Passing the Lovely Lake Foxcroft in 3.5 Miles

3.5 miles run
0.2 miles walk

total: 3.7 miles
course: Briarcliffe Loop

62°F | °C
Scattered Clouds
Wind: N at 13 mph
Humidity: 58%

Warm day in Chicagoland are growing rare.Our summer was dreadfully hot, but autumn is unpredictable. Today was much sunnier than the weather I posted.

The picture, not take today, is of a small lake -- more of a pond -- Lake Foxcroft. As a neighborhood park, backing up to Glen Ellyn, IL homes, plenty of families stop by for a quick walk, or weekend anglers look for dinner. I came across it around two thirds into my jog. (Read my thoughts before the run.)

As for the running, as I swing back into a routine, I found it more humid than I'm used to, and went slowly. No watch. Too early to care about time. No headphones. Too many interesting things to hear. No running tomorrow, but I'll be back at it Tuesday.

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Running Inside (with regrets) - 1.5 Miles

1.25 miles run
0.25 miles walked

total: 1.5 miles
course: home treadmill

I wanted to run outside. As I reported on Twitter, it is a gorgeous day. But I can't. Well, I could, but the reality is, I knew I'd run more on my treadmill. Few beautiful days in Chicago remain this year, so I'm kicking myself.

Broke in a new pair of ASICS 2160s. Last year's model. Too early to review, but so far, so good. Barely a mile and a half into them. The real truth will show up in 50 miles.

My whole run has little to describe. What can I say about a run that, all said, last under 20 minutes? One important thing: I did it. No, I'm not proud. I know most runners reading this are consistent in their training. None of this on/off business. I wish I was there.

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Buy my children's tales on Amazon

What I Ain't Is Pretty - 1.0 Mile

1.0 miles

total: 1.0 miles
course: home treadmill

A Chubby's Lament
by Anthony Trendl

I looked in the mirror and what did I see?
But a blob, a chub, a fatter version of me.
I was me, I was certain you know,
this was my gut that started to grow.
Bigger today than ever before,
would my dear gut grow any more?
I decided to run, nay, I should walk.
I'm logging off, no time for talk.

There you go. I ran/walked a mile after a look in the mirror. Nothing about me looked good.

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The Running Life (Running Books)

The Running Life
by Nicholas Thompson

The first sporting event that I remember caring about was the 1982 Boston Marathon. I was six years old, which is an age when most sports make no sense: the players wear masks, are freakishly tall, or contend with complicated matters like strike zones. But children know how to run and they know how to race. There’s little competition that’s purer than two men—Alberto Salazar and Dick Beardsley, in this case—racing side by side for 26.2 miles. Beardsley wore a white cap; Salazar wore red shorts; they ran so close together that they seemed like one.

Read more http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/books/2012/05/the-running-life.html#ixzz1v2Bh9PdI

Zola Budd to run in ultra marathon

Zola Budd was one of my heroes in high school. Unlike many runners, she was not flashy or whiny, like high maintenance Mary Decker (Tabb and later Slaney).

She disappeared for years, only reappearing in public long after she was past her elite prime. Humble, loves running and now, is going to run a 56-mile race.

Read the ESPN piece: Zola Budd to run in ultra marathon

Marathons Don't Boost Runners' Cardiac Arrest Risk in Study

News:
Marathons Don't Boost Runners' Cardiac Arrest Risk in Study

(Bloomberg) -- Competing in a marathon or half- marathon doesn't raise a runner's chance of suffering a cardiac arrest any more than other vigorous physical activity, according to a study reviewing a decade of data.

Faster Than Not Slow (with Rice) - 3.1 Miles

3.108 miles run (28:45 - 9:15/mile)
0.500 miles walk

total: 3.608 miles
course: home treadmill

Did not have much time to run tonight, and was full of Chinese food. That, and I still have a five mile run in my legs -- and I'll be adding one more day of runs to my week. Too many miles too soon is a bad thing in general, so this was win-win. And, I like faster more than slower.

My weight has yet to show movement. In fact, before the run, I weighed myself at 1.5 lbs higher than yesterday. The big lunch and not small dinner did not help. The treadmill thinks I burned 400 calories. I'll take it. I'll get there if I stay consistent (and persistent).

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The Lakefront Trail: Training in Chicago for the 2012 Boston Marathon

That's no my running trail. I don't run there. That's 35 miles from here on an easy traffic day.  And I'm not training for Boston. I'd love to be able to say that, but, no.

Pete B runs there, and, much like my blog, writes about his workouts and related running adventures. You'll see him as a frequent commenter here, and I thought you should check him out. A very decent runner with a 3:05 marathon PR, with Boston in his sites.

Scroll through -- he has some terrific photos as well. A good thing about running is the venue: forests, beaches, lonely roads. All make for great photos.

