It Ain't Easy: Hills

The plan was to run 3.6 miles on my new there-and-back route. 1.8 mils each way.

My goal was simple: stay running, no matter how slow, the entire way. Hard?

Apparently. I made 1.25 miles. Walked. Jogged another 1.25 miles. And walked home. My pace was unexpectedly

Hills. Hills. Hills. Hills. Hills. Hills.

Hills.

This route has a name. Ridge Road Route. It has beaten me twice and things don't look good the next time.

It is mostly uphill on the way out in a set of rising tiers. It is short but it does not forgive. I'm not in shape to flatten it.

My scale believes I lost 2.2 pounds over what was about 55 minutes walk/jogging. Since my goal is to lose 15 lbs, I think at this rate, I'll be done in two weeks. If only.

My Keister Has Moved (Mere 1.4 Miles)

1.4 miles run1.4 miles walked

total: 2.8 miles

78°F | °C
Partly Cloudy
Wind: S at 2 mph
Humidity: 71%
course: neighborhood loop

With the amazing addition to our family, much has been turned around. Once again, as is the sad saga of my fitness, I am out of shape. For such a short run, I'm tired and sore.

Any interesting ads on my blog?

I weighed myself pre-run, and was unimpressed. I'm going to avoid weighing myself for the next month, and, if I stick with just getting my keister out there, expect progress.

Red Bandana: The Joy of Winter

Read the latest column: Indulge Your Miles at the Brickhouse Bakery and Cafe

Early morning. 6:00 am. It might as well be midnight. Who can tell? It is all dark. So quiet. No one's here. Just me.

Like a ghost town in the middle of the suburbs. Everything is bluish-gray. Streetlights and moonlight -- and not a lot of either.

Cold. Man, is it ever cold. It's gotta be minus zero degrees out here. Can it be that? It is.

Did I just say that? Zero? What I am I thinking? I shouldn't be out here.

Yeah, yeah, I got gear on. I'm wearing a t-shirt, turtleneck, sweatshirt, a running jacket and a scarf, plus running tights under my long johns under my wind pants. That, and thick socks and gloves. Sure, sure. So I'm covered? I'm still cold. I breathe in and I'm cold. My face is cold. I should have worn that Spiderman face-hat-thing.

The snow hit again, covering the footprints from last time. Great. Here's winter. Officially here. I'm miserable. It is going to soak through my shoes and I'm not even off my driveway.

Oh well, I gotta do this. Four miles and I'm home. I'll do the neighborhood loop, around that big park on Briarcliffe, and I'll be done. I can't be back until I go.

I ache. I'm too old for this. Why didn't I stretch? I really should have used the treadmill this morning. None of this nonsense out here.

Down the block. I guess I can run on the street. No cars here, and besides, it is a side street. At least it is plowed. I'm glad I have on my reflective jacket and pants, just in case.

Rats. I knew I forgot something. My iPod. I needed it today. Especially today.

Around the corner. Huh? The snow crunches. Interesting. Sounds like toast being buttered.

There we go. Half mile done.

Those trees -- the way the snow is sticking to the branches. They are delicate, sprinkled on the way bakers decorate brownies. How didn't I see this before? Amazing. Yesterday, they were bare, shorn of leaves. Now, they are extravagant.

One mile behind me. I'm feeling better. Warming up. Still, my legs feel tight, but at least it doesn't feel as cold.

Is that a rabbit by those bushes? I see the tracks. I must have scared him; he was next to the tree I just passed. He looks like he can handle the cold. He doesn't have to cover himself in running gear when he wants to go out for a hop. Poor guy. The snow must be covering his breakfast.

Two miles gone, two to go. Time to wind back home. My stride is coming around. It is not as slippery as I expected. My glasses are steaming up. Good thing I didn't wear that Spiderman mask.

I think I can pick up my pace. What's that? Birds? I thought they all left in the winter? Robins? Sparrows? I have no idea, but that's a beautiful morning sound.

