Alone Again Naturally, But Closing the Gap

3200 meter warm-up
6x100 striders
2x1000 f (300)[400] goal: 4:16-4:28 (reality: 4:28, 4:27.73)
3x250 gfg (150)[400]
2x1000 f (300) goal: 4:16-4:28 (reality: 4:12, 4:19)
600 meter warmdown

total: 6.78125 miles

58°F
Clear
Wind: N at 9 mph
Humidity: 55%
course: Wheaton College track

Before the Workout
Today has two new factors kicking in. The first is that I have logged a lot of miles prior. In the last nine days, I have run eight. This is new to me. My legs are tired. Second is, for the first time, I have precise times to focus on. Instead of a vague speed concept, 'fresh', it is defined for me. In this case, as 4:16-4:28 for my 1000s. That's a 6:49-7:09 pace. I don't know what kind of juice I've got. Now, four hours before I hit the track, I am tired thinking about it.

After the Workout
Surprised myself by hitting my marks in all but one 1000, running one actually faster. My thighs are already sore, and I think tomorrow might be a day off (I have the option).

Felt good overall, including for the 250s. Kept with the first group for the first one, but pulled back for the next two, realizing that I needed gas for the second set of 1000.

Progress is evident, and the expectation is more is on the way. It would be nice to settle into a pace, set up with the group ahead of me, and get this blastedly depressing Gilbert O'Sullivan tune out of my head.

Cool weather prevailed. Good thing, too. I was without my bandanna, and that just wasn't right.

Young Alex was there. He's a fourth grader who likes running with us. He is a decent runner, still looking for his stride. He's yet to learn how to pace himself but he has a lot of vigor and love for the sport.

Jody is now a fixture there, and finding her pace, moving up a few notches. She's got a half marathon in her sights, using Hal Higdon's plan. Like me, she runs alone, not quite in either group. This will change, but for now, she suffers between zones.

Gilbert O'Sullivan - Alone Again

Running a Mouthful: 4.42 Easy Miles

4.42 miles fresh (40:10 - 9:05/mile)

total: 4.42 miles

69°F
Clear
Wind: S at 5 mph
Humidity: 28%
course: COD Loop

Facing a post-dental work misery, I put off the run to as late in the afternoon as I could. I will be getting my first crown in two weeks, and today involved my dentist nailing right on the money my inferior alveolar nerve.

Running seems secondary.

Ten seconds over my prescribed workout: 35-40:00 at 40:10, but actually, had I stopped my watch at a stoplight, I would likely be under. No matter, the run is done.

The run had nothing remarkable. Same course as yesterday, minus a half mile loop at the finish. I felt better yesterday, but still OK today. With the dental work and poor sleep last night, this is good.

Tomorrow's butt kicking involves two 1000s that will be tough. My miles are at the highest point for one week (27.1) since December 5, 2007, and these are more intense than those then. This is bound to impact the quality of my workouts until I acclimate.

Little Shop of Horrors - Dentist Song (Steve Martin)

Call Me Tupac: 4.92 Miles of Weight Loss

4.92 miles (43:32 - 8:51/mile)

total: 4.92 miles

64°F
Cloudy
Wind: W at 5 mph
Humidity: 36%
course: COD loop

finish
67°F
Mostly Cloudy
Wind: W at 0 mph
Humidity: 29%

Tupac Shakur, I am not. Developing, finally, though, is a two-pack. A six-pack is a summer away (if ever), but there is some semblance of fitness sneaking through.

This afternoon's run went better than expected. The course wraps around the College of DuPage, along Butterfield to Rt 53. You locals know both are moderately busy roads, with some minor hills thrown in. Footing is complicated with the shoulder of the road broken up. This almost caused me to twist an ankle.

My assignment was 42-52 minutes fresh.

With my pace on Sunday going as slowly as it did, I did not expect an 8:51 pace. Blazing that's not, but a 9:30 was on the radar. Yesterday's rest day must have been the difference. Given that, my plan was my 4.92 mile course. Next time, I will add a half mile.

Left hamstring felt tight. Gait felt easy, as did posture. Everything felt good. Pace was steady throughout. A good workout.

Can I Drop 3:53.6 This Summer?

My actual time for the Run for Hungry Children has posted - 23:53.6. It seems wrong, based on my watch and all, but such is the official time. It is close enough to realize the challenge.

42nd of 128 runners
10th of 18 in age group
34th of 73 males

42 - Anthony Trendl - M - 40-49 - 180 - 23:53.6

Much room to improve. Can I drop 3:53.6 this summer?

