Merry Christmas and a run

The snow has finally melted and I was able to get out and run... on boy was it nice. After two solid weeks of snow covered ground... I finally got out to run again. I missed it. I didn't plan on running 6 miles... but it was so nice I did anyway.

Going to the beach over New Years... so I will be able to do some more running there. Here is wishing everyone a wonderful 2009.

A tip of the hat

When I was walking with my family after running to the park last week, someone saw my Portland marathon t-shirt and asked if I really ran a marathon. Now, he wasn't trying to be mean, just making conversation. When I said yes, he replied, "I tip my hat to you," and then continued on.

I didn't run this past weekend. Again. It was Christmas tree time. The whole family out to Helvetia and cut us down a tree.

I have fond memories of the roads out there. I ran the Helvetia half marathon out there. That was one very nice race. I hope to run it again.

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Another trip into Fall

I tripped over a tree root today during my run and took a tumble. I survived ok but I am sure that I will be sore. I was rinning on a trail and the ground was pretty soft. All things considered, I am happy to not be hurt.

This is the offending root
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Run with pics

There have been many times during my runs where I have wished I had a camera. Since I have one in my phone, I think I will start taking it with me on my runs to snap pictured when something strikes me. Hopefully I can stay focused on running, but the places I run have a lot to do with my enjoyment of it, so I think some visual aides to my running world is a good thing.

Today was another lunch time run. Most of the fall leaves are gone, but Fall is still a wonderful time for a camera.

Here is a nature area near where I work:

And here, a lake near the corporate park. In the summer we play soccer and basketball near here:

I am very blessed to work somewhere I can run at lunch and play sports. Work hard play hard.

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Nightime run

When I went to run today at lunch, I founf I left my shoes at home, so I ended up running in the dark. It wasn't bad. I ran on a path around a park, which was very dark. It was downright creepy.

I have to keep finding a way to run even when things get crazy or things do not go exactly as planned. Life is like that. Nothing ever goes exactly as planned. I have found though, that many great things can happen even when life is throwing curveballs.

This year has not been a steller running year for me. I hardly ran any races, and a grand total of 0 marathons. But still, I run.
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Dreaming about running

I had another dream about running. It is if something senses I am not running enough... And then I dream about it.

I was running a marathon... Of all crazy things... In my jeans of all things. Yes... It did occur to me that would hurt, but I didn't want to stop. The dream lasted a long time- as marathons do.

Yesterday I ran to a park and met my family there. It was nice. We went for a walk afterwards.

I weighed myself yesterday and I have gained 5 pounds from where I should be. I am going to try to lose it by christmas.
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Seven straight

I ran every day last week. First time maybe ever that I have done that. Granted… the weekday runs were short and at lunch at work… but hey… it is better than nothing.
The weekend runs were much more interesting than the lunch time ones. Saturday we were at the coast so I decided to run *one the beach* for the first time. For the most part Oregon beaches are pretty nice to run on. Long relatively level beaches leave and nice wet shoreline to run on. If you run too close to the water it gets mushy… and too much in the dry sand and you can’t get pushoff… but there is a nice line you can run on that is quite comfortable.

Usually the is wind blowing one way or another. Saturday is was blowing straight north along the beach… which is where I headed out. The wind pushing at my back… plus the beautiful pacific ocean made it very pleasant. At one point down the beach a full rainbow rose from the ocean and connected with the shore. Yes… the coast is a pot of gold.

When I turned around the wind was right in my face… and the dry sand was blowing hard enough to sting my legs. The roar of the wind (and it was a roar) and the fact it was blowing the water right out of my eyes made it a tough go. There was a particularly large amount of foam on the beach… and the wind was so strong it was bombarding me as I ran. Every once in awhile a large chunk of foam was too heavy to take flight and just skimmed down the beach like a white hovercraft. It was a wonderful run… but I don’t like running into the wind much.

Sunday I headed up the my running heaven. For the first time I was determined to run all the way up the hill at the start… and I did. I zig-zagged up it to make the incline less. .. and even run down without breaking out of a jog.

My legs are a bit tired today… but overall it was a great running week.

Fall is my soul

Fall is a beautiful time to run. The temperature is ideal and the scenery is picturesque. There is such a quite beauty lurking I the cool air. In a way… it is a firework exploding in color after the journey up through summer… quickly fading and tumbling from glory.

When running in Fall… runners become smokers with their breath trailing behind. When you stop… the perspiration wafts up like someone who just walked out of a fire. I am amazed at how good I can feel even when the temperature is low. Wind or rain can ruin the parade… but bring on the cold.

There are a million of excuses to keep you from running… and I have been through a lot of them. Let me list the ones I’ve used recently.

• Forgot running shorts.
• Forgot socks.
• Rainy.
• Too busy at work.
• Need to spend time with family.
• Disappointed I am no longer training for marathon.
• Too tired to get up early enough.
• Too dark.
• Don’t have gym membership.

And then of course… the run I almost missed because I dropped my shoe in the toilet. (Twice actually… I grabbed it once and there was so much water in the heal I dropped it right back) There are probably others. Give me a day… I will come up with something new. When I do get out and run… I very much enjoy it. I feel better and it takes care of stress. Time to get out there and enjoy the weather.

My running went into the toilet

Literally. I went to change in the restroom last week for a lunchtime run and one of my running shoes fell into the toilet. It was a bad omen. It was the first of many snafus that seem to be keeping my from running lately. Oh… I just ran with a wet shoe that day… but more complicated matters arose.

First… I agreed with my wife that I’d keep my runs to one hour or less. That means… no Seattle marathon. =( Now… that definitely made my motivation take a hit… but I am still running. Sat and Sunday runs in my running heaven… and a run to work and home on Tuesday. Parent teacher conferences conflicted with yesterday’s planned runs… they I tried again today… but I couldn’t run to work because I had to pick up a baby sitter… then I planned on running at lunch… but I left my shoes at home. Hopefully not in the toilet.

