Costume run a day early

Sure, it's not Halloween, but as our friends will mostly be leaving town for Florida tomorrow, we opted to do it today instead. Besides, when's the last time anyone ran with Jimmy on Thursday? It was the usual list of costumes... nothing out of the ordinary. The sad part was the number of runners who opted out of the costume. No sense of adventure, I guess.

We ran 5, most of us. A few runners, those preparing for the marathon on Saturday, only ran 3. Well, Jimmy and Haley aren't running a marathon, but they also ran 3. I stuck with Miller and Rowan, and we hit a very slow one. Can't blame Miller - he ran 15 miles this morning. Me? I just needed an easy day.

I did get my lift before the run, so that's something. I think I'm getting used to the new pattern of coming right home and getting to my training. I sure am tired though, more so than I've been in a long time. That I think is an adjustment to pace and distance. I'm doing a lot more running than I have in some time.

Haven't seen Galloway in a while. There are only two possibilities: A) he's preparing for the zombie apocalypse, or; B) he's hurt. I'm leaning towards A, but I texted him just in case. Ah! Just got a return text. "Nursing hamstrings. Zombie-proof shelter nearly complete. Collecting supplies." You know Galloway - man of few words, he is.

So, Ironman Florida is this weekend, and we have several going down to be minions for the race in the hopes of getting picked for next year's race. Well, good luck to you all. Hope it's all you've dreamed of. 

Busted up, but running

As expected, the run yesterday had some lasting impact on the rest of my day. I was tired and sore, and today I awoke even more so. It was hard to hobble around work all morning, and any time I stopped for even a few minutes, the sore started all over again.

I wanted to run 8 miles in the afternoon. It was difficult to imagine how that was going to be possible, and even harder to imagine how it could be done under 8-minute pace. That may not seem important, but to me it is. Running fast starts with the mind, and you have to decide a bottom level for what you accept. If I'm going to run a BQ, all my stuff should be under 8.

Being that it was the first day after cross season, there was no rush to get out to the high school and start practice. This freed me up to hit the gym right away and get my lift done. After that, I came home and started my run. The plan was to get in 3-4 miles before the group run. I figured by then I would be warmed up, and Scott could drag me around like a rag doll if he wished.

The first part of the run didn't hurt as much as it was hard to get my balance right for the first half mile. After that, things opened up, and I was comfortable right at the 8 mark. As the run progressed, the pace dropped more and more. This appears to be a pattern.

Bartlett, Roy, Scott, John T., Jesse Schofield, and Trey Pemberton (two of the boys' cross members) were there, and we took off after we discovered Jimmy would be delayed. This I knew would be trouble because A) they would be faster than us, and; B) I would chase them. Never mind the long run yesterday, or how sore I'd been all day, or whether or not it was the smart thing to do - it would be done. I might get dropped, but I wasn't just going to let it happen.

They broke away about the church, and I let them go a bit. I was talking with John T. and Roy, but I watched the distance growing. As we returned to U Street, I knew it was now or never. If I didn't move then, it would be too late and the gap too large to cover.

So I caught them. I started asking them about mileage and goals, and meanwhile the pace kept getting faster and faster. We got back to the office, and still the pace got faster. I told them they needed to get comfortable at the 7-minute per mile or under level, and simply expect to do that all the time. And we went faster and faster. Finally, we were down by the salon, preparing to make the final turn.

I didn't know how much I had left, but I wasn't feeling too poorly. I decided to press the issue. I pushed the pace down hard. It wasn't full-out, but there wasn't going to be any talking going on. Jesse began to struggle to hang in there, but Trey... he was right there. I didn't have a lot left in reserve, and had he possessed the confidence to break away, he could have easily done so. We carried it into the finish, and it was a solid effort for both of us. Jesse came in shortly after.

Now here's the thing.. these guys have goals for the team next year, and the team needs them to be great. Talent isn't going to be their enemy, confidence will. Hopefully they will continue to run with us over the winter. If they do, well, we're going to produce a couple of very different looking runners for the team...

Not Buddha, Beddha

That's how I named the run today. Back up 24 hours...

Miller came to Nashville to watch the Brown County Semi-State. After the race we met up at McDonald's to eat lunch and talk a bit, and the conversation soon turned to today's run. I related I needed to get a 20-miler in today, and he offered to run it with me. Never mind he'd run 40 miles the day before (that's 40 miles, not kilometers) - he was willing to go. We talked about courses and times. Inside, I hated the idea of a Double-Dear, but the alternative was... Buddha?

"No way, no way I'm doing Buddha" I told him. He sat there silently looking at me. I don't know if it was because he didn't know where the comment came from or if he knew what would follow - both are equally possible. "Okay, screw it, I'll do Buddha!"

All that was left was time. He couldn't tell me when before checking with WinD, so all I could do was start wrapping my mind around the where. The when would come later.

We landed on 7 AM. There was a bit of time constraint due to church and our expected slower pace, so we set it up in parts and stayed in town. That worked out better anyway because it was pitch-black outside. So... we started the Dear Loop.

