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What?!

Seven. That's the number of runners that made the 4:45 PM run from Parkview tonight. I never thought Jimmy's popularity could be challenged, but apparently the charisma and machismo that is Allen Burris has some sway with the exercise-minded. Or it could be the calves. Either way, there were indeed seven runners for tonight's run.

We did the usual Thursday route I can never quite remember. I was reminded we do it every week, though that is a bit of an exaggeration; this was only the third Thursday. It is fair chide me, because I am usually much quicker on patterns.

Galloway made it, though I'm pretty sure by the end he wish he hadn't. The knee is really hurting him. I knew it was so when I made an egregious error regarding high school basketball and he didn't ride me like a cheap quarter ride outside a supermarket (kids, you might be too young to understand that one). He said he "was trying to keep his mind on positive thoughts." I'm so sorry, man.

Roy is beginning to assert himself in the absence of Scott. He led most of the run tonight, and by the end had dropped the pace significantly. We started a bit past 9 and finished a bit past 8. One minute per mile dropped by the time we finished 5. Yeah, Roy's coming on.

Twenty Miles of Nowhere is getting somewhere! Leisa and I worked on the graphic a bit tonight, she has her flyer about done, and she has spoken to the local health clubs. Things are moving apace, almost as if it was meant to be. I may have to tap some of our celebrity talent for promo videos. More on that later. 

Semantics

Like my new Strava profile pic? Made it myself. Dang, I got skilz.

There was another good-sized Wednesday night running group tonight. It featured about every available local runner in our circle, including Scott. What is notable about Scott is he is scheduled to see Dr. Fox next week about his knee. That didn't stop him from handing it to us.

Scott's typical MO is to lead out after the first half mile. The idea is to make a gap so he can go completely around the 27 Street route, getting the full 5-mile distance by the end of the run. True to form, Scott broke off before the alley headed to Norton Lane.

I knew what he was doing, and decided if I was going to chase, I'd better do so immediately. I broke smartly off the front of the group, but it took a long time to catch. I'd picked the very moment he'd accelerated more to go, and it made the catch all the harder.

We did the extra loop, ran back to the group, and for a while played nice. Soon Scott was busting off the front again, preparing to add a little extra to the second part of the run. I went with him, as did Miller. About half a mile later I began to feel more than hear another person behind us. It was Jake, an impressive move considering the pace. The four of us followed Scott to his turn, the U-turned to go back up to Jimmy's.

We could see Jimmy and Rand had already turned, and the distance was perhaps a 10th of a mile. "You guys go get 'em. I can't catch them tonight", said Scott. Laughable. We were doing 7:30 pace, and I'd guess Jimmy and Rand were doing 8:30-8:45 max. Not only would we catch them, but we'd do it relatively quickly.

We caught them midway between 21st and 22nd, a fair distance from the office. Would Scott play nice the rest of the way in? No way. Soon he was off again. Miller started to feel a little saucy by then, and he started to lead out. Scott urged me to catch, but I declined. Couldn't if I'd wanted to, and besides, my whole purpose of breaking off the group was to run with Scott.

So we took it in, a solid effort. I felt good the whole way, not pressing, and though the time was not impressive, it was faster than I have been averaging. That has to count for something.

Run from Parkview tomorrow at 4:45. 

CHECK THE GARMINS AT THE DOOR! CHECK THE GARMINS AT THE DOOR! CHECK THE GARMINS AT THE DOOR!

One thing is always certain when Jimmy and Allen get together to run; there will be the give-and-take discussion/debate over Garmins/running watches. It's always hard to say who starts it, and even harder to divine the purpose. Fact is, it's been going on for so long I can't remember a run in a long time where it wasn't brought up.

It's not like anyone is changing anyone's mind. You either wear one or you don't. There are people that take anything to the extreme, and though I can be one of those people, in this case I'm fairly neutral. I see Garmins as a tool with a purpose, but certainly not the infallible end-all/be-all of running neophytes tend to believe them to be. Truth is usually in the middle in most cases, and I think this is certainly one of those times.