I will run both days this weekend though... and it should be beautiful in the fall weather.

One thing I can work on now since I am not running long… is speed. Yeah… it seems as if I am bouncing between the two and getting nowhere… but it is a nice wish anyway.

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Just saw Run Fatboy Run. It was OK... not really much about running in there.

Gordon: Go on then, run!
Dennis: Isn't there some kind of like... special technique?
Gordon: Well... yeah... you put one leg in front of the other over and over again really really fast.

Dennis: He runs marathons...
Gordon: Why?
Dennis: Exactly!

What am I trying to prove?

My wife asked me what I was trying to prove last weekend. It wasn’t in a mean way… just matter of factly. She also asked about how our last conversation where I discussed that I pondered whether running over an hour at a time had any health benefits and that I may not run marathons anymore… turned into me deciding to run the Seattle marathon next month.

That is a damn good question… and one I don’t have a good answer too. I really don’t know when I made that decision. It kinda made itself. I think I am the kind of person that needs something circled o the calendar to help me keep to a schedule… so I just circled something on the calendar.

As to what am I trying to prove… to everyone else… nothing. Nothing at all. To myself… I think there maybe something there. I know how hard it is to run a marathon. I know about being so tired you don’t have the energy for emotions. I don’t know how anyone… let along myself, can run a marathon… but they do… and I will again.

What does it prove? Nothing and everything.

A pain in the… side

It seems as though after a long run of 15+ miles, I usually have a pain in my right side… perhaps my right kidney, or some other organ that doesn’t like the jostling. I even asked the Dr about it once since I have a history of kidney stones. Since I took months off running this summer… I know this pain does indeed go away when I am not running… and come back when I run 15+ miles.

Any ideas? Does anyone else have non-muscle related pains like this after running 15+ mile long runs? Maybe I just have a stone in there that bangs around during my long run and hurts for a few weeks thereafter. I don’t really know.

Edit: I'm evaluating my supplements now... it could be the multi-vitamin, magnesium or glucosamine.

Searching for the magic combination

There are only a few times that the peanut butter and butter in a sandwich mix at just the right combination to create a heavenly flavor. Likewise… there is a buzz that you can get after 1 or 2 beers that can put you on cloud nine… but it doesn’t happen very often.

When running, there are times when my legs are just humming along and I feel they are responsive and a finely tuned engine that will take me wherever I want to go. They feel good… like a wild stallion that just wants to take off running. That feeling doesn’t happen very often though. Most of the time it seems like a lot of aches… pains… and just holding on.

This training cycle I am forcing myself to run a lot slower during my long runs and my recovery runs. The theory being… I want to find that awesome feeling in my legs where I can really push it. I need that more often to be able to improve I think. It is a strange balance… a catch 22 almost (which is a great book by the way).

I think I will just try to focus on what the purpose of each run is. Is it a long run? No rush then. Recovery? Very easy. Tempo? Giddy up. Really I need to try to get that great feeling on my tempo/cruise intervals, and strides. If I am running too hard on the other things… I mess up being able to fly when I need to.

An interesting note is that I ran a lot slower when training for Eugene than Portland, but my time for the Eugene marathon was like 25 minutes FASTER. Some of that is obviously from hitting the wall in Portland (after a mental breakdown earlier), or perhaps not enough miles put in… but I think another part is that I just wore my legs out. I’m really not experienced enough to know.

Honestly I didn’t buy that running slower could actually help you improve. I drank the ‘long slow runs makes long slow runners’ Kool-Aid. I am still not sure… but I am going to finish my training for Seattle with slower long runs… and make another evaluation then.

Easy week

This week is a recovery week. I liked how my first marathon training schedule had 3 weeks and then a rest week. I am still running… just at reduced mileage.

Fall is here. When I was walking under a tree today the wind picked up and tiny leaves spilled to the ground like a shower turned on. The air is starting to get cool and crisp. Perfect for running. I haven’t seen the fog from my breath yet… but it will be there soon.

This weekend it is supposed to be windy at the beach where I have two runs planned. Gusts up to 55 mph. Bring it on… that is all I can say. I may regret that… but some windy rainy runs can help build character.

I am currently running on my last pair of shoes. Given a marathon is coming up in November; I need to get some more like real quick. I am currently running on Nike Air Max 360s. They have been pretty good to me so far… and I think I am on my 4th pair. No real hot spots at all and my knees ankles etc… feel pretty good. BUT… they are expensive… and with the money we just spent on the beach house… I know the look I will get from my wife when I tell her I need to buy more shoes (like 4 pair). =(

I do have friends that work at Nike (comes from living next to Nike work headquarters) so maybe they can help me out. If I don’t switch models I don’t have a problem with buying multiple pairs. If I go with something new… I will just buy one pair. I see the Saucany Pro Grid 5 has some good reviews.

The gates of running heaven

Sure enough… it was a beach weekend… and as my brother-in-law says… ‘if you are lucky enough to be at the beach… you are lucky enough.’ So true.

Saturday I was itching to explore my new running grounds and decided to head out through Fogerty Park and up to the roads I could see on my running maps. A ran into the park… but where were the roads? Na-da… nothing.

I was beginning to lose faith, when across the park I saw a gate. When I approached, it was clear that this was “the place”, these were the gates to my beach running area.



The initial few hundred yards were quite step… barely runnable in my current shape, but after I popped out on top it flattened out and I was on small double track under thick canopy of trees. No cars... no people... just nature and a middle aged runner-wanna-be trudging along through the forest. It was if the road had been built just for me… and I almost felt a tear well up… because it was clear I was in my own running heaven.