One mile to go. I've got this. I'll drop my pace another five or ten seconds for this last mile. Looks like I'm not the only one out here. Is that the guy who works at Caribou Coffee? "Hey, how are you doing?" There is another runner way down the next street.

There's my house. What do I have left? A quarter mile. Oh yeah, baby, I've got this. Let's kick 'er in. A little bit farther.

Ah! My driveway! A great day for a run!

Don't Let Winter Stop You

Snow and winter are here. There will be days you will want to return to your cozy warm bed. In the morning, though, can be found a treasured time. Dress warm, start with a slower pace and discover the morning.

Running Playlist Song of the Week

The song this week is too big for any iPod. It is the sound of birds (robins or sparrows?), feet crunching through cold snow like buttering toast, and the breeze of a December morning so quiet that all you hear are your thoughts and the pulse of morning joy bringing runners from bleak apathy to exalted thankfulness.

———————
Writer Anthony Trendl loves BBQs, folk music and porches. I looks to running as I battles midlife and my mid-section. Find out more: http://anthonytrendl.com/ or e-mail me: anthonytrendl at gmail.com

The Red Bandana: Finding Fitness Through the Joy of Running

I Hate Stopping - 2.5 Miles

2.50 miles run
0.75 miles walked

total: 3.25 miles

87°F | °C
Current: Partly Cloudy
Wind: NE at 8 mph
Humidity: 58%
course: neighborhood

I hate stopping. Unplanned stops, that is. If I plan in a stop, like yesterday, I'm good. No pride is impacted. Today, the heat, matched with the fatigue of carrying 15-20 extra pounds thanks to sub-par fitness, and whammy, I was done. While my pride is strong, my desire to be healthy is stronger.

Why not plan the stop? The weather, as you can see, is rough. Worse, when you subtract 1.5 hours, as I forgot to grab the weather before I left. Worse, when you add in the blazing reflective heat from the blacktops. And worse still when... No. That's all. I'm out of excuses.

Good friend Mark, who has been heartily running every day a steady three miles each, left me at 25 minutes. Not a worry. I encouraged him to press on while I took a short cut back to his place. Some short cut. He was there, smiling, with a glass of cold water and a few paper towels. We talked about important things for 30 minutes while we caught our breath.

A good, hot run.

There and Back Again: Coneflowers Are On the Move

3.4 miles - 33:29.93 (16:42 out, turnaround :03, 16:29.93 back) (9:51/mile)

73°F
Current: Clear
Wind: E at 0 mph
Humidity: 57%
course: COD Loop

finish
71°F
Current: Clear
Wind: E at 0 mph
Humidity: 59%

A slow run, tis true, but it is the longest in a long while. No apologies. No excuses. Thanks to Bob Vishanoff for encouraging me to get out there today. Mind you, he told me as I sucked down a chili-cheese dog and fries and he looked as fit as ever.

Beautiful coneflowers crept outside a fence along the road. I thought how I felt them. My face flushed purple, all hanging low, yet trying to bloom. The sun shines on both myself and the flower.

My new old friend Loretta suggested I think about the famous Disney tune, "It's a Small World." So I did. And I thought how it fit so nicely with the themes I have been dwelling in as of late in the rest of life (obviously running has not dominated my life much recently). Besides thinking a lot about my international friends here, I am inviting my Facebook friends together for an evening of coffee at a favorite cafe, bringing into one place, so some degree, my worlds. One world. As the title of my personal blog says, "All of It: One Man, One Place, All Said." I hummed the tune, and wondered.

1.62 Miles With Dreams of Pork Chops

1.62 miles - 15:10 (9:21/mile)

total: 1.62 miles

66°F
Current: Mostly Cloudy
Wind: E at 0 mph
Humidity: 64%
course: neighborhood loop

Mosquitos, pork chops, pork and beans and decent run. Felt well enough.