I will note, however... those without Garmins can't seem to shut up about them. Playing upon a similar psychological phenomena, let me just dub this practice here and now as "Garmin Envy". More, those without seem to be engaged in more than a little "overcompensation". ;)

We did do our tempo tonight, "we" being Allen, Jimmy, John T., Rand, and myself. This was a bit more organized than last week, and if I do say so myself, a bit more "tempo-ey". This was 2 miles instead of 1, the time taken more closely approximating a true tempo duration. 2.5 miles might be the perfect distance for us time-wise, though I'm not sure that's a can of worms I wish to open just yet.

I wanted to let Jimmy set the pace. He and John T. settled on 7:10, and we started together. Allen took off early (as usual), and Rand did his thing. We were bunched fairly closely until traffic on darkening roads strung us out a bit. Our quarter-mile checkpoint had us a little up, so we started to adjust. Too much, because before long I saw 7:15 pace on my Garmin. I picked it up after calling the pace, but Jimmy wasn't having it. The last thing I heard him say before I pulled away was, "Okay, that was 7:20 pace". He'd just seen their half-mile split.

Dropping down Industrial I just let gravity work. The result was a faster than planned 6:44 pace. This is much slower than last week, and it was in no way difficult. I pressed up the incline heading into mile 2. this mile went fine as well, other than congestion in my throat beginning to choke me. I suppressed the gag reflex and finished the mile smoothly at a 6:36 pace. Somehow Garmin turned this into a 6:39 pace for 2 miles, I won't argue this way or that. Let Jimmy and Allen do that.

John T. and Jimmy were something like 7:05 - 6:58, Allen 7:29 - 7:28, and I never heard Rand's times. Perhaps I should call him "Mysterious Rand", because getting this type of information from his is usually very difficult. Of course tonight maybe I just didn't hear him.

We run from Jimmy's tomorrow at 5:15.

3 x 220

The answer is NOT 660!

No, the meaning is not really mathematical at all... it's how many guys in tonight's run wore Garmin 220's. I was the first to break the ice on this truly wonderful all-around watch/GPS. John T. soon bit, and now our good friend Scott has recently begun sporting his black and red beauty. He even convinced his Orleans buddy Chris into buying with him.

Jimmy keeps sniffing, but he doesn't bite. He had a shot at a $199 Garmin 910 (which he should have bought), but passed. Now he is looking hard at the 220. I do understand the problem a bit. He needs something he can wear as a watch. I had the same issue, and the 220 has filled that void beautifully. With a 10-hour battery and a completely waterproof case, it's nearly the perfect all-around piece of equipment. I do wish it tracked swimming better, but the truth is my 910 wasn't accurate in open water either, making that portion useless. The one thing I do truly wish was the 220 had the same 20-hour battery of the 910.

We ran 5 tonight - at least, I did. I ran from my house to the office, then ran home afterward to get my miles. The rest of the guys cheated themselves. The regular time, the regular route, the regular crew. Nothing much to note here except one thing... the end of the run.

Bartlett, as he sometimes does, broke off the front. I let it go for a few moments, but decided if I was going to cover, I had to make the move. I did. Then so did Rand. Then John T. Bartlett looked surprised we were all there, not because he didn't think we could, more like he didn't think we would.

It felt good to run a faster tempo. It wasn't fast as in the old days fast, but it was fast enough to feel like I was working. I like that feeling, and enjoy running that way.

Good thing. Tomorrow is tempo Tuesday. We will be going 2 miles at speed, at least, that's the plan. 5:15 from Parkview!

Cookies and Santa Go Together, Don't They?

First off, I want to thank the City of Bedford. No one has ever thrown a party for my birthday, and while that may still be true, I can now say an entire city just threw a parade for me. Never in a million years did I see that coming. Floats, lights, crowds of people waving and cheering as I took my evening jog... forgive me, I'm choking up right now. You guys are the best, really!

In the words of Mike Myers, "I'm verklempt!"

The day actually started when Jimmy, Rand, and I took a short trip down to Loogootee. Debbie (of John T. fame) hosted a 5k benefit run this morning, and as it was her first try at a race, we felt we should support her. It almost didn't happen though... when I awoke at 4:45 to the sound of sleet pounding my window, I couldn't imagine making the trip. Thankfully that let up.