Now… the roads of my running heaven are not flat… but they were not so bad that I couldn’t run them. It is definitely more trail-type running that I am used to. The 5 mile run I did on Saturday had my legs burning from the hills. I will get used to it though.

I will also need to pay close attention to where I am. There are no roads signs… no street names, and usually the forest is so thick I can’t tell which way is east, and which way is west. I can use Google maps to plan the run though… 2.1 miles then left at the branch… 3.4 miles then right… etc… My wife wants me to start running with a cell phone though… and I admit if I twisted an ankle up there… it was be difficult to get back down.

Sunday I had a 16 miler on the schedule… but my legs were still tired. I decided to stay on the flats and headed down 101 to the sign for drift creek falls and kept running until I hit 8 miles… then turned around. I was a hard run because of the state of my legs… but I made it. The country road out toward drift creek falls was also amazingly peaceful. It was clear the people/dogs/cows etc… around there were not used to seeing runners.

Overall the first weekend at our beach house exceeded my expectations. I even found a huge agate on the beach! Running wise… I have found my running nirvana… out past the gates of running heaven.

Look at Mills! LOOK AT MILLS!

I’ve mentioned before that American’s haven’t been then cream of the crop in long distance running, and that was also the case in the 1964 Olympics when Billy Mills was representing the United States. A virtual unknown and 2nd place qualifier for the US, Mills would need to PR in the 10K by about a full *minute* to have any chance in the race. For world class runners… those kinds of PRs don’t just hang on trees.

Amazingly… Mills hung in the race, but appear to fade out of contention before the final turn... in part because he gets hockey checked into the 3rd lane by the leader as if to say 'get out of here... you don't belong here!'

When the leaders ran into a crowd of runners being lapped… Miles closed a little, and then made one of the most amazing surges I have ever seen in long distance running. You have to see it to believe it, and you can tell from the announcer’s voice, it was unbelievable. It has to be one of the most memorable calls in broadcasting history. (How many times have you heard a man squeal like a combination between a pig and a giddy schoolgirl… out of pure Joy? As my son would say… ‘awkward’)

How Mills managed that burst of speed at the end almost defies explanation. It was like he transcended the laws of physics… like some unseen force from the heavens just put their finger on his back plinked him forward. Of course… the reality is that he mustered that burst from somewhere within himself… unlocked it like a joyous smile busting from a 3 month old (and I have seen the joy of plenty of those lately) and for one moment in time… he was superhuman… passing mere mortals like there were standing still.

Falling into Fall

Literally.

Which reminds me of the Mad TV ‘Literally skits’ like this one:

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Yes… I finally fell. I have had a few weeble-wobble moments in my training before… but I don’t think I have ever fallen. That ended this morning.

I was running next to the chain link fence around the Hillsboro airport and my shoe caught one of the spikes on the bottom of the fence somehow. My left foot stopped… while the rest of me continued forward… well… and downward. I probably didn’t look graceful… but considering one of my feet caught and planted me into the pavement, I think I am out OK. Wrists will be sore… elbow and hip too… but the important parts… my knees, ankles and legs… are unscathed. At least I hope so. After a roll like that sometimes the next day is when you really known what is hurt… but for now I am grateful. It did cut my 8 mile run in half though. =(

It appears as though I may be doing my first long run from camp Beach House this upcoming weekend. Wow. How blessed am I? I will confess that I don’t feel like I deserve my life. Someone on high must really like my wife, or my kids have something special in store for them… or thousands of years ago someone in my line did something wonderful earning generations of blessings on down to me. I could want nothing more. Well, except for qualifying for Boston. ;)

It felt like old times last Sunday running loops around Hillsboro airport on a long run. It went relatively well. I am taking my easy and long runs really slow right now to hopefully avoid injury. I ramped up my miles pretty fast without a really good base. Should hit 40 this week. I also noticed that based on my 10K time my training runs (according to the online calculators) should be slower. I guess the key is being able to recover enough to do the speedwork to improve. There is a strange Catch-22 in there I think.

Right now I am just enjoying running again.

Why I blog

Why do I spend time writing a writing blog that virtually no one reads? Two reasons really. Firstly, I like to write so it is an outlet there. Secondly, I need an outlet for my thoughts on running. Face it… non runners generally do *not* like to hear about running. If they see you coming back from a run and ask you ‘how was it’ they don’t want to know anymore than someone who asks you how you are in the hallway at work.

Just say ‘good’ and leave it at that. If you do actually start to tell them, expect glassy eyes before you get to the part the raw skin in some unmentionable body place hurting because you forgot your body glide.

If you are lucky enough to have running friends… well then there is your outlet. Unfortunately, none of my friends run… and in fact… some have said they can’t run. ‘Really?’ Like if you started to trot your legs would fall off?

You ask a group of 5 year old kids and every single one of them will raise their hands and tell you they can run. They can run… they can draw… they can sing goofy songs at the top of their lungs… but adults seem to pretend they have lost these abilities. What I think is happening is their greater sense of vastness of the world has made aware that others may sing better… or draw better… or run better… and they feel those things are only left to the best of the best… so they give up something once so joyously natural and let it die until they when you ask them if they run… they simply say… ‘I can’t run.’

How sad is that? What in insult to the people who really *can’t* run. What they really mean is ‘I don’t want to start running.’ Which is fine. I’ve had a couple of people at work tell me they will only run if a bear is chasing them. I laugh. Of course a bear might already be chasing them… just not the kind they are thinking of.

Feel the power, experience the pain

Most active sporting type people have tried at least one Powerbar. How could you not? It is the bar of POWER! Power of the bar… activate!!! Get me through this last 10 miles. Please. Pretty please?

