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.

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?

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.

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.

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. 

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.

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.