No Winter Bluster Could Hold Me Back

3.0 miles - 31:22 (10:27/mile)

total: 3.0 miles

16°F
Current: Haze
Wind: S at 11 mph
Humidity: 78%
course: neighborhood half mile loop

finish
17°F
Current: Cloudy
Wind: S at 10 mph
Humidity: 78%

weight prior: 138.6 lbs
weight after with gear: 145.6 lbs
weight after without gear: 136.4 lbs

Windchill. The story starts there. Midwesterners know the sub-zero temps we have had here, with yesterday at least as low as -23°F where I live, with windchills around -35°F. The temperature listed above is drastically warmer, but by no means toasty. Just because the difference is over 40°F hardly makes a cold thing warm. Still cold. Freezing cold.

That's the beginning. Before I could even get out the door, the cold factor was chilling my bones. Cold just thinking about it.

Warmed up inside, per the suggestion of Bill Bickhart, Wheaton Academy's very successful cross country coach, and himself a runner. He tells me he'll get to the school early, run a while in the gym to warm up before hitting the Illinois Prairie Path or the roads. All I did was dress about ten minutes before and hop around, walk fast. Not a real warm-up, but I am short a gym to take laps around.

As you'll see above, I wore a lot of gear. Some is official running stuff, but mostly, odd sweatshirts and the like.

My time varied, starting at around 10:05, and the next two around 10:40. I'm not certain. Most important is the distance. I shuffled through each mile, huffing and groaning. I will ache tomorrow. Each mile for the next three months, at least, will be as painful. That's OK. I can moan in agony for a long time, so long as I am healthy.

The wind blew snow like ashes strewn on the floor from a fireplace through the chimney. Tiny pieces hit my face, singeing me as they froze a spot of skin. My glasses, worn to protect my eyes as windbreakers, fogged up before the first turn. I kept my head low just to see.

In all, I warm surprisingly warm.

It could be worse. I could be a penguin. See the trailer to March of the Penguins.

Two Miles (or 1.56?) of New Year's Resolve

2.0 miles 18:30 (9:15/mile)

total: 2.0 miles

30°F
Current: Cloudy
Wind: NE at 9 mph
Humidity: 59%
course: neighborhood loop

Four laps around. My GPS watch seems to be reading wrong, as it thinks I did 1.56 miles. Now, all other distances are in question.

Today's goal was just to get it done. I'm swamped with a t-shirt, sweatshirt and running jacket, plus tights and wind pants, as well gloves and hat. My form is close to a glorified shuffle, my stride is shorter than a dachshund's, and my arm movement equals that of a chair.

Got it done. Steady pace. It turned out a little faster than yesterday morning, but I expect my pace will jump as I find my running legs.

Legs ached a modest amount, even with just one mile. No great pain: just fat fighting back. I'm glad I am starting slow. My brain says, "Faster, farther," but this would only end in disaster.

One Slow Mile to Start the New Year

1.0 mile 9:30/mile

26°F
Current: Clear
Wind: W at 12 mph
Humidity: 72%
course: Neighboorhood half mile

One mile is not much, but it is one mile more than the last two-three months.

I had a goal today: run one lap. I ran two. I have a goal this year: run a lot. How often? That's not a question. Once I get back into it, and Jim is writing workouts for me again, it will be six days/week.

My goal was inspired by a few things.

1. Received an e-mail that went to the entire JSRC mailing list. A few are running in a half-marathon. I'm in no position to say yes. I want to, but can't. Not yet.
2. Saw my buddy Dave. I keep telling him the reason his weight loss has stagnated is because he doesn't exercise. I still believe that, but I need to practice what I preach.
3. Was writing on a discussion board for writers to a guy with shin splint trouble. I have no shin splint trouble, not so long as I'm sitting on my duff. Similar issue as motivation #2.
4. Stood on the scale last night at 138.2. lbs. That's not heavy in the grand scheme of things, but it is almost 10 lbs more than just a few months ago.
5. And then -- there is that dogged 20:00 mark that flees as I get older. No idea if it is in my reach, but I still want to give it a go.

