Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Tempo!

Tonight's tempo was a breakthrough run for a few of the runners. I don't know if it's because of the weather (which was nice, comparatively speaking), if it was the increased daylight, or perhaps because we lost the dead weight (Jimmy is in Florida; Allen stayed home), but it was a great one.

Here are the numbers:

Athlete Mile 1 Mile 2 Mile 3 Mile 4 Half Total Avg
Aaron 5:56:00 6:05:00 6:05:00 6:05:00 3:00:00 27:11:00 6:02:27
Scott 6:26:00 6:38:00 6:39:00 19:43:00 6:34:20
Bill 6:26:00 6:38:00 6:48:00 19:52:00 6:37:20
Tim G. 7:08:00 6:56:00 6:57:00 21:01:00 7:00:20
Chris 7:05:00 7:26:00 7:13:00 21:44:00 7:14:40
Danny 7:57:00 7:56:00 8:00:00 23:53:00 7:57:40
Sandy 8:10:00 8:48:00 8:19:00 25:17:00 8:25:40

Of course the fastest runner was Aaron. He's been pretty consistent over the last few weeks, remaining in that 6-flat range. I know he'd like to break 1:20:00 at Indy, and if he can get on a 6:10 pace on race day and stay there, he has a shot.

Chris was feeling a bit down, but I encouraged him to give it a shot anyway. He was game, and hit 7:05 for the first mile. His middle mile faded a bit, then he picked it back up. Way to fight back!

Danny had his best run ever in my mind. Look at those splits! Sure, perhaps he might have had a faster overall time before, but he's never run so evenly. It's an important first step to getting faster, to control pace. This was a great workout.

Sandy's times are dropping week to week. Like Chris, her middle mile was a bit off, but overall it was a very good effort. She's dropped over a minute since we started doing this!

Tim G. did not really go for a hard one - he raced over the weekend and was suffering some leftover effects. Still, he accelerated throughout the run as you can see. Old pro!

Then there was Scott. Taking a cue from Tim G. from last week, I grabbed him and told him to stay on my heel. Scott did a beautiful job! We were fast the first mile (shock!), but settled in after that to the pace I'd hoped we'd hit. He didn't talk throughout the run - smart. It was hard on him, but he never faltered one step. Then, with the final hill before us, I sent him on. He didn't resist, he went. I don't know if he believed he could run so fast, but those of us who've been watching knew he could. Sometimes it takes someone to put a hook in your nose and drag you, but guess what? The glass ceiling has been broken. A couple of weeks ago someone suggested Scott should break 20 minutes. Hah! He could have done that tonight! I would be far more aggressive... I think he'll be knocking on 18 before the year is out. 

Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Windy Tempo in March? Who would guess?

It wasn't an easy run, but we did it. The wind down Industrial Park was something, wasn't it? Let's just get to the numbers...

Athlete Mile 1 Mile 2 Mile 3 Total Avg
Bill 6:41:00 6:28:00 6:27:00 19:36:00 6:32:00
Jim 6:41:00 6:28:00 6:27:00 19:36:00 6:32:00
Allen 6:59:00 6:50:00 6:43:00 20:32:00 6:50:40
John T. 6:59:00 7:02:00 7:06:00 21:07:00 7:02:20
Tim G. 6:58:00 6:57:00 7:00:00 20:55:00 6:58:20
Scott B. 7:16:00 7:09:00 6:43:00 21:08:00 7:02:40
Sandy 9:00:00 8:45:00 8:52:00 26:37:00 8:52:20
Dan G. 7:40:00 7:43:00 7:38:00 23:01:00 7:40:20

I think all things considered it wasn't a bad job. Notice too that the novice runners are improving a great deal, not only in overall speed but in their ability to hold a steady pace. Remember, check the first mile vs. the overall pace. Good job, folks!

Sunday, March 10, 2013

Things are picking up

This past week was the first time my cycling broke 100 miles this year. By design. The low back/hip combo has been worsening, so in an effort to heal it, I've rested longer. I've hated the process mentally, but that's what had to happen.

I am currently doing 40 miles per week running and 70-100 miles riding. Hopefully it will warm up more this month and the riding miles will go up. That's the plan.

That's the update in training. Now to the discussions.

This morning I stated Indiana was one of the poorest states in the country. That statement was roundly booed by the group, so I promised to research the issue deeper. Now before I go further, I want to clarify I acknowledged the Indiana budget is in the black, one of the few states in the country to be able to say that currently. That however is not my measure of wealth. Employment, or rather the quality of employment, is an important indicator of how wealthy a state is. A state full of fast-food workers is not wealthy, even if the unemployment rate is low.

Here are some numbers I rounded up:


39th in household income.
21st highest poverty level.
15th in job loss in 2012 (mainly public sector).
40th in quality of life assessment.
37th in access to capital (for business development).
34th in educational spending.
Non-farm employment dropped nearly 10% in the last decade.

The good news:
Indiana ranks 14th in states with the best business environments (meaning business-friendly).
9th in job growth (mainly construction). Don’t get excited – we’re talking 0.60% growth here.
7th in cost of living.

What this all means will depend on how you wish to analyze it. At first glance they appear to conflict, particularly with regards to employment gain/loss. To start, non-farm employment dropped nearly 10% over the last decade, yet in the last year construction jobs helped Indiana become 9th in job growth (albeit at an anemic 0.60%). Additionally, the Daniels push to reduce the public sector jobs made Indiana 15th in job loss in the country. As I said, mixed bag. 

Now let's look at household income. Indiana ranks 39th in the country, not the worst, but certainly not good. Fortunately this is offset somewhat with a low cost of living in most of the rural parts of the state, but that too comes at a price. With the reduction of automobile manufacturing in the state, tax revenues are naturally correspondingly reduced, which means services are cut back. This contributes to Indiana ranking 40th in quality of life.

It's true the state has heavily courted business with whatever tools at our disposal, which usually means things like tax abatements (which reduce services) or relaxed regulation. There is plenty of available property for development and expansion. Interstate access is improving all the time. Basic infrastructure is there, and there is a willing workforce. 

My Summary: 
Indiana is still a largely agrarian state. The industrial base shrank over the last two decades, and wages actually decreased over the period. HOWEVER.. Indiana is not the poorest state. Never mind I never said that... I will concede it isn't. I stand by my point it is a poor state, and all things considered one of the poorer states in the country.