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.