. 50 miles is top end. The right side back/hip is part of the limiter.
I'll try and get another decent one in tomorrow.
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