June 24 - June 30 in Review

Sunday, June 24, 2007 -- rest
Monday, June 25, 2007 -- 9.5 miles
Tuesday, June 26, 2007 -- 4.8 miles
Wednesday, June 27, 2007 -- rest
Thursday, June 28, 2007 -- track workout, 6.03125 miles
Friday, June 29, 2007 -- rest
Saturday, June 30, 2007 -- 8.0 miles

Total: 28.33 miles

Summary: The week's mileage increased to my highest seven day total. Felt good, had good runs and workouts, and am glad to have put in some good days of LSD. Good all around. Three rest days felt good.

Looking FWD: My base is still building. I'm not sure how long this will be my main focus, or when I will have gotten it, but, at least, another month is required.

This week: I hope to run at least two days at five miles LSD, and race Wednesday July 4. I intend to race hard, and want to hit a time, so the days before need to be well-considered. The race falls mid-week, meaning my LSD hopes might need to adjusted. Maybe Monday (shorter) and Saturday (longer).

8 Miles - 1:12:47

8 Miles - 1:12:47 (9:05.8/mile)

total: 8 miles

start
56°F
Clear
Wind: NE at 5 mph
Humidity: 93%
course: IPP

finish
66°F
Clear
Wind: NE at 5 mph
Humidity: 54%

Felt great. Ran the usual Prairie Path course north from zero. I was mostly around 9:00, with two miles in the middle which, at a glance seemed 9:30 and 10:00.

My last mile was strong, at around 8:15.

Cooler weather helped, but it was humid to start. I can't say it bother me much: I felt great, had rhythm, and my pace seemed steady.

Big crowds today. The tail end of a CARA marathon training club was finishing up. insects seemed at bay.

Freedom Four 4-Mile Run - July 4

Freedom Four 4-Mile Run

Time's come to run a race. Waylaid by rain last week, a new race has presented itself -- this time, a four miler.

My goal last week was a 7:49/7:50 pace, to run 24:15 for 5K. Hoping that I have continued to improve, I am aiming for 31:00 (7:45). The race is said to be hilly, so I might not have what it takes; I've run very few hills.

Last year's times suggest I could get 169th place if I hit my time. That's 37th in my age group.

July 4: Freedom Four 4-Mile Run
Join the biggest event of the running season! There are nine age divisions. Awards will be presented to the top two male and female finishers in each division at 9 am on the football field. A Freedom Four shirt is guaranteed to every pre-registered participant and given to day of race registrants while supplies last. Postcards with a participant’s race time and place (both category and overall) will be available on site within 20 minutes of finish time. Total results will be posted by 2 pm on the band shell during the afternoon festivities as well as www.drkomputing.com. Day-of-race registration and packet pick-up will begin at 6 am and will end at 7:30 am.
All Ages
Glenbard West Football Field
Participant Check in: 6 am-7:30 am
Race begins: 8 am
Register Online or click to download a registration form

6:48 mile - modern PR

2 mile wu
6x100 striders
3x200s (100)[400]
3x250 (50)[400]
1 mile
3x400
600 wd

total: 6.03125 miles

68°F
Clear
Wind: NE at 14 mph
Humidity: 59%
course: Wheaton track

My mile went well - 6:48: 1:47, 1:37, 1:48, 1:36. That's a modern PR for me, better than the 7:25 treadmill time I have been holding onto since March 29. It was after some hard, but not too fast, running. I think I could drop another :30 if I was fresher. We'll redo this workout in the fall, I'm told, so I'll be able to use today as a benchmark.

Overall, I felt good. I think I left the track well, feeling like I worked hard, but still have more in me.

Racing vs. Running

Racing only exists, as I see it, when there's something besides myself to beat. My default position is to race against myself, so that doesn't count. Time doesn't really count either, since beating a time is really just running faster than I did before.

Now, it is weird. I used to be able to race, so it is funky just trying to survive. As I drop pounds, develop muscle, remind my lungs to work a little harder, racing will follow running.

How to race?
That's a profound question. Racing is philosophically different than merely looking to achieve a time. I wonder what Olympic level runners say would say. Which did/would he want most - Olympic medal, beat whomever is considered the champ, or get a world record?

I think part of racing presumes that which is being raced is in the race. The clock is not racing - it can't. People race. We race for a prize - even if that prize is just knowing I beat the other guy.

Racing too, means there's no guarantee I'll win. If I were to race Jim, what race is that? I run my tail off, he jogs, and I'm still five me behind. There must be some realistic shot at winning, but a reasonable possibility of losing. I'm thankful for age group competitions -- it evens out the score a little.