I have not been shy about my intentions. I want to race under 20:00 for a 5K. Did it a lot when I was a kid, so why not now? Stay healthy, train consistently, race smart, and I expect my time to drop. That said, I ran hard all last year and was two minutes off.

Changes this year include running Jim's daily workouts. His guesses are better than my most thorough decision. And, he does not guess. Also, I have last year's fitness, and lessons learned behind me. There are new lessons, but that's the edge on last year.

Coming up is June 7's Run for the Animals. Last year, I ran a 25:12. No longer worried about hitting that, but I do wonder how much I can improve between now and then. Jim's got me down for what I estimate to be around 90 miles. Last year, I had run 35 miles from May 18-June 1. I have an extra week this year.

It is too early to have a firm goal for June 7. Today, looking at my progress, future training, the course itself (presuming it is the same), something in the low 22s seems possible. Breaking into the high 21s would not surprise me. With three weeks to race time, with 90 miles of running, a serious break-through is possible.

There's no "If I think positive thoughts" hooey here. While I do not fully understand why 20:00 is hard to do, it is a challenge that has hurdles. I'm 41. I have weight to lose. I have a life outside of running that remains more important than any 5K.

Though the positivism nonsense is not my modus operandi, I am optimistic. The elements needed are in place: good coach, plenty of drive, fitness level still improving, and a pair of snazzy new shoes. If I miss my mark, it will not be because I didn't try, or have what I needed to succeed. In the end, that's enough. There's plenty of honor knowing I gave it a shot.

Sunday Morning (Sunday Morning): 60 Easy Minutes

5.47 miles very fresh (60:00)

total: 5.47 miles

50°F
Mostly Cloudy
Wind: SW at 3 mph
Humidity: 72
course: Butterfield Loop

Not too complicated. Ran a new route this morning very slowly. Most miles accumulated in seven-day period since December - 26.15 miles.

Feeling better than expected after yesterday's race.

I'm surprised it was only 5.47 miles, but that's OK. I need to be rested for a picnic.

Spanky & Our Gang - Sunday mornin'

Should Amputee Oscar Pistorius Be Allowed Into Olympics?

Note the poll on the left (it will be up at least a week): Should Amputee Oscar Pistorius Be Allowed Into Olympics?

Oscar Pistorius is from South Africa, and a double amputee wearing carbon-fiber prosthetics. He's fast, with a 46.33 PR in the 400 meters. He needs meet the qualifying standard of 45.55 seconds in the 400 meters to gain an automatic berth in Beijing (or 45.95 seconds for a provisional spot). Can it be done? That's not his only challenge.

He's fighting a ban by the International Association of Athletics Federations, track and field’s governing body.

I agree with Ann Cody, as noted in the New York Times (see: Olympic Dream Stays Alive, on Synthetic Legs)

Ann Cody, a seven-time Paralympic medalist for the United States in basketball and track and field who sits on the governing board of the International Paralympic Committee, added: “It sends a message. People with disabilities can see people like them compete, and they’ll connect. They’ll say, ‘Maybe I can do that, too.’"

I want this to work. But no. I don't think it will. My reading of the study of his performance suggests the advantage is too much.

What should he do? Fight for the right, and graciously accept whatever results. Already, he has put a hard question that needs consideration.

Too Fast Start, So-so Finish: Run for Hungry Children, Wheaton Academy

400 warm-up
3x75m striders
3.1 mile race - Run for Hungry Children, Wheaton Academy- about 23:53.6 (official time)

42nd of 128 runners
10th of 18 in age group
34th of 73 males

42 - Anthony Trendl - M - 40-49 - 180 - 23:53.6

total: 3.5 miles

62 degrees
course: Wheaton Academy neighborhood, Prairie Path

Jim thought sub-23 might work. Maybe had I run smarter it could have worked. But me, a dumb-dumb, thought I was running smart-smart.

I was late, registration took longer, and so, my warm-up was short.

Mile one was too fast. Simple as that. 7:10? 7:13? Hard to tell. The mile marker guy was hard to hear. Either way, I was looking for a 7:26. I thought, though, I was controlled. The start was downhill, and I avoided the temptation to dash. Not so off, though, in the sense that I want to start hard enough to do well. I'm just not fit enough enough to sustain the speed. Not yet.

Mile two was trying to mitigate my losses. How can I adjust, catch my breath, and hold on? No two mile marker, so this left me out of the loop. It was here where we caught up with the walkers, and this slowed me crossing a narrow bridge.

Mile three was thinking about finishing. I'm not sure where my pace fell off, but, by looking at my finish time, must have. My last 2.1 miles averaged 7:56.