There weren't a lot of people there, maybe 30-40. It was a nice group though, and for a startup race, maybe the best thing that could have happened. It kept things manageable. The three of us started the race, quickly moving to the front within the first half-mile, with only 4th grader little Lucas Britton hanging with us.

Okay, maybe it is my birthday, and maybe I was tempted to go for a rare birthday win. But how do you stomp on the dreams of a little kid? Especially a little red-headed boy. You can't. You just can't. As I always say (sometimes), "Don't punch down."

So we coached him through it. We didn't hit his time goal, but we did let him sprint to the win. Jimmy's competitive nature did get the better of him - too late. He began to protest loudly and persistently about the illegal nature of Lucas's shoes. I don't know what the deal was - sounded like sour grapes to me. It was Jimmy being Jimmy.

He did wind up snaking me on the awards. Lucas was first, Jimmy 2nd, I was 3rd, Rand 4th. Rand was proud he was 4th, because EVERYONE knows 4th is better than 2nd (well, everyone whose name rhymes with "penny"). My poor luck was to be in the male 51-59 age group. If only I'd been 50. Or 60. Not sure where those folks wound up award-wise, but I would have had a shot.

Later we got together again for the Santa Hat Run. Things got off to a weird start when a busload of band kids made for our gym doors as soon as we opened. Someone had called Jimmy asking for permission to let the kids in to use the restroom. It's an awkward thing; we didn't have permission to do that, but at the same time we wanted to be human. Jimmy told them to come in, get dressed, use the restroom, then go back out. They looked shocked. We tried over and over to explain the situation, but they still looked shocked.

Later their band director came in. He started to really take liberties when he directed his kids out onto the hardwood. This was too much, and before I could jump up Jimmy was all over it. One more time he tried to explain about permission, to which the band director declared defiantly, "I have permission!" "From whom?" I asked. I really needed to know this more than he realized. He gave me a name that in nearly 30 years of working for the corporation I'd never heard. Once again Jimmy jumped in with "She does not have authority over this facility."

Jimmy was as diplomatic as only Jimmy can be, and though dissatisfied, the band director eventually accepted the directions. I want to make clear in no way did any of us wish to be harsh or unfair to anyone related to the bands. We were caught between a rock and a hard place. We had very specific permissions, and there was no custodian on duty. We were prepared for a certain level of traffic, We would have accepted the additional traffic, and did. What we could NOT have was the public on the new hardwood floor with street shoes.

It all worked out in the end, and the run portion was very well attended. I was glad to see many of my running friends, community, and even some of my girls' team present. I was especially glad to see Dale Lynn and Mark Ryan there. They've been through so much lately, and it was a blessing to have them there.

The weather was very nice and I can't say that it could have gone any smoother - the small band issue aside. That's easily solved, of course; next year we'll simply broaden the permission. 

A Cold Drizzle

Standing on the corner this afternoon while performing traffic duty, the light, cold drizzle covered my jacket. Luckily Leisa loves me, and bought me a waterproof Northface that seemed to resist the elements nicely. Though I was warm, I could only think ahead a couple of hours to when I wouldn't have that jacket, but I would be back out in the drizzle.

You see, it's Thursday. Jimmy doesn't run on Thursdays, ergo rain was certain.

What I could not be certain about was having company. I would run regardless. Would Allen make it? As far as I knew he was the only other person planning to come. Allen can sometimes be... sketchy... about iffy days.

I rolled up to find Roy in his car waiting. A few moments later Allen arrived. We three would be the complete company of today's run, so with little ado, we were off.

Allen only changed the course one time. We headed down Park Avenue instead of Washington. I didn't care - made no difference to the run. Roy seemed used to it, so it's clearly something they've done regularly.

Roy really pulled the run. At times Allen appeared pressed to keep attached, though Roy didn't seem to notice. I let him do his thing, running just off his shoulder. I would comment it really is amazing to see how much improvement he's had over the last few years. He is not the same guy that tried to hang in there for a mile a few years back.

Allen started working on Roy about Boston. I have to say I would agree, Roy can get a qualifier if he wants it. I hope he goes for it, because there would be no better time to try than right now, at the peak of his adult fitness.

Jimmy, Scott, and I are planning to go to Loogootee Saturday. The race is at 9 AM. I have one more seat if anyone wants to ride with us.