For the heavyset guys, the Clydesdale category keeps it more honest. I'm short and not especially heavy. Most guys at 6'0" 250 lbs haven't a fair chance, but he can beat other big guys.

Sometime soon, I'm hoping to be in a race, and realize there's something to beat - probably, just snagging the last age group award in a smaller race. Seems those 40-45 year-old guys aren't going to just give me a medal. But, when the time comes when I realize that my ability is potentially on par with that last guy (I check previous year's results), well, then, the gauntlet's off.

Hopefully, I'll 'race' this coming spring. At the moment, I'm itchy to see what improvement the last month has held. My last 5K was June 2. 78.13 miles (3.13 miles/day) since then, plus three of Jim's Thursday night butt kickings ought to have done something favorable.

At least, I hope so.

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4.8 miles - running and walking

4.8 miles
45 minutes
mix of running and walking

78°F
Clear
Wind: S at 7 mph
Humidity: 76%
course: IPP eastward from Glenbard West

Heat/humidity, yesterday's run made for a hard little jog. A hard rain came and went, leaving a steamy air along the path.

Ran with a few people from the Spivey Running Club, making the run better than running alone. Being tired from yesterday, this forced me to keep up more, and not bow out. I'll take Wednesday as a recovery day. This might answer part of my need to run with other runners - they do this every Tuesday.

Running Partners?

Finding a running partner is tough because I'm slow, but getting faster.

Running yesterday not quite 10 miles, being out there almost 100 minutes, my pace lagged as my mind wandered and I became tired. A running partner could help. Finding one who can keep my pace (who is willing to run my pace) is not easy. My pace and fitness have not stabilized, and it hardly helps that some days I cut a workout short because I'm feeling crummy.

Today, I'm doing these long things at 10:00/mile, but am expecting to be at 9:00 soon, and continually dropping. No running partner is likely to improve as quickly -- they are already at 8:00 and below, or found a spot in the 10:00 range that works well for them.

I thought of putting up an ad in our church, but I don't want to run with someone a month, only to find I have gotten faster. Love 'em and leave 'em seems unfair.

There are some running clubs in the area. A bigger one might offer a range of runners that I can grow with, as opposed to just a friend with whom I'll only run with for a short time.

None of this precludes the Spivey Running Club. That's a buzz. It is not just speedwork, but the perspective I enjoy. These guys are training hard, but also retain the vigor and fun, and, with Jim's guidance, we're getting top-notch coaching.

Nothin' From Nothin' Leaves Nothin' (status equals same)

Monday Check-in

135 lbs.
52 - Pulse

Status
Feeling OK. My miles dropped. Weight and pulse are amazingly steady, though, mid-week checks of my pulse are regularly in the mid-50s (better). Blood pressure checked out OK at the Jewel Grocery Store machine.

Nothing hurts outside of some tired aching from this morning's run.

9.5 Miles in Sweltering Summer Steam

Was it 9 miles? Or 10? Either way, I'm saying 9.5. 1:39:37 total.

start
71°F
Clear
Wind: SE at 5 mph
Humidity: 90%
course: Illinois Prairie Path

finish
79°F
Cloudy
Wind: N at 6 mph
Humidity: 74%

Ran from the Zero spot to where the IPP meets the Great Western Trail. Took 48:## to get there, roughly 51:## to return. Got caught waiting a few minutes at Geneva on the return trip. Mostly hovered around 10:00/mile pace. Bit slower on the way back, save the accidental fartlek when a bug decided to introduce himself (several times, and we weren't getting well).

Lonely world out there today. A few walkers, a few bikers. Was it the humidity, time of day, weekday?

Dead and dying cicadas, black flies, dragonflies, and a huge spider found their way where I was.

Quick Track Play

800 wu
7:36 m (400)
1:44 400 (400)
1:23.96 400 (200)

total: 2.625 miles

66°F
Cloudy
Wind: E at 9 mph
Humidity: 84%
course: COD track

I wanted to get out just a bit, given I skipped the race. Nothing long. Nothing hard. Just a quick sweat, and a little fun.

Sunday's probably a day off, and Monday will be a longer run. Although cool, the humidity made it as if I were running in a cloud. My glasses steamed up, and sweat poured off my bandanna, rendering it useless.

Ran a 7:36 mile, the first time I was under 8:00 outside. Didn't push. Just ran hard. Ran a little harder, and ran a 1:23 400. Not so fast, but my fastest in years, and three seconds faster than my last try at the distance.

Saw a yellow finch flying across the east side of the track. Always pretty. The track screamed with seagulls and geese, and some smaller birds courting.