The finish was good. Bob Vishanoff, who finished in a sturdy 19:45, noted at the start where to start thinking kick-time. All said and done, compared those also running 23-24 minutes, I usually have a better kick. So it was today. When I saw the driveway with the yellow jeep, that meant a gradual pick-up. That meant maybe 600 meters to go. I ran past the Joan Benoit lookalike (she passed me a mile earlier), and held strong.

Good ol' Bob, already done, was there at the finish line. Seems a guy was quickly gaining on me. I had no idea. Never heard him. Heard Bob though, and he clued me in. Took the poor lad out. I'm curious by how much.

In all, that last 400 m or so, I passed 5-6 people.

It was a nice, neighborhoody kind of thing. Lots of people knew each other. People ran hard, but ultimately, it was a good time race, not a hardcore run-for-blood sort of event.

Met Mark, Bob's friend, a teacher of many subjects. This was his third run of the year. Not race. Run. He ran 24-something. He, with Bob, volunteer together in the Illinois Youth Home (that might not be quite accurate, but they help troubled kids).

I saw two young boys from Kenya afterwards. "I think we ran much of the race together," I said. One politely, confidently replied, "Yes, we passed you with a mile to go." Age keeps on coming; age keeps on going.

Lessons Learned

• Be careful that first mile
• Get to the race early
• Sign-up before race day
• Look at the race map ahead of time to know where bottlenecking will occur.

The Good News

• My form was good, even when I was tired.
• The races (three around Chicago) raised $78,000, all of which will help Africa.
• Some of the issues can be easily resolved through better planning.
• Some of the issues can be easily resolved by running a better course.
• I ran a 23:13 on 7-25-07 (Viking Sunset race in Geneva), and this race is much earlier in the season.
• Consistent training will address a major portion of my issues.

Race Time Approaches: 2008 Begins at 8:00 AM

I'm sitting in my home office, waking up. Normally, timetables are less important, but in precisely one hour, the gun goes off.

A challenge, and I suspect this goes for everyone, elites, included, to fully awake. By 'awake', I mean alert, but also, to avoid sounding crude, moved along. Going to the bathroom matters. Extra weight, of course, but more to the point, cramps.

Today's race is only 5K. A half mile warm-up, a couple striders, and bang! Within a half hour, I have caught my breath, found my buddies, and am chowing a cookie. By then, at 8:30, I am pleased or not pleased with the results.

My goal is modest. What place I am in is incidental. Did I keep a good pace? A good pace here, today, only means strong, consistent. Ideally, it also means under 7:26/mile. Did I hold form? Did I push the last mile? How was my confidence?

Reporting back to you this afternoon. Over and out. It's time to go.

Day One of a New Thing: Real Training

3.3 miles - 30:38
4x100 striders

total: 3.55 miles

75°F
Mostly Cloudy
Wind: SW at 4 mph
Humidity: 28%
course: neighborhood half mile loop

First day of Jim's daily workouts. Itself, no big deal. In the bigger picture, the end of my personal guesswork on training. I'm a semi-educated fool by comparison, and, on my own, can justify punting a run with no accountability. Here, now, no more.

The run was easy, yet hot and sweaty. Right calf aches.

Much to do, so no meandering online about tonight's run.

Hedging My Bets: Race Goal: Sub-23

Inquired with Jim as per what pace might be smart tomorrow (Run for Hungry Children at Wheaton Christian Academy), given my fitness level, and PR last year. Running better than 22:00 seemed unreasonable, but slower than 25:12, my time at my first, and slowest race, at the Cream of Wheaton, also seemed unreasonable.

He suggests between 22:30 and 23:00. I worked out the paces. I gotta admit, this seems daunting, but I'll give it a go. Ultimately, Saturday's race is an experiment, to get a baseline. It is a time trial and a workout. While I hope to hit my mark, what matters more is to have a better audit of my capacities.

Ideally, then, any split between 7:15 and 7:26 should be OK. I'll start closer to the 7:26, and see how it feels. This might turn into a crash and burn style race, but c'est la vie. Who knows, I might just pull it off.

7:15 -- 22:28.5
7:16 -- 22:31.6
7:17 -- 22:34.7
7:18 -- 22:37.8
7:19 -- 22:40.9
7:20 -- 22:44.0
7:21 -- 22:47.1
7:22 -- 22:50.2
7:23 -- 22:53.3
7:24 -- 22:56.4
7:25 -- 22:59.5
7:26 -- 23:02.6

picture: DC comic book character, The Flash, a nod to buddy Justice Carmon, who thinks more than most of us about superhero dynamics. I wonder if the Flash ever ran intervals?