Another Wednesday

Just another Wednesday, nothing remarkable to report. Miller was back, healthy enough to run. Jimmy was overdressed - again. Same old, same old.

We did run a hard mile last night, and for myself I can say I felt no ill effects. I'd go as far to say I felt pretty good. The nearly 5 mile run went by pretty quickly.

I've hurt my right shoulder, and lifting has been seriously curtailed. I don't want to have surgery, but it may have finally come to that point. If swimming is not possible, triathlon is not possible. That will force my hand.

The other concern I have is my foot. I've ridden one time in 6 weeks, and I can feel my foot already. That's not good. It may have brought me to the place where I either change my shoe/pedal situation, or try to fix the old bike. I'm leaning toward fixing the old bike. After all, I know it worked. More, and this is no small thing, it would be cheaper.

I think the acid test will be once I spin indoors. I will use the Cannondale for this, which uses Speedplay pedals. If that bike does not hurt my feet, then it's something in the Kestrel setup. If it does, it's the pedals. Seems like a smart way to test

Tomorrow we run from Parkview at 4:45. 5 miles.

Saturday... a few of us are going down to Loogootee to support Debbie's 5k. More on this tomorrow. 

First hard(ish) run of the new cycle

I alluded to the need to push the boys to go hard tonight... well, I was right. There we were, right at the starting mark for the tempo course, and the other three guys were ready to run right by it. Nu-uh. Jimmy and Allen, both of whom were there tonight, have been talking a lot about starting tempos on Tuesdays. It was Tuesday, they were both there, it was time to start.

Jimmy began to bargain. "Well, what do you think? 7:50 pace? WHAT?! Not in your dreams. I know for a fact he can go much faster. Now maybe he was thinking we would all run the same pace, but... when have we ever done that? We start together, but we run our paces. Same as it ever was.

Due to a snafu on my timing gear, I waited for a moment or so before chasing the others down. The plan was to only go one mile hardish. I had no intention of running 7:50, but I would have been happy with anything sub-7. Since it was the first time running at speed for a while, I set it for quick turnover without a push. To that end I was felt it went well. At the end of the mile it was 6:20, a good start.

Jimmy, though using the supposedly dependable running watch, lost his time. I would judge he and John were right around 40-45 seconds behind me, and Allen another 40-45 behind that. The rest of the run was easy, nothing spectacular.

Well. We've now kicked it off, haven't we?

The rest of the week looks like regular run tomorrow, 4:45 run Thursday, afternoon run Friday, and Saturday morning at Parkview. That looks to be 7 miles at this point. For me, that finishes the week, other than the odd spin here and there.

Hope everyone gets healthy enough to train soon!

Got the ride yesterday, run today

I did get out and ride a bit yesterday. Sure it was windy, but it was so warm how could I not? It was the Jimmy workout of hill repeats on Industrial. Not a biggie though, since speed didn't matter. Just time.

Today was a run. To be honest, watching the downpour throughout the day gave me little hope it would be an enjoyable run. Temperatures dropped all day too, so there was a chance I would tell the guys to flake off - that's why I have a gym membership! Since Jimmy was running, it all worked out in the end.

Tomorrow we do the Parkview run. Whether or not this is the day we start running faster remains to be seen. Galloway is hurt, Scott may be hurt, and Rand always gets his feelings hurt when we tempo. Allen has a way of blowing this stuff off too... but you know what? I don't need any of those guys. If I decide tomorrow is the day, it's the day - for me.

Kicking a fund raiser idea around. We talked about it a bit on the run tonight. I will post here a bit more when I know... a bit more...

Day Off?

It was 66 degrees out this afternoon when I finally pulled on my riding gear to begin the next phase of training. I'd set the goal of restarting bike training over Thanksgiving, so technically I did so. Long? No. But that would have been a terrible idea. I am going to move slowly on this to see if I can bring the foot up in training without hurting it. I have had no pain for weeks, so here's hoping it stays that way.

I've been thinking about the running thing too. It might be a good idea to start running a short bit before the group runs. This would extend my running days a bit, and would greatly enhance my base. On paper it's solid; in practice it doesn't always work out. Every year brings new health challenges to overcome, and who knows what lies around the corner this time.