Of course, before the power can touch your lips, you have to get the thing out of the wrapper… and this my friends… is where the Powerbar… becomes a powerful pain in the butt. Trying to open one is like trying to open a CD… and when… if… you manage to actually get it open… it will undoubtedly be stuck to the wrapper if the temperature is above 50 degrees.

Sometimes I run with a Powerbar in my water belt… bonk protection… but I view it more as emergency food ration in case I fall down a cliff, break my legs and can’t move. Then… maybe after a week of hunger… I’d try to get it out of the wrapper. Fifty fifty odds I die of starvation first though.

Can you imagine trying to open a Powerbar while say… running a marathon? You’d have to add a footnote to your time to explain the extra 15 minutes. Portland marathon 3:45* was on pace for 3:30 until I had to open Powerbar.

Odwalla bars, while obviously not as powerfull, are a nice alternative to Powerbars because you can actually remove the wrapper. They even look a little more like food compared to my peanut butter Powerbars that looks much like something that exited my babies behind.

My legs were pretty tired after yesterday’s lunchtime 6 miler. I must say it is quite nice to get all stressed and pissed off at work to burst out and run 6 miles at lunch. By the time I was back… I was too tired to upset at anything. The magical stress relief of running.

I killed Santa

It was bound to happen someday, but yesterday I killed Santa Clause. For my oldest son… it was time... and he had been trying to find time to talk to us about Santa for a few days. His friends have told him at school there is no Santa and I am sure that if he spent any time pondering the logistics of Santa’s tasks, he would at the very least have some suspicions. Last year he asked about Santa and our reply was yes there is one… but not exactly how you think. We left it at that.

It is a very delicate thing to kill Santa… especially when we have two other little ones still to be caught up in the magic... and I was not really prepared for the conversation. Last year his nephew, unbeknownst to Kenny, was told by his teacher in school that there was no Santa. Can you believe it? In school? Anyway… when his parents finally confirmed the information he was upset that he may have grown to adulthood, had kids and NOT known that he was supposed fill Santa’s shoes so to speak. He was worried his kids wouldn’t get to experience the joy of Christmas morning. Talk about selfless… I have no doubt… he will make a VERY good Santa.

Kenny said that he felt ‘funny’ after we broke the news to him… and though I have long since forgot the feeling, perhaps it was the twinges of innocence dying. Burdened with his new knowledge… we quickly pointed out that he now carried a very important gauntlet. His task, should he choose to accept it… and we made very clear he had to accept it… was to go along with the gig and make sure the two younger ones did not have any of the magic spoiled.

I ran six miles this morning. Good thing I did it early… it is going to be hot and humid today… though we do get hot sometimes in the summer… rarely is it humid. During the week I have done a lot of run to work and home runs… 4.4 miles each way… but I need to push to longer runs. The marathon is not a short race.

Running in a Postcard

I have never seen the sun rise over the ocean, and I probably never will. Being a west coaster, I get sunsets… not rises. I think I like it that way. Spring or fall… take your pick… sunrise… sunset… I am a melancholy sunsetter that loves fall.



It looks like I may be seeing a lot more sunsets over the ocean… because it appears the beach house dream might become a reality. Barring some very strange happenings… we should have our little beach getaway in October.

Of course… I have already been scouting for running routes… and it appears as though someone went ahead and provide plenty for me… packed with hills, green trees, the sea-fresh air and of course… the beach. If I want… I can run right down to the sand and up or down the beach as far as my legs will carry. Well… actually I’d bump into bays both North and South… but I can run for awhile.

To the north is Siletz Bay… then further south is Depot Bay… and a little further is Newport. Did I mention they went ahead and arranged a marathon for me there in Newport? =) Yep… you can bet the Newport marathon is on my running map for next year… nothing like running a marathon so close to our home away from home. Talk about a dream come true. Any direction I choose and I am running in a postcard.

Oktoberfest 2008

I ran the Oktoberfest 10K on Saturday. The original plan was for the whole family to come with me to the race and attend the fest afterwards… but the night before I decided that wasn’t really fair for the family. It is hard to get 2 kids and a baby moving at 6 AM. I had already paid for the run though… said I headed off for the hour drive alone.

A few days ago I predicted 7:59 was a reasonable goal. Though I have been running regularly for a bit again, I have only done one speed workout… and that was last Tuesday. About a month ago my 10K time in a race was 8:36.

I started off the first mile at about 7:35… and everything felt great. Of course… it was a little down hill and the first mile is always easy. Miles 2 though 4 were a wakeup call though. Mile two dropped to about 8 minutes a mile… right on pace… but mile 3 was about 8:30 and I really didn’t feel like I was letting up at all. Yes… it was into the wind… but my thoughts of 7:59 were pretty much gone at that point. I tucked in behind someone else and just held on.

Having someone block the wind for about a mile gave my legs new life… and when we finally turned away from the wind… I sprang by my blocker and sped off. Unfortunately… that is where the hills were. I focused on attacking the hills. I just read an article in Runner’s World about how to run hills… and I focused on what I remembered. Hands relaxed… arms 90 degree angle swinging directly forward and back… head up, focused on powering over the top, saving enough energy at the bottom to make sure I didn’t burn out before the top.

Right before the start of the hill there was a group of runners that were catching me… but as we hit the bottom of the hill I just motored away. I kept powering up the hills faster than I was running into the wind and soon I notice I was back running under 8 minutes per mile. Up hill.

When I hit the top I kept the pressure on and was soon going 7:30… which is about what I ran for mile 6. My final pace… exactly 7:59. Talk about self actualized.
While I am not too concerned about speed right now… I will try to work more speedwork into my routine… strides and whatnot. I don’t think I will be racing again for about a month at the Blue Lake 9 miler. Last time I ran it in 7:59... (there is that number again). I hope to do a little better this year.