The pace was a bit slow, but that was expected. My hips hurt, but I hoped that would change over the first few miles. Right away I noticed I was leading out here and there, something I really didn't need to do. Noticing Miller, I fell back in line. The brain won this time, because the realization was if anyone knew pace, it had to be the guy running 150 miles per week.

The first 10 flew by pretty quickly. Near the end of the first loop, Miller started picking up the pace. We'd started the first 5 miles in the 8:05 range... by the end of 10 we were at 7:55. What would the second loop bring?

Miller needed to be done by 9:30, giving him time for 8 more miles. I took him on the Optimist 8 to give us options. I might have picked the course, but he picked the pace. Right away the pace dropped down to the 7:30-7:40 range. Maybe he was warmed up, or maybe he was trying to squeeze in as much as possible - either way I was game to give it a shot. I'd wanted to press the pace on this run to see if a sub-3:30 marathon was realistic. I'd been thinking a 7:50 overall pace would be a good target, though I hadn't told him this. As it turned out, we were quickly headed that way.

Here's the weird part... as the first 10 ended, I'd begun to notice a pinch in my neck. As we did the next loop and picked up the pace, I completely loosened up. Even my hips felt better. By midway through the second loop I was dialed in and coasting. There wasn't much talking anymore, but I wouldn't call it difficult in any way. After dropping Miller off at 18 I even considered running 26 total. I decided things had gone pretty well, no reason to get greedy.

Of course the rest of the day the hips were tight, but other than a little fatigue, I feel great. This was a great confidence booster, and I know now I can and should run a BQ. Thank you Miller for a great run!

Third 50 in three weeks

Man, it's a struggle. Every single day. Running is not the joy it once was, and every time I start a fresh running season I'm reminded how quickly my body's betrayal has advanced. My comfort zone used to be in the mid-6 range. Now I can run comfortably in the mid-7's. True, I'm not really in shape yet, but man, it's sure a lot harder to run harder than I'm used to.

Take the segments, for instance. The last couple of days I've run, I've come up on known segments and pushed. Let me correct myself: I pushed, but when I saw how far off I've been, I've flat-out gone for it. And still I am woefully short.

It's not like the times are fast - they aren't. I'm slow. Very slow, and getting slower all the time.

This is going to take some focused work to address, and a lot depends on how much training my body will absorb before breaking down... but I'd like to be able to run in the lower 6's in the 5-mile segment of Terre Haute next year. I'll accept 6:15 as close enough. That's probably a pipe dream, but it's a target, and that will help me train.

I'm running 20 on Sunday, and that I hope will confirm what I already believe - that I can run a BQ at Huntsville. 8:02 pace is all it will take. If I can discipline myself to hold 7:50 for the first 15-20 miles, I should be golden. That would be 4 minutes up, and after that it would take a total disaster to undo the work. But... I know a thing or two about disasters...

No running tomorrow. Going to Semi-State with my runner.

A compliment... I think

It happened the way I figured... it's been way too warm for fall. We've had precious few cross-country meets with great weather, very unusual this year. It all added up to exactly what happened - no transition of seasons, just summer to winter. SNAP!

Any of you catch that sleet storm about noon today? Uh-huh. That's what I'm talking about.

It's been bitterly cold the last two days, with the hard wind from the north/northwest. Being outside has been less than... comfortable. Tomorrow looks like it could be worse. On both of the previous days, my girls have finished practice with no clothes to keep warm until their rides arrived. This meant I had to put them in my car. Of course if THEY were in the car, I couldn't be... so I got to stand in the cold wind and wait for their rides. This has not been very fun.

Now if you're lucky enough to run in this, it's perfect running weather. I went out tonight for an 8-miler knowing it wouldn't be tough to run, at least on my lungs anyway. I went ahead and pressed a little bit on the first 4 miles, holding a bit above 7-minute pace. I still didn't feel too badly in the lungs, but my calves were twinging every now and then. Since I've taken mileage and speed up quite a bit in the last couple of weeks, I decided to back off for a bit.

I did console myself with a thought... I was on Hillcrest Circle when I backed off. I would rest, thinks I, until I hit Industrial Park. After that, I would go after the segment up the hill. I was way overdressed, I'm fat, my calf hurt, I'm fat, I'd already pressed the early part, I'm fat... I didn't care. I'd try anyway. What's to lose?

Lester made a tricky segment, because it doesn't end at the top of the hill. It turns north and continues until the next street. You have to remember this when you try, because most people will lay off as soon as they hit Washington Avenue. I was quite aware of the turn, just as I was quite aware my heart was about to explode at the turn. I kept pushing my fat body anyway, and hoped for the best.

That done, I backed off for a little bit again. My breathing came back down in short order, my pace still wasn't too bad, so I decided to go for Miracle Mile (the segment from Haircut Co. to Torphy Insurance). I was still fat, I'd pushed up Industrial, I'm fat, it was late in the run, I'm fat...

It started off better than I thought. The problem would come with my endurance, I knew. The speed was good enough, but was I too tired to top the hill by First Baptist and pick it up again? Apparently not. I hit the same time I hit a couple of weeks ago. I suppose I could be happy with that - I've piled a lot of training up since then. Anyway, it's not important that I have that kind of speed at the moment. I only need to hold 8:02 per mile for the marathon to get my BQ, and I think I can easily make that.