Completely off topic, I've spent a lot of time in recent weeks traveling down different, but oddly converging paths professionally. My teaching centers on business IT, which in itself is a broad category. Essentially that would be any technology that enhances or aids in the conduct of business, and sometimes even creating business. I don't want to get into the weeds too much there, it's rather dull to those not interested, just suffice to say it is not the engineering IT most commonly associated with IT.

With the advent of 3D printing coming home, it occurs to me that before long most homes will have printers. That means having at least a cursory knowledge of 3D design would almost certainly become a life skill. That leads me to believe I need to add that to my classes.

Now as I move along that path and dig into what it would take to conduct this type of activity at home or in the small office, I find there is still a great deal of graphic design involved, particularly in vectors. Programs like Illustrator are the industry standard for vector design, so now I will need to bring that into the class.

And while I am at it, might as well bring them both together in a fun way by doing basic game design and execution. Students create their worlds, characters, vehicles, and cause them to interact. No, it would never get to the place where it would be commercial, but it would open some possibilities.

It is not small arrogance to assume I could learn all the directions to a high level. I have no illusions about that happening, and there is no chance I will go back to school. However, I can still learn enough to introduce the concepts. In the first year that will be enough. As time goes, I will pick up more and more, and it will get better.

I'm excited about it. It's one of the wonderful things about my profession... there are standards you must hit, but how you hit them is up to you. Especially in my field, where change happens so fast, flexibility is itself a life skill. My classes will naturally have to evolve - the technology we use never stands still.

There's a commonly held precept in the computer world known as "Moore's Law". Essentially, computer power doubles every two years. That means software is written to keep up with the new ability of more powerful computers. Everything you know today about computers will be completely different in 10 years time. Fact. The sooner kids understand the need to constantly update their knowledge, the better off they'll be. This too is something I hope to share through this added curriculum.

Running tomorrow! 5:15 from the Quack's office. 

Disruption

You would think being off would make it easier to get things like blogging done. Quite the contrary. I'm a regimented guy, and when the schedule gets skewed, things go haywire in a hurry. I have a time of day I tend to do everything, and I do follow patterns; this has prevented me in large part from procrastination, because I know there is only so much time in a day. When I am off... well... I have all day, so why get in a hurry...

Training is back to 30 a week. That will now rise in some way. Either I start biking, raise my running, or both. With a marathon on the calendar for April, training does have to pick up. I'm not mentally ready, but hey, will I ever be? Put one foot in front of the other, see what happens.

An aside... I posted my Strava runs for the last three days only 5 minutes ago. Instant kudo. You know what they say though... 10,000 screaming fans can't be wrong...

Tomorrow is off for running. I will most likely set up a bike ride, either in or out. It will be short either way. I can't afford to hurt my foot so early in training. I have no pain in it whatsoever, and I'd like to keep it that way.

The Bub's dinner is on again... just a matter of when. Tentative date is 12/30/14 - that's a Tuesday night. Time is to be determined, but generally we go for around 7 PM. Post some feedback either through text or email if you have a problem with the date/time. Everyone who can read this is invited, and bring your families. They may be bored, but they will be fed a pretty tasty burger. 

On the edge

I can feel the cold coming on. The weather is up and down, my room at work is up and down, and the cough is starting. I hate it. It's not that I am seriously sick, which would probably end a lot quicker, it's that I'm going to drag for 7-10 days. Meh.

Ryan Roberts ran with us tonight - us being Jimmy, Rand, John T., and Miller. Regular Tuesday run, with the exception Allen, the chief architect of getting this Tuesday stuff going again, blew us off. Something about his birthday, but I don't buy it. Seems a guy shouldn't be surprised by his own birthday. ;)

Galloway is still a no-show. I fear his knee may not be a short-term deal. We were all there when it happened, a snowy run with light ice beneath in places. It's always risky going out when it's like that, and the older we get, the worse the risk. Still I hope for the best.

Tomorrow I am off work, but it is my daughter's birthday. (Allen take note) I may not be able to make the afternoon run, because I know there will be plans. They may be secret schedule stuff, but the pattern is established and consistent. There will be a few there at Jimmy's - a few.