Different types of runners

Bouncy runners
These runners seem to defy gravity with their springy bounce while running. Usually these are thing framed women sporting a pony tail in the backs that whips back and forth like a horses tail. They seemed to float off the ground during their strides, as if they were running on a trampoline.

Gadget runners
These runners have Ipods, transmitters in their shoes and GPS watches. I usually run with two gadgets… so I might fit in this classification.

Secret service runners
These runners have dark sunglasses and seem to trudge along with no noticeable facial gestures. They may have at least one gadget going to their ears, be it music player cell phone, or secret communicator that allows them to report back to race headquarters when they see someone throwing their gu wrapper in the middle of the road or peeing behind a tree. I am most creeped out when I go to pass one of these runners and I see them peeking at me out of the corner of their eyes while their head remains directly ahead.

No shirt runners
Always guys of course. Whether going for a tan, trying too cool off, or just trying to impress the ladies… these manly men like to run shirtless. Negative points if they have hair like a grizzly.

Boxing runners
These runners are usually draped in full body sweats, even in 80+ degree heat, and appear to be trying to lose weight for a weigh in. Using the hood of their sweat shirts covers their head so you are not sure if there is a real person in there… or a Sith Lord.

Wheezing runners
These are runners that appear to be having some sort of respiratory problem or are running faster than their air intake will allow. They tend to men who spit a lot… and were possibly just dragged into running by their significant other thinking… if a woman can do it… I must be able to.

Flailing runners
Flailing runners have a running style so awkward it is amazing how they proceed forward. While they legs may be moving in a normal motion, their arms may be swinging in circles like a windmill, or they appear to be beating themselves up. Regardless… it appears as though they will never last a mile… yet somehow they do.

I ran a marathon

For some weird reason my son and I were discussing death yesterday. I think the conversation arose after talking about the autistic kid who survived 14 some hours treading water in the ocean… helped by what his father said was a lack of fear of death. I told him the worse part of death might be the fear of dying… and he asked whether I would want a quick death… or a slow death. I said a slow death… because it may give me time to say goodbye and make sure my family was well taken care of. He responded with, “what is it was really slow and painful?” I smiled… laughed… and said “Kenny… I ran a marathon.”

Frisbee run

Another week… and my mojo is still with me. Sundays 14 mile run turned into just 7 though… as I made the mistake of thinking I could run and out and back to my house at 7 miles total… and then run it again. I did it that way because my son was riding his bike with me… and more than 7 miles would test his patience. My legs convinced me they were tired… and my brain just didn’t have the willpower to argue… and I just stopped at 7 miles.

To punish myself I ran my Tuesday morning run hard. (Ran to work) But then someone set up an Ultimate Frisbee game after work… that just happened to be at a field right by where I was running home… so I ran there and then played. My legs were pretty tired afterwards… and I didn’t drink enough water. I am feeling a little sluggish today.

Saturday I am running the Oktoberfest 10K. I don’t think I will be able to PR… which is kind of sad… but I haven’t been doing enough speedwork. I think 7:59 per mile might be about right. If my legs are feeling greet… maybe better… but they are pretty tired now. A 38 second per mile improvement over my recent 10K isn’t too bad though.

Return of the Mojo

Knock on wood… I think my running mojo is back. I finished a 30+ mile week, capped with a 12 miler yesterday along the Oregon Coast. We are thinking about buying a beach house… so I figured I best check out the running possibilities. =) The winter weather at the Oregon Coast is hardly ideal. It is rainy windy blustery weather… the kind that takes a very hardy soul to run in. But on a nice day… like yesterday… it is like running in heaven. From the beginning of November to Spring it can be gloomy though.

While my run was wonderful… the bonk afterwards wasn’t. I ran without fuel or sports drink (just 12 ounces of water) and didn’t eat soon enough after I was back. After about an hour I was off to bonk land… mad at everyone and everything, unable to think straight or even make a decision about what to eat. Too many more episodes like that and my wife isn’t going to let me run anymore.

I was supposed to run a 10k this past weekend but we went to the coast instead. It worked out better for me though because I really needed a long run… not a 10k. Yeah… it was slow… but I have increased my mileage pretty fast that I need to compromise on speed for now. My body is feeling pretty good except for my left ankle which was kicked during a soccer game a few months ago and never quite healed right. I really doesn’t bother me at all while running, but it does afterwards… and I fear my foot may be tracking slightly differently which will cause problems elsewhere later. Hopefully not.

My current goal is the Seattle marathon in November. I don’t plan to PR or anything… just want to get another marathon under my belt without injuries or hitting the wall. Hopefully the time will be somewhere between my Eugene and Portland times… but I am not going to get too caught up in that.

I’m just happy my mojo is back.

Paula Radcliffe finally loses one

Prior to this year’s Olympics Paula Radcliffe had won every marathon she has ever finished… but she did not finish 4 years ago in the Olympics. This year she had a stress fracture 3-4 months ago and it did not appear she would even be able to run in the Olympics. She did everything she could to train… without running. Then after only about 6 runs… she ran in the Olympic marathon.

I don’t know what to feel about that. She is almost super-human enough to pull it off… she DID finish… albeit a few minutes off the winning time, but I would have thought she would have known that it would not end well. Perhaps she felt pressure to finish because she dropped out in the preceding Olympics… I don’t know… but I do know that what she tried was a bit beyond human limits. Heck… she did finish!!! And that alone is amazing. Finished well in fact… but not ‘Paula’ well. There is no doubt that with any type of training and injury free she would have won.

