First One to February Wins!

Tuesday: ~ 4 miles. 36:43. I parked the car next to my spouse's office so she could drive home. Then I ran around for a while with no particular design on where I was going. I ran passed a house I used to live in and passed another I'd like to live in, then to the one where I live now. So I had a lot of stuff to think about. None of which I remember right now.

Meanwhile: happy February, everybody!

January Recap:

           January 01:

Sunday-----

Monday : 8.0

Tuesday: -----

Wednesday: 3.4

Thursday: -----
Friday: 7.5
Saturday: 3.4

            (Week: 22.3)

January 08:
Sunday: ------

Monday: 8.4
Tuesday: 3.4
Wednesday: 3.4
Thursday: ~13.0
Friday: ------
Saturday: 3.4

(Week: 31.6)
            January 15:

Sunday: 3.4
Monday: 7.0
Tuesday: 3.4
Wednesday: 3.4
Thursday: 8.0

Friday: 3.4

Saturday: 4.0

            (Week 32.6)

January 22
Sunday: 15.3

Monday: -----
Tuesday: 5.1
Wednesday: 3.4
Thursday: 6.1
Friday: 3.4
Saturday: 3.4

(Week 36.7)
            January 29

Sunday: 6.0
Monday: 3.4

Tuesday: 4.0

Year To Date: 130.6 miles.

Running Days: 25
Days off: 6

Post Script: You all might be interested in the "Anywhere5K" project -- pretty cool idea for runners. But whether you're a runner or a sane person, check out the post from January 27 "Another Reason to Not Like Treadmills."

Maintenance, Thinking Ahead

Maintenance loop 3.4 miles (32:35). Pretty sore from yesterday, and the crapradoodle was doing her business, but maybe there's something about a sunny winter afternoon that helps keep the pace up a bit. Not a fast run, by any means, but pleasant.

I found myself thinking ahead a great deal to Wednesday's run. Tomorrow's another maintenance, probably on the treadmill at the rec center, but Wednesday will be a long one. I think I'd like to go 17 miles, and I'm trying to figure if I should run 10 in the morning and 7 in the evening or run the whole distance at once.

Either way, I'm excited about it, which I think is good, as it keep my motivation up.

I've also been thinking about my weight. Now that I'm consistently running 30+ miles each week, I wonder if it's healthy to be cruising along at 200 pounds. I don't like to diet, it's true, but I wonder if it's time to cut back on some of my excesses -- I tend to overeat, I sometimes eat because I'm bored, I snack before bed -- those things seem so simple to get up, but like Quentin Compson tells us, it's the idle habits we acquire which we learn to regret the most.

Eleven Day Tally 

Friday: 3.4
Saturday: 4.0
Sunday: 15.3
Monday: -----
Tuesday: 5.1
Wednesday: 3.4
Thursday: 6.1
Friday: 3.4
Saturday: 3.4
Sunday: 6.0
Monday: 3.4

Previous:123.2 miles
Year To Date: 126.6miles.

Running Days: 24
Days off: 6

Maintenance, Maintenance, Something New

I still prefer updating every day, but here's another three-day post as we approach the end of January. I've been working on other projects, and, given a choice between taking the time to run and taking the time to write about running, I think, for the time being, I'll run.

*     *     *

Friday: I got out for the 3.4 mile maintenance loop today, and made fine time (32:52), I think, considering I had the crapradoodle in tow. Something struck me while I was out and I feel the need to cast a local apology lest I have offended somebody.

In my own defense, I very rarely think about my attire, except in terms of the weather -- is it too cold to where this or too hot to where that: otherwise, I hardly ever think of myself in terms of how I look.

Which is why, when I grabbed this long-sleeve shirt this afternoon --

-- I was thinking only of staying warm on a slightly cool day. In retrospect, I apologize to anybody who might have read this shirt, seen me with my particular dog, and thought that I was being boastful. I assure you I was thinking only of my health, and not about my singularly talented dog.

The run, meanwhile was fine. Chillier, still, than I thought it would be, but we made good time. After the run, my spouse and I had dinner with friends, went to a poetry reading, and hung out with friends until very very late.

*     *     *

Saturday morning 3.4-mile out and back (40:02). The crapradoodle was absolutely not in the mood for a run this morning. She'd been begging to get out of the house, but all she wanted to do was crap and sniff, sniff and crap, all along Columbia Road. Also, I finished off my lamb shank for breakfast, and, maybe, I am too old to get up early with the kid after staying out late with friends, so I also partly blame myself for an awful run. But I made it out and back, so, I suppose, that's better than no run at all.

*     *     *

I thought it would be fun today to combine a hill workout with mile repeats. I've never actually done this workout before, so today was mostly about searching for a goal to set. I ran downhill (7:42), uphill (8:10), down (7:45), up (8:29), down (7:44), and up (8:26).