Allen's run on Thursday morning. I hope he doesn't have plans and blow it off... 

Windy, but okay

We had a healthy crew of Jimmy, John T., Bartlett, Rand, Roy, and myself to face the sketchy weather tonight. Though the temperature was fine, the wind made it feel much worse. I wore a long-sleeve with a windbreaker, and that worked fine. John T. took no chances and went the further distance of wearing long tights. He's manly enough to pull that off, I suppose.

So this is the week I'm supposed to set up the trainer. Yuck. I have no appetite for that at all right now. Unfortunately, I seem to have a big appetite for everything else - food, that is. There is no choice here; training level has to go up or my weight will. That's not an option for me.

I am glad to hear everyone so fired up about training. Maybe that will rub off on me? I know once things get going it will all fall back together, it's just every year it gets just that much harder to get started. Never fear, it will get done.

I am looking at very limited riding. I will shoot for 60 miles a week. I think that will be a good enough supplement to running. My formula, in case you have forgotten, is one third your overall biking miles can be added to your running week for an approximate total. That's always felt about right. By that measure 60 miles a week riding equals one 20-mile run - without the stress on the joints. That's a good trade off. It also adds about 3-3 1/2 hours of activity, and that doesn't hurt, either.

Tomorrow at Parkview, 5:15!

Today or Sunday?

I'm for sure running Saturday, that plan was set yesterday. My weekly plan is for six days running, one day rest. Having run Monday through Thursday, planning for Saturday too, I had to decide if today or Sunday would be the day off.

I ran tonight. It's the smart play, given Sunday's weather is supposed to be so bad. Sure it will be warm, but it's supposed to rain and storm all day. Might as well get it over with today.

Not as easy as it sounds. I'm always blown by the end of the work week, and like to take Friday off. Things sure followed form today, and the last thing I wanted to do was to get the shoes on and run. The weather was calm, actually the best day of the week so far, the time was there... why not?

I did the circle thing. It actually wasn't that bad. I've always found that, for the most part, if you just put on your shoes and get out the door, things will ultimately come around sooner or later. It depends on how quickly the mind can focus on the right topic to carry the run Sometimes that's about work or family, sometimes racing, and sometimes it's just about good old form.

Not to sound overly complex, but I'm always monitoring form, even when in groups or the mind is mainly on other things. It's a habit I developed in my running heyday, when most of my running was alone. Trying for your very fastest 5k effort means leaving no stone unturned, and form is easy money. I never ignore it.

One of my favorite form assessing tricks is to watch my shadow. If the sun is behind you and you have the shadow in front of you, it's easy to see shoulder sag, arm carriage, and bounce. It's not everything, but it is a view you don't ordinarily see.

Back to tomorrow's run... 8 AM, Parkview. 

Cold and Hot

The weather is all over the place, isn't it? I mean, a few days ago we had an all-too-early snowfall, and heading into the weekend we are facing uncharacteristic thunderstorm activity. It's a crazy time of year.

People are starting to get rolling with training. All the familiar faces, save Scott's (who faced surgery) have been present I think the big event is Galloway's farewell tour mini at Louisville, though I suppose in the near term it's more like the Give Thanks For run hosted by Allen. Any way it goes, folks are getting back in the groove.

Lost my toenails today. Well, "lost" isn't exactly correct - I know exactly where they are. It's more accurate to say they were removed from my feet. I knew the day of the marathon they were toast, and it was only a matter of time before they were gone. Black toenails do not recover. Usually if you wait a couple of weeks, they die and you can simply tug and pull them right out painlessly. Sounds gross, but it really isn't a big deal.

The year is drawing to a close, folks. Events still on the calendar, aside from the aforementioned race by Allen, include the December 6th Santa Hat run, which is part of the Christmas Parade downtown, the Santa Hat run Christmas Eve morning, the New Year's Day morning run, and finally the banquet, assuming we have one. That's right, it's not too early to start thinking about if/when/where we might do that. Just throwing it out there to see if there interest.

Saturday morning, Parkview, 8 AM. That's the next scheduled run. Channeling my inner Rand on the topic, I'd just like to say

Resuming training

I think we are all in the same place. Most of us are within a month of huge race efforts, and the letdown in training has been both nice and corrupting. After even a short step away, it can be hard to believe what level of training you took just a few weeks ago, and the thought of climbing the ladder again can be staggering.