Part of me feels that was amazingly gutsy to try. Part of me feels she didn’t have as much respect for the marathon as she should have… but she is after all… the greatest marathoner on the planet… so I guess she has earned the right to make that call. It still boggles my mind how well she did with so little training. AMAZING. As if popping out a baby and winning a marathon shortly thereafter wasn’t enough. =)

Ice bath in the Pacific Ocean

I love living less than an hour from the beach. In fact… I am blessed to be 1 hour from skiing on Mt. Hood, 1 hour from the beach, 1 hour from many lakes… about 4 hours from the high desert area… lakes… rivers… mountains… beach… and even an active volcano (Mt. St. Helens). What a wonderful place to live and run.

This weekend we were at the beach... and I headed out down the sand for an 8 mile run. I’m counting it as 10 though. =) In part because it can be hard to run in the sand… and also because I ran into the D River and didn’t want to get my running shoes wet so I had to veer up to highway 101 and head south from there. Unfortunately south from there is up for a few miles. I haven’t ran any hills lately… and it was painful. I made it though… and rested at the top with a wonderful view of the ocean.

After I got back my wife suggested we run into the ocean… which seemed like a fine way to cool my legs. The ocean lining Oregon is cold… very cold… and a perfect substitute for an ice bath. After freezing the legs… we headed up to the beach house and the hot tub. Heaven.

Total miles for the week… 25. I am almost ready to declare myself ‘back’ but I have to run over 10 miles first. That will be this weekend… at the beach again. =) No hills this time.

Because we are heading to the beach again I won’t be running the Wildwood 10K in Forest Park. Probably for the best because I really need a run longer than 10k. The Oktoberfest 10K will be my only chance at a PR this year it appears… which happens to be where I set my PR in 96 at 47:45 (7:42 pace). I will have to work some speed work in between now and then if I want any chance to PR.

30 miles schedule this week. Did I mention I *have* a schedule? Yep… through April of next year.

A kid, a pumpkin and a dream

In a few days Ryan Hall will represent the US in the marathon in Beijing. Runner’s world had wonderful article on Ryan Hall Runner's World Ryan Hall American’s haven’t exactly led the world in competitive distance running lately. It is as if many of our long distance dreams died along with Prefontaine. Hall could change all of that with a decent showing at the Olympics. Honestly… he may have already changed it… but maybe the average Joe will take notice.

The most fascinating piece of the story to me… which I don’t believe you can see in the online version, is a picture of Ryan with a Halloween pumpkin he carved when he was a teen. The pumpkin had the Olympic rings carved into it… and above them… the date… 2008. Now… when I was a teen the only big dates I could think about were when I turned 16 so I could drive… and 21 so I could drink. (Actually I could drink when I was 19 and in the Army in Texas)

It amazes me that even as a teen he had circled a goal on his calendar that would take him about a decade to achieve. How did he know? Was it wishful thinking? Destiny? Did he answer a call from God as he says? Whatever the reason… seeing that kid in a photo standing next to the symbol of his dreams with a beaming smile, and then to know this Sunday Aug 24th… years and thousands upon thousands of miles later… he will make it… just makes me feel all good inside.

Hall seems the polar opposite of Prefontaine personality wise. Pre was bold and cocky and Hall seems cautious and meek. Perhaps that is why we haven’t heard more of Hall. Now… I doubt winning a medal is in the cards for Hall… but I can assure you that I will be watching Sunday… watching… cheering… and cherishing his amazing accomplishment. Just a kid, a pumpkin and a dream... run strong Ryan.

Ad hoc 10K race

8/15
I think I will run 10k race tomorrow. No… I haven’t trained for it… and yes… I will probably be hurting afterwards… but it has just been too long since I have raced. My PR for a 10K is 7:42… but I haven’t ran one in a long time and my ½ marathon pace is only a few seconds slower. Still… I haven’t been running enough lately to try to break a PR right now. Between 8:15 – 8:30 is probably about right… who knows… maybe even slower. I am just not in shape yet. In about a month I think there is another 10K that I will try to PR in.

After race 8/18

That was nice and humbling. I trotted along at a meager 8:36… just two seconds faster than I ran a whole marathon. =) Since I haven’t run with a watch on in months… I haven’t really known what pace I was running… but I knew it was slow. With my lack of being in shape and the heat (it was near 80 even though the race was at 8:15 AM) I didn’t plan to push myself. I just wanted to get out there and start again… and that I did.

I also exceeded 20 miles running in a week for the first time since I stopped training for Eugene. This week should be about the same… but since I am not on a set schedule yet… I don’t really know. Which reminds me… I need to make a schedule.

In two weeks there is the ORRC Wildwood Trail run… another 10K that I think I will also run… hopefully around 8 minutes per mile by then… and the on Sep 13 is the Oktoberfest 10K. (Why do they have Octoberfest in September?) If I haven’t PR’d at 10K I will try to here. Then on October 11th is a 15K at Blue Lake. Then it is heads down training for Seattle if I want to be able to run it.

I can't think of a title for this post

After heading out into the morning sun for a run yesterday, I felt like I was reconnecting with a long lost soul mate. I can’t understand exactly why I like running now… when I once regarding it with disdain or something I would do only if a bear was chasing me. Maybe it is the runner’s high. I definitely have felt that at times during runs and afterwards.

Once I thought that I would find meaning through my running… like I’d one day run up on a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow, of have a great revelation that changed my life. The truth is much more subtle… and you’d have to view a much wider expanse of my life to see it.

If I could glance and the pre-running me at 50… and the post running me at 50, the difference I am sure, will be striking. Long distance running can be that way. It unfolds at a leisurely pace. Hills that seem frozen in the distance turn into hills sliding away behind you, and all the while you can hardly tell you are moving.
It is not much harder to run 20 miles than 1 if you are in shape for the journey. (Well… assuming you are NOT in shape to run that 1 mile) I can remember a time when running 1 mile was a big deal for me. I’d tell a friend and they were in awe (as we drank our 10th beer of the night).