There it is.

What about you?

Start: Bang: Roll -- Slow, Safe Restart into Running

1.81 miles (21:54). Walk-run

Weather: 54 degrees

Run: 0.54 miles

Walk 0.30 miles
Run: 0.51 miles
Walk 0.45 miles (or thereabouts)

Held back the run, walked hard and steady.

Saturday I go at it again, a little longer. I'll try three miles easy.

Bugs Dug As Run's Fun Done

1.29+ miles - 11:21 (8:48/mile)
10x100 (.52/mile - 836.9 meters) e3obu (every third one a build-up)

total: 1.81+

71°F
Current:Clear
Wind: N at 0 mph
Humidity: 47%
course: neighborhood half mile loop

Not quite the prerace run I expected. 11:30 should have been 25:00. I tried running my neighborhood loop, dodged cars, mosquitoes, neighbors, all of which jumped into my planning. Not that neighbors are a bad thing. We need neighbors more than we let on.

My watch acted funky, or, rather, I missed the correct button. 1.29 is probably closer to 1.60. One mile was a 7:32.

So I sit here, drained of blood from a TB test I took yesterday (no blood really taken, but it hurts), drained of blood donated to the Anopheles Family Blood Drive, sweating without having run hard.

My legs are tired. Lack of steady training. Harder 100s. Ten, with the build-ups.

More than last week's race. I am a little more tired, a little better prepared? Look here tomorrow after the race to find out how it all worked out.

Easy Does It, Or, So I Hope: Prerace Relaxing Jog

2.3 miles -- 20:08 (8:45/mile)
6x100 meters striders

total: 2.675 miles

81°F
Current:Mostly Cloudy
Wind: S at 1 mph
Humidity: 71%
course: neighborhood half mile loop

finish
80°F
Current:Mostly Cloudy
Wind: SW at 2 mph
Humidity: 73%

Easy 20 minutes getting ready for tomorrow. The night was exceptionally humid, and there's every reason to think tomorrow's race time will be similar.

Race plan: 7:10 mile to start, hold steady for mile two, then see what's left. I need a 6:58 pace for the last 1.1 miles to get my PR, but that, I think, is less up to me, or more dependent on the weather.

Four Mile PR (Circuitously Speaking)

4.0 miles -- 30:42 (7:40.5/mile)
0.5 warm down

total: 4.5 miles

79°F
Current:Mostly Cloudy
Wind: SW at 5 mph
Humidity: 32%
course: Neighborhood half mile loop

finish
70°F
Current:Mostly Cloudy
Wind: N at 1 mph
Humidity: 59%

Raining. Again. Happily, though, this time, I was just finishing my warm down when the drizzle started, and just hit my patio when the rain flushed down.

Eight laps around my neighborhood, a convenient half mile loop, dodging smokers and parked cars.

My time surprises me. My goal was to run four miles fresh, and I felt fresh. My first mile was around 8:05, my second came in at 7:50, my third was done in 7:21, and I finished number four in 7:26.

I am encouraged. In the process of running four miles, I ran 5000 meters faster than my Zambia outing in May. The July 4 Freedom Run is a fun, hard workout, and I will take it less seriously than the Viking 5k in late July. Still, I am encouraged to know I can run four at a strong pace. This time would put me about 122 places ahead of where I was last year. With a good warm up, some race buzz and a few days of rest before, and I could break into the low 29s.

A big 5K PR is brewing. Low 21s seems ready and waiting this time next month.

Tomorrow is a day off. My right calf will enjoy this respite.

Short Pre-Rain Run

2.5 miles - 21:46 (8:42/mile)

total: 2.5 miles

83°F
Current:Mostly Cloudy
Wind: S at 0 mph
Humidity: 42%

course: Neighborhood half mile loop

Rain came. Hard. Thunder. Run over.

Tomorrow.

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.