The Lakefront Trail: Training in Chicago for the 2012 Boston Marathon

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Persistence Is Key to Losing Weight and Keeping It Off

I'm not a fitness or health expert. Most of my blog is reporting what I do and the relatedvresults. However, at best, this is anecdotal.

Most good advice will be plain spoken: eat less but eat smart, and exercise more, and don't quit. Quitting is usually the bane of most of us. We use excuses like, "My grandmother made me eat the cake," or, "Aliens stopped my exercise program."

Read the piece below for good ideas to deal with all of this. Decide today if 2012 will be different than 2011.

Persistence Is Key to Losing Weight and Keeping It Off

Three Accomplishments - 5.0 Miles

5.00 miles run 0.50 miles walk
total: 5.50 miles
course: home treadmill

A solid first run of the year. Much better start than last year. Then, not only did I run just a mile on New's Year's Day, I had run only one mile in all of the previous December. This last December, I ran 26.24 miles over 11 runs.

As I ran, I wondered about some stories I'm working on. A few are stuck, with problems I need to resolve. A few ideas were loosed up around mile three.

Accomplishment #1
Today, this first day of the year, finishes a rolling week with 15.373 miles run. I've not cleared 15 miles in a week (just counting running) since mid-November, 2010.
Accomplishment #2
With 5.0 miles today, I'm again, digging back to November 2010.

Accomplishment #3

I stuck at 10:00/mile the entire way. Slow? Hard to say. Two days ago, everything felt fast. The important thing is I kept it slow. My body is still getting into the most basic of shape. Just because a couple kinks are out does not mean I cannot be dreadfully foolish.

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New Year's Resolution: Running

Whose New Year's Resolution involves running? Tell me about it. A time? A big race? Total miles?

Unsatisfying Last Run of the Year - 2.1 miles

2.101 miles run
0.25 miles walk
total: 2.351 miles
course: home treadmill

Why so little? Very slow too.

Not enough sleep (all week). Didn't hydrate or eat well. Stress. And residual tiredness from the previous run. Not that complicated. It adds up. 

However, as the last run of 2011, this is still good. I didn't skip it when I didn't feel like it.
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See you in 2012!

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Canonized and Funky - 4.727 Miles

4.272 miles run (40:15 - 9:25/mile)
0.500 miles walk

total: 4.772 miles
course: home treadmill

I was not as tight as I expected from the previous run, and, in fact, felt very good. Why? I don't really know, but I'm willing to believe it could be because my overall mileage is still low, my recovery time is two days, and my longest run wasn't especially long.

All of this will accrue, and aching, tired days are ahead if all goes well. Strange to say that but it is true. Stranger still is that I look forward to this. It means I'm still at it. Consistency. I thought about my tea drinking friend. His recent post about preaching tea to the choir has flavors of consistency as well. He sticks at it, keeps trying.

In the meanwhile, regarding tonight, things went well. Spotify was treating me well as I sent songs from iTunes to Spotify (iTunes is not available on my phone, and I'm learning to prefer Spotify). Used an old playlist, and got down to Wild Cherry, finished with a walk to Pachelbel's Canon.

A few videos. The last is a funny look at a famous classical piece.

Wild Cherry - Play that Funky Music


Johann Pachelbel - Canon in D Major


Comedian/musician Rob Paravonian - Pachelbel Rant

"Goal?" Asks the Tea Drinker

A friend (see his tea blog, 39 Steeps) I showed my progress and regress of running and weight over the last few years -- I have a long spreadsheet -- he asked what my goal is. Seeing a steady number of runs, he suspected I'm back on track. I'm only back on track if I stick with it, and that's yet to be seen.

But, as far as goals go -- when I began this re-entry into running a few years ago, I boldly proclaimed I would break 20:00 for the 5K. Git as low as 21:35, but still a better than solid minute and a half off. That's a long time. And, I mentioned more than a few times I wanted to run a marathon fast. Not an unreasonable goal if I put the work in, but I didn't.

Lack of steady training was certainly one cause. Other factors might be at play, like age, diet and so forth, but not one matters if I am not consistent.

So, I told him my goal is simply consistency. Naturally, I want those other things, but I don't have much of a right to stake a claim unless I am otherwise getting in regular runs.

For now, regular runs will be every other day. That's on purpose. The next step up is four days a week, per some kind of specific schedule, with two days in a row somewhere in there. If I manage that without getting hurt, then five days.

If I'm good with five days for a while, I expect three months will have passed, and it will be early March. I should begin to see an impact. By then, no matter how weak my runs are, I will have logged some real miles, and enjoy some cardio fitness, and maybe a a pound or two lost.

Consistency, had I applied it in all the major blank spaces in the last year, will have given me so much. If I had run, say, 100 more days at no more than five kilometers on those days, I would have 310 miles behind me, and as much as 10 lbs lost. But -- I didn't.

So, to consistency, and beyond!