Baby steps, my friend.

There is no need to pop things right back up to full-bore - in fact, I would counsel against it. Better to bring it up in stages, running first, for instance, then the biking and swimming. I would also suggest a little lifting or (dare I say it) Yoga. If you're going to add something unique to your training regimen, now is the time.

My plan is shaping up thusly - I will run 30-45 miles per week by the end of the year. With another marathon looming in April, I will shoot for 45-50 miles per week running after the start of the year. Biking will be greatly curtailed this time around, more in the 60-100 mile range per week. I will not chase the Fondos this year! I will swim if I feel like it, when I feel like it. Lifting will be three days a week. This is pretty much scaled far back from last year, which was an Ironman year. This year is not, so it's time to rest.

Running tomorrow and Saturday. I will add either Friday or Sunday, depending on which works best.  

Only 3

That's right, only three stalwarts braved the elements tonight. Jimmy was notably absent, and for the second night in a row the elements seemed all the harsher because of it. Like last night, the wind bit our faces as we headed out. Luckily that only lasted a bit. It is hard to believe how cold it is so early this year.

Darkness sure falls fast now. By 5:30 we are definitely into twilight, and by 6:00 it is dark. It gets worse when you consider we are still a full month until the Winter Solstice. That means we'll be losing daylight every day until on or around December 20-22.

We talked tonight about the Jimmy plan. Alan wanted clarification. Once again, my understanding is 7:10 pace for one mile the first week, and every week after that we add a mile until we reach 10 miles. I would take the time here to clarify my statement last night about it not accurately being called a "tempo". That type of run is based on time and heart rate, and Jimmy's planned run is both too long and too easy to classify as a tempo. It doesn't really change anything though... it's a plan, and there's nothing wrong with it for the goal in mind. Call it "steady state run" and you have it.

It's still rest time for me, but that is ending soon. The trainer will be set up, and I will begin riding very soon. I'm not looking forward to it very much. This is going to be a maintenance year, I think, and goals will be scaled back a bit. If I race well, great. If I don't, great. Other things will have to take a higher priority. 

First Snow Run of the Season

November 17th, and we had a 2-hour delay. November 17th. I can remember only one other time in my teaching career where we had any sort of weather-related delay/cancellation, and that was maybe 20 years ago. It was October, and we actually had a snow day. I remember it because we were getting ready for the Lincoln Fall Carnival, and I was in charge of the haunted house. Two days before the event school was cancelled. That was an aberration, of course. I sure hope today was too.

We did run tonight - that is, Galloway, Heatherly, Bartlett, Rand, Roy, and I did. It was slick, no fooling, and the wind was decidedly unpleasant when running to the west/northwest. Fortunately for us we didn't have to spend too much time that direction. It was uneasy running all the way, no matter the wind.

Everyone is talking about the next big thing. Funny, isn't it, how having a good event makes you want to look forward to the next thing? It's fair to say everyone had a good finish to their respective seasons, and that makes a great launching point for the upcoming year.

Jimmy has staked the first claim with his "Tempo-Tuesday" revision. He's pointing at the marathon distance, or half if your name rhymes with "Galloway". He wants to work off Galloway's projected race pace, except extend the run out to the 10-mile mark (eventually). I wouldn't call that a tempo; it's more of a steady state run. Whatever, let's not get caught up on the jargon. Jimmy has a plan, and we can join or not join on our own accord.

Galloway asked me tonight if I was thinking about sub-3 at Louisville. I'd be a liar if I said it hadn't crossed my mind. It's not much of a leap of logic to envision the realistic possibility of the breaking the barrier given the ad hoc training I'd put into this cycle. It's something I'll mull over, but there is much scheduling to work around before it becomes a realistic proposition.

Two-hour delay tomorrow? I'd count on it. 

First Full Day in Milwaukee

We got up early and started off right - with a trip to McDonald's. The meal the night before was REALLY expensive, and a bit fru-fru for us. Time to get back to basics.

I went for the combo breakfast because I knew we'd be all over town before it was done. Leisa ate the roll, as she usually does. That would be all there is to say about it except for the all-too-familiar homeless element that always frequents big-city McDonald's'. (Hey! Name another time where you get to use the double apostrophe!)