I don’t know how long I will keep running. I am still not even back into my grove. I did learn one thing though… by trying the 22 or whatever week training plan… is that it is certainly possible to get burned out. I maintained focus on that schedule for months… and then just LOST it. One day complete dedication… the next I fumbled it away. It took me a few weeks to realize it… and by then… I just couldn’t muster the energy to restart.

Pain is good

Pain is good… or so they say. Sign of progress. No pain… no gain… and all that stuff. When I was younger and much lighter… I could run all day with relatively no pain. I didn’t even know what sore was really. I can remember running the Seaside half marathon and suffering pretty much no pains.

But that was then. Now… and pretty much from age 30 on… sports and activities hurt. With running… I feel I am in a constant state of pain and recovery. If I am feeling good… I am not pushing it enough. I have to play Sherlock Holmes to decipher exactly what my pain is saying. I have to sort out for instance… if it is saying ‘you ran too far… or too fast’, or ‘Houston, we have a problem.’

So far I have been just about injury free with running. All those horror stories about ruining knees etc… seem to be just stories. But pain free? Yeah right. I am to the point where I can feel pain after regular day-to-day activities. Pull a few weeds… and the back hurts. Paint a room… arm does.

I suppose I should be grateful at least my parts are functioning enough to be yelling at me. Oh… I try to take care of them the best I can… a few supplements, aspirin, a lot of water and a massage here and there if my sweetie has time. But I have to wonder if young people really understand what is in store for them. I remember older people telling me… but really… I thought they were just out of shape. I had no idea that being *in* shape could be the cause of so much pain.

SportsFest is just about over. Soccer and basketball are done… so just softball now, which (knock on wood) is one of the few sports that doesn’t seem to bring me much pain.

I realized yesterday that I probably missed my chance to run the Portland marathon this year. My measly mileage this summer is not enough of a base for me to hit training full steam. I will have to set me sites on something later like Seattle.

Mia is sleeping enough now that I may be able to continue running in the morning… that is if I can garner the motivation. If I just circle something on the calendar I think I will do it. Just haven’t grabbed a pen yet.

Run to work

Running a marathon seems so trivial compared to the power of a newborns first smile. I do still dream of running the Boston Marathon someday, but it will be something I have to figure out how to fit into my life without interfering with my other responsibilities.

My latest idea is running to work. I work about 4.5 miles from home… so running in is a good little workout, and we have showers at work. As long as I can get my work cloths there ahead of me someone… it works fine. I ran in this morning. Once I get my endurance up a bit… I can run home too. I know two 4.5 mile runs don’t equal a 9 miler… but it may be the best I can do for now.

My running at lunch stopped when Sportsfest started. Sportsfest is where a group of companies here compete in various sports at lunchtime or in the evening. Right now I am playing basketball and soccer… so 3-4 days a week I am already busy at lunch. The other two days I am nursing wounds. =) Softball is starting up next week too… and between basketball, soccer, softball and running… I have to watch shin splints and other nagging overuse injuries like that.

I have to admit I had no idea how life changing a newborn would be. I am so used to being able to stick to a schedule or doing whatever I wanted on an ad hoc basis, but now I am tied to Mia’s schedule… and it is a whopper. It isn’t unusual to not even find the time to be able to make coffee and drink a cup before it gets cold in the morning. There just isn’t time between the diaper changes, crying, feeding, burping, and changing cloths after spitups. But when she smiles… all of it is replaced by pure joy that no finish line could ever match.

Miles for Mia

I ran 6 miles yesterday… thinking that was one for each of her days… but alas… she was really only 5 days old. The last one was for good luck I guess. It’s been awhile since I ran more than 4 miles… in fact most of my runs the past few months have been the two mile variety.

Because my wife will be staying at home now, in theory it might be easier to fit some runs in. Previously I dropped the youngest off at daycare in the morning and picked him and his older brother up each day. Of course… Mia tends to require a lot more time… especially for the next few weeks.

I have a one… yes ONE mile race for work coming up next week I think. I am not going to try to do much… I am just not ready for it… but I will run the best I can. There are 3 and 5 mile runs coming up in a moth or so too. I hope to be a bit more ready for them.

Right now I am just content that the family is complete… healthy and happy. The cold summer so far makes for good running weather… and I plan to start taking advantage of that.

Mia is here!

Emilia Rose (Mia) arrived on 6-4 and 2:46. 2-4-6 6-4-8... sounds like cheer! =) I actually ran 4 times the week before she arrived... but all my time now is spent taking care of her mother and staring at her.

The starting line

I haven’t been running much lately… at least not with a set schedule or goal in mind… but I do run every once in awhile. I think I am someone who needs a pretty set schedule. Mostly… the soon to arrive baby (less than 30 days now) is consuming my thoughts.

We went to a birthing class last weekend, and I was surprised at how many similarities there are between training and running a marathon and having a baby. There are breathing techniques that are useful in both. Relaxation techniques… pain management, visualization, and counting tricks I am pretty sure all marathon runners pick up.

I fear I will bawl when Mia is born. During my marathon training I felt similar when I thought about finally reaching my goal. There is certainly no energy for tears at a marathon finish line though… and most likely I will be able to remain focused and swallow my feelings and bury them deep in my core as men are supposed to. =)

It seemed like the start of my first marathon would never arrive. Even standing in the starting chute it seemed like forever away… but then one moment bowed to the next, and my dream started to become reality. It is a good thing the times of sand keep carrying us forward… through rough times and good times… through training… marathons, labor and everything in between.

In a few weeks I will get to see Mia line up at the starting line of her life… and the mojo from that moment might propel me for the rest of my days.

Where did my mojo go go?

