Stand back, sometimes the shrapnel comes through my fingers

 So...I signed up for the Long Haul 100 in January down the road in Lakeland,  FL.  Apparently it is a Western States qualifier so I ended up on the wait list.  Oh well.  I'm thinking one last hurrah and then cutback on the jogging and incorporate other low aerobic stuff.  It is time and yes I will still do Ice Age.

 When you play games with small kids you tend to change the rules so they can win.  This is a bad comparison, but in all aspects of life the rules appear to change, but I'm not a kid.  Stuff comes in a mailbox, an email, verbally, suddenly, ideally, mentally, etc.  How it works is I react and send it back usually timely.  Why doesn't the ball come back quicker any longer?  Aggrevates me because then I want to just swim in the same pool.  No wonder many of us want to Gilligan Island it.

High cheese

 If you have not seen the 30 for 30 on Bo Jackson it is definitely worth the watch.  I have watched it several times and as a sports fan you still find yourself cheering for Bo.  But as we know, Bo is very seriously injured.  He will not play football again, but does return to Major League Baseball.

 Mike Greenberg comments that occasionally you would see the old Bo, the flashes of brilliance, but it wasn’t always there.  This is how running is now for me without any flashes of brilliance.  There appear to be two paths to follow.  Go out and lumber around and chase mileage, or rest more and introduce efforts which represent something like an actual run.

 Lumbering around is any combination of walking/jogging ending up producing miles at 11:00-13:30 pace.  A common effort of 6.5 miles takes 1:20:00.  Efforts feeling like a run are around 10:00 a mile, but they extract a cost.  During my last training I was able to get near 8:00’s for 6 miles and close to 7:30’s for 3 miles.  I like those because a lot of time isn’t eaten up.

Hey I have to get something done I’ll return back to this in the future.

 

Killing me softly

 My bi-weekly trek to Save-A-Lot today.

 How many $5 little bundle of wood entrepreneurs can the market support?  

 Why are there monuments built along the road to so many people?  

 Why do parents sell kid’s stuff energetically in front of stores with many times the token kid is on the phone.  

May 29 - June 4

 I had big ambitions to do another long ultra at the end of July, but it just isn't going to work out.  Travel has been heavy, there are other responsibilities,  and there is not enough runway to get the production off the ground.   I always think it will be a time regretted, but none of this means anything.  

 It isn't a shock to me the things I hear at the doctor's office, work environment,  and the media.  It also isn't a shock to me to see how people drive, act impersonal, or adopt totally foreign ways of interacting in society.  It just grates on me a bit to see how easy we just figure that's the way it is.  Including me by-the-way.

 I'm making an effort to get off the grid a bit more.  It is impossible for me to earn money, check baseball scores, and even conduct simple searches online for work and not have my news feed regurgitate a hologram image of what the future me could be.  Also, any social security, CD, or tax searches at this age unleashes a wave of people who are on you like a German Shepherd on a rib roast on how to be your advisor.   Give me a break.  

 Mon - 6.5

 Tue - 6.5

 Wed - 6.5

 Thu - 6.5

 Fri - 6.5

 Sat - 10.5

 Sun - 7.5

 Tot - 50.5

May 22 - 28

 Mon - 4.6

 Tue - 5.1

 Wed - 6.3

 Thu - 8.0

 Fri - 9.0

 Sat - 10.2

 Sun - 4.4

 Tot - 47.6

Ice Age 2023

 An overcast day with temps in the high 50s to low 70s made for a great day to run.  I finished in 11:02:33 for my 21st finish.  I lost 10 pounds and introduced speed work this year.  I believe running in similar morning temps in Florida was beneficial.

 Though it is dead flat in Florida and I primarily stuck to roads, it seemed like the hills were one of my strengths.  The run/walk system practiced was difficult because of the constant shifting topography there.  I did get in some good walking however.  

 For the first time in years I was able to jog quite a bit the last 10 miles instead of almost exclusively walking.  Knowing every inch of this course really helps mentally and it is a huge advantage.

 I want to thank Christine and Ryan for housing, transporting and feeding me.  Thanks to my son Brad for crewing the middle part of the run.  Big thanks to Tim for crewing me and cheering me on the final 13.5 miles.

 It was great to see all my friends as well as create new ones.  I’m sure if healthy the 2024 version will see me there.  

April 24 - 30

 Mon - 4.5

 Tue - 4.5

 Wed - 6.3 w/ 3.0 @ 8:24 pace

 Thu - 4.5

 Fri - 4.5

 Sat - 18.0 run/walk

 Sun - 4.5

 Tot - 46.8