June 17 - June 23 in Review

Sunday, June 17, 2007 -- rest
Monday, June 18, 2007 -- rest
Tuesday, June 19, 2007 -- 4.0 miles
Wednesday, June 20, 2007 -- 4.0 miles
Thursday, June 21, 2007 -- track workout, 5.34375 miles
Friday, June 22, 2007 -- rest
Saturday, June 23, 2007 -- 2.625 miles

Total: 15.97 miles

Summary: The week's mileage dropped considerably. Heat, rain, hopes of racing, poor scheduling on my end all blocked my path. It also follows a tougher previous week, and the easier week might be a good thing.

Looking FWD: Still working on relaxing in the run, fast and slow. Need to get my base strengthened. I'm hardly there yet - still getting winded too easily at the Spivey workouts.

This week: I hope to run at least three days at five miles LSD, and race Saturday. Heat is still coming. No reprieve.

Race Waylaid By Rain

Here's where I would love to begin with the wonders of an incredible race. I'd start off saying that I held my pace, but, doggonit, I just felt good, so I tested the waters and popped it up a gear, and, feeling good, the next gear, and, until, I was cruising in a fun gallop, finishing in some glorious time that made all the hard days insignificant.

I tested no waters. The waters were falling, and so I bowed out.

I want to have fun, not misery.
Woke up at 6:00, ready to go. Street outside my home was damp. No worries. Maybe the rain had stopped? It hadn't, and was picking up (can I say steam?). I decided that, no matter how good the cause is, today wasn't going to be a race day. Running in the rain for 20+ minutes, plus the related warm-ups and all equalled unnecessary misery.

I went back to bed at 6:50, and slept until 10:00. Must've needed the sleep, and, as sleep is a health issue, maybe I did myself some good that will show dividends on the track. No way to really know.

If the weather provides a break, I'll hit the track today or tomorrow and run a time trial. The 24:15 I wanted hasn't gone anywhere, and the track can, in its own way, suffice. It misses the competition, for better and for worse, but, among its strengths is an exact distance I can measure by. It breaks down to 1:56.4 400s, so that's what I'll try to do.

Difficulty With Mediocrity

Defining mediocrity is difficult. It is partially relative, and partially absolute. Being that it is, then, absolutely relative, coming to terms with it, and how it relates to me as a runner is part of the dilemma.

Mike, a fellow runner on the Jim Spivey Running Club, came in work clothes last night. Work clothes, in his case, are business casual, and obviously not ready to run. He ran in the morning, so bowing out of the evening practice was necessary.

In passing, Mike mentioned he put in 31 miles over the weekend. Whether he divided the weekend into two or three days was of no matter - that's a lot of miles however they are sliced up.

Two days. Saturday, 17 miles, and Sunday, 14. 8:15 pace.

Mike's fit, and flexible as can be, taking yoga seriously. That he ran the distance only amazes me some. What I asked myself is, "How long before I can do that?"

I'm up to eight miles. I'm hoping to try nine or ten this coming week. My heart's not set on it, but I would like to give it a go. I did the eight @ 10:30/pace and have no reason to believe I'll run a longer distance faster.

Unlike my sub-20:00 5K goal, I have no timetable. I can't. I could just decide to try, lace up, and hope to return in three hours, but wisdom must be a greater virtue than pluck. Knees, calves, backs (or, rather, back, since I have only one) are the usual concerns. A run that long draws in other considerations, like glycogen depletion, bathroom breaks and hydration. Not counting what do I do if I get tired? Bring a cell phone?

Jim was intending to go out for a ride last night after the workout. I think he was aiming for a quick eight mile spin, a sort of scenic loop home. His Blackberry wasn't cooperating, and he thought it wiser to get home than risk a flat in a lonely part of the Great Western Trail. Good call, especially as he didn't have a spare or other tire fixing tools.

Back to running.

On a bike, Jim can carry a phone easier than I can on a run. So, I could bring some change, make a call, and hope to find someone. Do I risk using my two quarters on a cell phone message, then sit and wait and hope?

I have no solution for that.

The bigger issue is the body parts. Mine. Getting sore to the point I wipe out everything in a couple of hours of thrill seeking -- not a good choice.

The thrill is not gone. Vestiges of that thrill are growing. For now, I'll need to be satisfied with shorter run. Eight miles is still a good, long run. Even @ 10:30/mile, there's something to enjoy.

A good effort is never mediocre, and I am putting in a good effort. The only things I can currently add to this effort are better stretching and more sit-ups/push-ups. I'll add weight training a little later on, once the paunch is reduced.

When I run, I run hard, even if it is slow. I'm still learning to relax, get form together, watch my pace for a given distance, but the effort's all there. If the effort were mediocre, I wouldn't be itching as I am to run Saturday's race.