We have had some great weather around these parts. Time to get out in your yard and start getting it cleaned up for Spring weather. Of course, that kind of weather is good for running too. =)

I haven’t been running much lately. 3-4 times a week at just 2.5 miles per run. Most of the time I run at lunch at work. Every run for the past month has been faster than the previous, but I am still slow. My mojo must have bleed out.

My goal at this point… is to run my 2.4 mile loop in under 7 minutes per mile. Goal #2, is to run one mile in under 6 minutes. By the end of the summer I want to PR a 5K and a 10k. Those seem like reasonable goals for now.
Soon I will be able to run Iinthe morning once again. Oh who am I kidding… I could do that now if my mojo wasn’t gone.

Lunchtime run

After stretching my legs for a short run Sunday… I did my first lunchtime run today. Just a short 2.6 miler at about 8:30 miles. It felt very good to get back out there again, even though it was windy and I am not in very good shape. My run barely took over 20 minutes giving me plenty of time to shower and get back to work. I just ate some food from home at my desk.

Once the sun is out again and it warms up I will probably switch to running in the morning most day. Who knows though… I am just winging it at this point. There are a few runners where I work, including one who BQ’d. She gave me some advice and told me to not give up… that people don’t usually BQ in their first few marathons.
And so… it begins… again.

Dreaming about running

Recently I have been dreaming about running… you know… a glorious run through Springtime air, spotlit by golden rays or sunshine… not a care in the world… on autopilot… just one finely tuned human machine fast forwarding through the world on the wings of a gentle breeze. Then I wake up however, to the reality that I have not ran a step in over two weeks. Yuck.

No… I am not injured… I just was very busy, lost some motivation and one missed run turned to two… then three… then two weeks. I did at some point make a mental shift and decide that family is more important than running… and running during dinner 3 nights a week in the cold rain was more than I was willing to tolerate. I do miss running though, and am scheming about ways to get it back in my life.

Plan #1, I find a golden stopwatch to freeze time. Ok, plan #2, for my weekday runs… I run… AT LUNCH. Ok Ok… so there is a bit of a problem about how to fit consuming some food AND a 1.5 hour run into just one hour, but it is a start. We have a shower at work here. I could come in early too, thus avoiding running in the dark. This plan has some legs! Now I just need to get my legs… back out there and on the street.

Never enough time

Last Thursday’s 10 mile run was much like the story of my running to date. It started off nice enough, though my legs were tired. On most mornings I wake up think ‘how am I going to run tonight?’, but by the time I have to run… they are OK. Last night… not so OK. The weather was nice though… 50 and not raining (dark of course), and I started out at a nice clip. Sweet I thought… maybe I was just running slow because the weather was always around 35 and raining.

About the 5 mile mark my legs started to burn and I got that shaky week feeling that my body was running low on energy. Figures… since I had to skip a proper dinner the previous two days in order to run. The second 5 miles were into the wind and about the time I turned around, it started raining. Just a drizzle at first, but the fine misty kind that can cover you whole body in minutes… and render my glasses useless.

The rain continued to come down… and the mist turned into small drops… that turned into bigger drops… that turned into a downpour. At one point my glasses were so covered with water and the glare from oncoming cars was so bad I ran into a tree branch that was sticking over the sidewalk. While I didn’t poke my eye out… the jarring reaction my body made in response, was even worse than the branch. I don’t remember what swear word I invented… but it was something creative.

My cloths started soaking up the rain and I became heavier and my pace slowed to sloth-like. Because it was so dark and my view was so limited, it was like the rest of the world didn’t exist. Just me, the 5 feet of my path I could see, and the rain and wind. After stepping into a few water puddles soaking my feet… but sad state was complete, and the only thing that would improve my situation was finishing the next 3 miles.

It was there in the dark downpour, highlighted by the headlights where the passing drivers where probably wondering… ‘what the!’ or ‘idiot!’ that I too pondered just what I was doing out there… just where I was going. I seem to be running slower than I was at this time last year, despite having two marathons under my belt since then. My beautiful (inside and out) pregnant wife was at home without my help. Perhaps it is time to do some re-evaluating. As much as I’d like time to stand still until I finish my running… it does not, and if there is one thing marathon training requires a lot of… is time.

The Streak is Broken

After over 5 straight weeks without missing a run… I missed 3 in one week. (Including the long run) OUCH! I actually was prepared for the long run… I dressed and drove to my running spot… but a quick calculation of the time and I realized there was no way I could finish my 2.5 hour run in time to meet a friend for the Blazer game. I gave up and headed home. The other two runs? I have no excuse for them. =) Just lost my mental grove I think.

This week I am back on track through. Good thing too… 46 miles on the schedule. Hopefully the weather will be a little more cooperative. Last winter the weather seemed pretty darn conducive to running… but no so this year. There have been a lot of nasty days. It was raining again last night so I hit the gym for my 9 miler.

My boss at work commented that if I don’t qualify for Boston… all my running would be a waste. I don’t think of it that way… but it did get me to pondering… specifically just why am I running? I don’t really have a textbook answer at this point. While qualifying for Boston is not out of the realm of possibilities for me… it would be extremely difficult at this point. I am not running fast at all now. This is in part because they weather has been so nasty… I feel I am just trying to hang on, and I suppose the other part must be lack of effort. All I can say in that regards is that it was certainly easier to run faster when I was running less miles.

On my long run Sunday I planned on 2 loops… one 8 miles and one 7. My GPS watch battery was dead when I headed out… but I already mapped my route (or so I though). The problem was… the route I mapped had a road that didn’t actually connect to another road. I was faced with heading back… or continuing on roaming the countryside until I could find a road that did connect. Well… my 8 mile loop turned into a 13 mile loop by the time I got back to the car. That is just too long for me to run without fuel or water. I bagged it at 13 miles. It was kind of fun exploring a new route where I didn’t really know where I was going.

I am really looking forward to some nicer weather and not running in the dark though.