Oh, the Industrial segment? I was 2nd to Lester. He still owns it by 2 seconds. I suppose in the grand scheme of things I'm happy about that one, too. After all, if I DID manage to get it, Troy would have to figure out a way to run fast enough to take it away!

After the run, I went to the gym. It wasn't a lifting day, rather a core day. I was doing some core exercises, some of which I'm sure I'm doing wrong because I don't feel anything. I was a bit crowded into a small space between two fellows doing their thing, and I was crunching down on my abs when I heard a voice behind me:

"You're so damn skinny!"

"What?! You talking to ME?" I asked the guy. He assured me he was. Standard ex-marine, cranking the big weights, good size to him, but some of it was less than complimentary body fat. I think he meant it as a compliment, but I didn't care either way. He followed up with a line I think most of you would find hilarious.

"I bet you don't eat anything!"

Ha! Now THAT is funny! As Greg pointed out, I always super-size my meals. No, VO2 workouts for hours a week give you some leeway about how you eat, even at my age.

I guess I don't have to worry about getting too big just yet...

Getting harder and easier at the same time

Dang! What a great graphic! How'd I forget this one?

The body is old. Every morning I get up feeling sore and tired, and yet by the end of the day someone will show up and drag me through another hard segment. Overall this has had the effect of pulling my pace average way down from a month ago - which is a good thing, considering what lies around the corner. Huntsville is only about six weeks away.

I ran 4 with the girls team this afternoon, and it didn't feel all that great. The pace was way too slow, and the vertical pounding became unbearable. No matter - there would be another run later, and it would certainly be faster.

See, it's Wednesday, and for the past few weeks Greg has been pulling the pace down on the last couple of miles. To top it off, Scott would be there, and for the past few weeks he's been pulling the pace down on... every mile. Yup, the second run would be the hard one.

If that wasn't enough, the temperature has plummeted in the last few days. It was 45 degrees and the cold northwest wind cut right to the bone. The first run left me with a chill; hopefully the second run would be warmer.

Jimmy joined us, and surprisingly went the whole first three. Rand stayed with him, as did Roy, eventually. That left Scott, Greg, Miller, and myself launching off the front. I had no choice. If the gap opened too wide, I'd never cover it, because the pace was going to go up, up, up, and I knew it. Best to get on a heel and hold on.

Wit' da' Boyz

As the run data illustrates, once Scott dropped the hammer, the break was absolute between groups. The only surprising thing was Greg's unwillingness to go hard today. He had a schedule change of sorts, or so I understood, and he wasn't interested in hard tonight. Thank goodness for Scott, I guess.

It feels good to run that pace. Even as he dropped it under 7 minutes, it was so easy. I just wish I still felt good 5 minutes after stopping. Man! Even jogging across the street to go home... hurt. The price, I suppose.

Going to run after practice tomorrow. I'm taking whatever I can get.

So now it's Robin's turn

Sure, when Scott said he wouldn't be running tonight, I'll admit it, I thought, "Well, it should be an easy night". Robin had asked me how far I would run, I told her I'd like 8 miles at least, and she agreed to go - if I ran slowly. That pretty much locked it in, I thought. I was wrong.

The weather was the first thing to go awry. The forecast changed from rain overnight to rain in the evening, or possibly at the tail end of our run. I'd checked the radar at 3 today (wondering about practice), and sure enough, it was already raining/snowing north of Indy. It was only a matter of time until it reached here.

I began thinking, it wouldn't take much to change Robin's mind about going longer, and a bit of cold rain might be enough. There was also time to get a few in early (practices are shorter this week), so there was little to do for it but go ahead. There was about enough time for 3 early miles, perfect for the plan. John T. would want nothing more than 5 miles I was sure.

That part I got right. The only other runners to show tonight were Robin and John T., and he only wanted 5 miles. Robin offered no resistance, so off we went toward Hillcrest Circle.

Funny thing happened... I intentionally ran off and behind Robin's shoulder (she'd taken the early lead). I was very careful to not pass at all - the lead was all hers. It was her chance to run as she wished. Robin must have felt good, because the miles kept getting faster. Maybe it was the topic of discussion, maybe she was excited to be running with two such studs, but she ran harder and harder.

The conversation had been easy for most of the run, though John T., accustomed to running with his girlfriend at her pace, was working to keep up. With a little over half a mile to go they both got very quiet. We had dropped under 7-minute pace, though Robin didn't want to be told. This actually played into my favor, because the faster they ran, the better I felt. Rounding the final corner, heading into the finish, Robin was pretty much flat-out... or at least it sounded that way.

We finished under 40 minutes, which doesn't sound that fast until you consider we ran an 8:40 first mile. Robin spent the rest of the run making that up and more. I asked her if she still wanted more, to which she replied, "Not after I've run THAT fast!"

I assume there will be a group at Jimmy's tomorrow at 5:15. I also assume Greg will want some kind of quality work on the end. Just make sure you lace 'em up tight!