I think a fun goal for this workout would be to run each mile at a (7:45) pace. I don't know why that sounds fun or if it would even be scientifically useful or not, but I think I will try it. I had a hell of a headwind running uphill today. I was lucky enough to go for my run just as a snowstorm was blowing into my fifty-degree afternoon. I say this only to point out that I think I should be able to drop my uphill times considerably on a calm day . . . I suppose I benefited from the tailwind on the way down, but I'm not willing to think too hard about that just now.

Meanwhile, the crapradoodle says, "hi."

 

Eleven Day Tally 

Thursday: 8.0
Friday: 3.4
Saturday: 4.0
Sunday: 15.3
Monday: -----
Tuesday: 5.1
Wednesday: 3.4
Thursday: 6.1
Friday: 3.4
Saturday: 3.4
Sunday: 6.0

Previous:116.4 miles
Year To Date: 123.2 miles.

Running Days: 23
Days off: 6

Windless Sprints

So, eh, whaddayacall'em: quarter mile repeats with a quarter-mile recovery. I did the first four at 10.0 mph (6:00 minute pace), then seven at 10.5 mph (5:42 minute pace), and one at 12.0 mph (5:00 minute pace). Sprints, I call them, is that right? I mean I don't know if a six-minute pace has ever been a sprint before, but it's been a long time since I've done that kind of workout.

Oh, on the treadmill, though, so, I know, it was cheating. Still it was lots of fun. I always loved speed workouts in high school. I believe I was much faster then, but what is speed when age is involved?

-- you know how they say time goes faster as you get older, right, because when your five, a year is a full fifth of your life, and when you're forty, a year is only one fortieth --

So, maybe I'm actually much faster now that I'm twice my high school running age. If that's at all confusing, don't worry about it, you'll understand when you get to be my age . . . and if you're older than me, well, time makes fools of us all.

Eleven Day Tally 

Sunday: 3.4
Monday: 7.0
Tuesday: 3.4
Wednesday: 3.4
Thursday: 8.0
Friday: 3.4
Saturday: 4.0
Sunday: 15.3
Monday: -----
Tuesday: 5.1
Wednesday: 3.4
Thursday: 6.1

Previous:110.3 miles
Year To Date: 116.4 miles.

Running Days: 20
Days off: 6

Running advice: (this might be a repeat, but) run like hell.

Crapradoodle 3 - Jackson 0

And, then, just like that, my maintenance run today was over. I ran my 3.4 mile loop (40:01), while my crapradoodle set a new record with three craps! Astounding -- they said it couldn't be done, but my medium size fuzzball cut three big-dog sized deuces en route to our slowest maintenance route ever. Way to go crapper!

I thought about some really cool running stuff to post during the run, but the dog just kept crapping, and I was wondering if at some point she would simply cease to exist. I'm certain, had Kafka run today's workout with us, he would certainly have given up on "The Hunger Artist" and written instead "The Crapping Dog," and we would have followed the narrator through an adventure of high lyricism and magical narrative. Moral of the story: I forgot everything else.

Year to Date: 110.3 miles. Already posted the 11-day tally once today, and I don't want to take up all the Internet's space with my obsessive compiling.

Three Day Post: Off, Too Much Maintenance, Other Stuff

In his book, On Writing, Stephen King writes:

I used to tell interviewers that I wrote every day except for Christmas, the Fourth of July, and my birthday. That was a lie. I told them that because if you agree to an interview you have to say something, and it plays better if it's something at least half-clever. Also, I didn't want to sound like a workaholic dweeb (just a workaholic, I guess). The truth is that when I'm writing, I write every day, workaholic dweeb or not. That includes Christmas, the Fourth, and my birthday. . . . And when I'm not working, I'm not working at all, although during those periods of full stop I usually feel at loose ends with myself and have trouble sleeping.

I took Monday off, because I had scheduled Monday off, because I always take the day after a long run off, because Runners' World magazine has always told me the most important workout of the week is the day you take off. But I didn't like it.

That is another thing that has happened in keeping this journal: by keeping track of what I'm doing, I miss running when it's not around. It was probably wise to take a day off -- 15.3 miles is my longest run since May? (I think) and probably the second or third longest of my life -- a day off seems more than reasonable. But the commitment to run has become a lifestyle. I feel the urge to get out there every day, even when I've already determined to take a day off.

Which, I suppose, makes the day off all the more necessary: to remind me how important the run is each day.

The consistency which this journal has inspired in me has also lead to a healthier lifestyle at large. I'm not drinking as much. I'm eating more veggies and smaller portions. (Let me be clear about this: I have never much believed in moderation, and I hate to find a Tupperware for food if there's only a few more bites . . . I'm an eater. I'm a drinker.) My intent, in running, is not to shed pounds. Truly, it's not. Nor am I at any risk of wasting away to nothing (I think according to the standard Body Mass Index chart, I'm still twenty pounds overweight)*. But a healthy lifestyle encourages a healthy lifestyle.