Our main man started by talking to himself - loudly. Later, as we were preparing to leave, I went to the restroom. He was in there, and I almost turned out right away. No, it was cold and I needed to take care of business, so I stayed. It was probably a mistake, because he appeared to be trying to drown himself in the sink. His head was buried face-first in as much water as he could run. He was apparently trying to draw the water into his sinuses, then he would raise his head, blow snot into the sink, then stick his face back in and repeat. You can't make that stuff up folks, it really happened.

First on the list today was visiting churches. There were two in particular we hit, one in Milwaukee, another in a neighboring town.

The first was good-sized, with a mixture of old and new. There were the traditional altars and pews, stained glass, and candles, like any Catholic church. Peppered here and there were signs of modernization, such as the sculpture suspended from the ceiling in the middle of the sanctuary, or the relatively modern painting adorning the sides. The final feature of note were the portraits lining the upper walls - might have been local bishops, may have been bishops of note in Wisconsin over the years - but some looked like painting, some like photographs. That was a little jarring for my taste. I've been to the Vatican, I know what they were trying for, and it fell way short. It was very striking on the outside, but on the inside... meh.

Our next stop was a basilica in a neighboring town. It was a Polish Franciscan church, and WOW! I've been to the Vatican, to St. Mark's, and this one compared very favorably. Naturally it was smaller, but it was very ornate and traditional. It was very much worth the trip, not only to the town but perhaps Wisconsin itself. This quality of church is seldom seen in the U.S.

There were touches of eastern European influence here and there, starting with the Polish writing. The paintings were also more of a reflection of Polish history and viewpoint on the church - subtle, but present. Classic Roman paintings tend to have angels and cherubim fighting for God, whereas the paintings in the basilica showed human warriors on the battlefield. It was an interesting difference.

The awe factor could be felt the second you entered. Your eyes started on the angels holding Holy Water and immediately swept forward down the aisle to the altar. From there your gaze lifts upward to the dome some 60 feet above, replete with intricate paintings commissioned to an Italian artist in the 1920's.

Everywhere you looked, the layer upon layer of art and finish work swept over you. Moreover, the scale of the room was breathtaking. It's difficult to relate using a meager iPhone camera the scope of the room - the size, the openness, and complexity of design and finish. To finish it all off, numerous exquisite stained glass works glowed in the morning sun, providing all the ambient lighting necessary. It was atmospheric and spellbinding.





We headed to the Historic Third Ward, a revitalized downtown area where the 19th century architecture is preserved and repurposed for modern usage. There were any number of shops, ranging from restaurants to fitness centers. Actually, that's one of the remarkable things about Milwaukee I didn't catch the first time... it's a fitness-centric town. There must have been a half-dozen fitness centers within a one-mile radius, and tons of fitness apparel stores to boot.

We also went to the museum, finally. Leisa liked it, or at least, appreciated the design. It is something to see when in Milwaukee. We didn't get to see any big exhibits, as they were closed for renovation, but we walked around the building admiring the design. It was too long to wait for the wings to close and open, so we moved on.

I did get a run in while Leisa did her thing. She went to the flea market stores, I went down to Veterans' Park to run. This is where the running portion of the Nationals has been held the last two years. I must say, it's a much more pleasant run when it's cold - and I haven't been churned in the harbor and ridden for an hour first.

We headed out to an REI outlet to see what a brick-and-mortar version looked like. I would fairly describe it as an upscale Dick's. Lots of name-brand outdoor gear at premium prices, and people lining up to purchase like it was being given away. I'll stick to the online version, thank you very much.

Our dinner was nice - it was a local pub known for its fish. The fish was okay, but the cheese sticks! O. M. G! I've never had mozzarella sticks dipped in beer batter before, but I can tell you this - it won't be the last. Best. Sticks. Ever.

Finally we wound up back at the hotel. I suggested we locate the hotel's fitness center, which we did. Leisa hadn't run for a few days, and she really needs to keep up on it for health reasons. Anyway, it was a really nice one, best I've seen in fact. It inspired me to show off for my loving wife. I... well, heck, let me just show you.