Places I Run in DuPage County

Forest Preserve District of DuPage County - Springbrook Prairie
Springbrook Prairie Forest Preserve
9S400 Plainfield-Naperville Road
Naperville, Illinois
Get directions
5.5 mile loop, with each half mile noted. Clean, semi-paved path, with some minor hills at around the three mile mark. Find me here on occasional Saturday mornings or mid-day, mid-week when I'm not working. Among my favorites when I need to run alone.

---

Wheaton College Track
501 College Ave
Wheaton, IL 60187
Get directions
Excellent quality 400 meter track. Run with me here on Thursday evenings as part of the Jim Spivey Running Club. It can be crowded sometimes, but mostly, these are other serious runners who are aware of track courtesies and etiquette.

---

College of DuPage Track
425 Fawell Blvd.
Glen Ellyn, IL 60137
(630) 942-2800
Low quality and beat-up, but convenient 400 meter track. Not only is it close to home, but I can run a track workout without competing for lanes with other runners. The COD football team often leaves equipment in the lanes near the 350 meter mark.

---

Illinois Prairie Path
W Liberty Dr & Carlton Ave
Wheaton, IL 60187
Excellent 61-mile trail, with markers every mile. Convenient, and many runners use it. The downside is it can be buggy (bees, mosquitoes) and roads need to be crossed every mile or so.

You will see many runners here, including the Glen Ellyn Runners Club. Be polite, nod to other runners.

Sometimes I go north or south. Most recently, I have been heading southward -- fewer road crossings -- as far as the four mile mark for an eight mile run, and expect to push it further as I can.

---

Elsewhere
There are other places -- occasional treadmills (COD's treadmill), paths, but either too infrequent (like Greene Valley), or too difficult to provide specifics (like road workouts that change course each time). The ones listed above are the most frequent, but also, the ones I expect to use the most moving forward this spring.

It's a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (For a Three Mile Run)

3 miles easy 26:59 (9:15, 9:07, 8:36)
1 mile walk

total: 4 miles

39°F
Mostly Cloudy
Wind: N at 7 mph
Humidity: 46%
course: neighborhood half mile loop

My base was largely, if not entirely, lost over the winter. Now, I need to pile the miles on safely. Hitting the road today was not planned but it was such a nice day that denying the run was no good.

It started slow, but picked up. I was still slower than most of my JSRC warm-ups, but, then again, those often feel too fast. My last mile was merely me feeling better, looser. I think I had a couple more miles in me, but I am saving those for Monday.

I have fat to lose, muscle to gain, and a mileage base to gain. In fact, JSRC running pal Margaret suspects that's what kept me from breaking 20:00 last summer. I agree, and now, I have 1.5 months extra to get it in, plus the reckoning of its necessity.

Time for me to begin thinking about upcoming race options, and how to run through April. I would love to enter May ready, at around 3o miles per week.

pictured: Bloomington-Normal Constitution Trail
I used to run here when I lived in central Illinois

Misery Has No Time: 2.5 Miles of Timeless Agony

2.5 miles run (time: unknown)
0.25 hard walk

total: 2.75 miles

46°F
Clear
Wind: S at 21 mph
Humidity: 46%
course: neighborhood half mile loop

No clock on today's run. Presume slow. Why? Look at the dates of my posts. Not many workouts. My watch was hiding, and I left it hid.

Right out my door I have a half mile loop with minimal traffic. Given how little expected to run, it made little sense to drag myself to a running path or track. The journey would been longer than the run (though this run was long despite its length).

Each step was laborious, like slogging through sludge while wearing a backpack. Every part of me defied my kind request for movement. Wearing tights, running pants, and a t-shirt, mock tee, and a running jacket, all topped with a knit hat, I was hot. Not in a good way.

Tomorrow I'll do it again. Maybe farther. It will be more enjoyable soon.

News
I'm committed to run the 200-mile relay. We meet Sunday to talk about who gets which legs.