I remember a similar experience in college. I watched as my peers, daily, skip classes according to how important they deemed each session, and watched as they struggled with homework or failed tests accordingly. I, on the other hand (okay, I'm self-aggrandizing, but, recognize, I also acknowledge the dweebiness of my self-aggrandizement), went to every class. I was never a great student for a number of reasons, but I always did all the work -- I mean (the dweebiness should reach maximum capacity by the end of this sentence, then return to regular levels for the next paragraph), if I'm gonna spend all that time in class, I might as well do the homework, right?

I'm still gonna eat ice cream from time to time. I'm not giving up an occasional beer. But if I'm gonna go out into the world nine out of ten days, I might as well hold off on thirds this evening . . . unless I really want them.

*     *     *

Tuesday: I ran maintenance on the treadmill, while my daughter had basketball practice at the rec center. My maintenance pace is still 6.7 mph (8:57 minutes per mile), and that feels fine. My maintenance runs are typically around 3.5 miles. Today, I ran my maintenance pace, but added in four quarter mile repeats at increasing intensity. I don't know why . . . probably because I felt stupidly good, so good I felt young again, I guess, young enough to be stupid.

It was a bad idea, but I ended up running 5.1 miles (42:00) and feeling pretty good about it. There is something awful in store for anybody whose bad ideas begin working out. Remind me to watch my ass in coming weeks.

*     *     *

Tonight: maintenance. I'll take the crapradoodle with me to insure a reasonable pace. Oh, sure, because I love her, too, and think she deserves some exercise, too, or whatever.

Eleven Day Tally

Friday: ------
Saturday: 3.4
Sunday: 3.4
Monday: 7.0
Tuesday: 3.4
Wednesday: 3.4
Thursday: 8.0
Friday: 3.4
Saturday: 4.0
Sunday: 15.3
Monday: -----
Tuesday: 5.1

Previous:101.8 miles
Year To Date: 106.9 miles.

Running Days: 18
Days off: 6

*Is there a doctor in the Internet? I'm pretty freaking healthy, and, according to BMI, I'm borderline obese . . . what's up with that.

Another Eventful Long Run

I had planned today to do some work in the morning, have a proteiney lunch and run for two hours and twelve minutes -- I thought it would be good to add ten percent to my long run, see what happens. But stuff comes up. My morning got swallowed by a world outside our control, and my afternoon got filled with details.

Because we've had an ice storm on since late Friday, I wanted to spend my run in the rec center. Even though it was a long run, and I dreaded spending 132 minutes on a treadmill, I preferred this notion slipping on ice and breaking my ass.

What I didn't know was that the rec center closes at 7:00 p.m. on Sunday. In fact, I was seven miles into my run before the P.A. kicked on and told me I had fifteen minutes to finish up. Ha! I told the stupid Pa, nobody can run an hour and twelve minutes in fifteen minutes, but then I remembered that's what naysayers always said about the 4-minute mile. Still, in light of my recent boastfulness about being injury-free, I decided to try it when I'm in better shape.

At any rate, I got 8.5 miles (1:16:20) on the treadmill. Then I drove home and ran my 3.4-mile maintenance loop in reverse (31:04) and then ran it again (30:23). For a total of 15.3 miles (2:17:47). I'm pretty sore, but I suppose the idea of a 4:00:00 hour marathon is more reasonable every 9-minute mile I add to the long run.

I mean, look, I know I didn't face any terribly trying adversity today, but I did have a series of rather interesting setbacks. And I feel good about myself this evening. I would like to have run my entire run warm and dry inside at a 6.7 mph pace, maybe sipping occasionally from a water fountain. I didn't want to stop in the middle of my run to drop of Legend of the Sea and a Spongebob Squarepants movie. I didn't want to stop again for a gallon of milk or stop again to change into outdoor clothes, though, yes, once I stopped I wanted to stay stopped. I dig it. None of these things is a deal breaker on its own. But I'm happy for myself that I made it through this run and I expect anybody who's read through this post might be happy for me as well.

Well, thank you. I'm happy for you, too.

Eleven Day Tally

Thursday: ~13.0
Friday: ------
Saturday: 3.4
Sunday: 3.4
Monday: 7.0
Tuesday: 3.4
Wednesday: 3.4
Thursday: 8.0
Friday: 3.4
Saturday: 4.0
Sunday: 15.3

Previous: 86.5
Year To Date: 101.8 miles.

Running Days: 17
Days off: 5


I think I'll take a bath on my day off. That will be pleasant.