Running as work...

I realized, earlier this week, why I think my running has been so lackluster of late.

Part of it might be because of a lack of focus. I don't have a goal race this season, and it's definitely effected my training.

Part of it might be because I've hit my first real set back in running- where I achieved only one of three goals for Bayshore. So I'm displaying a singular lack of character.

But I think the big thing that's keeping me from logging miles is how I'm now finding running to be fairly tedious and unenjoyable work.

And the fact that it is work, and that I occasionally through the week I do get paid fairly well to run a few slow miles isn't a bad thing. But it can be a hard thing to put aside when I want to run for myself.

I do hope I get back on the wagon soon...

Woodstock

it was a long day.

12 miles running with 501, work, dinner, and then volunteering at Woodstock from 10 PM to 4 AM.

The only thing I needed to do for volunteering was make sure a warm body (mine) was there just in case it was necessary (it kinda wasn't) and try to stay awake.

Not many finishers came in between 10 PM and 4 AM. In fact, I know of only two, and one of them was a... jackass is probably the best term.

17 year old kid, maybe, but he cut corners (at least one) and came in first as a finisher for the 100 mile, and when he was told so, didn't protest that he couldn't have finished first. He (and his girlfriend) seemed awfully eager to leave.

Ten minutes later, when the real first place finisher came in and the poser was confronted, he dropped all pretense and said he thought that he must've made a wrong turn.

I don't know if the kid had run 99 miles, 29 miles, or whatever. I have felt the mental confusion that comes from prolonged exercise. He didn't have it. What I did see was a sort of shame that keeps someone from enjoying a prize he didn't earn, and hopefully some sense of gratitude that in the end he didn't didn't get away with it.

Thankfully, the real winner got the rewards. But it was a surreal way to end a rather long day.

On the plus side, as I listened to Moby Dick on audiobook, inbetween chapters I started writing down various thoughts about running in the style of Herman Melville. I thought they were pretty amusing, so I may continue, and possibly post them here.

Volunteering for Woodstock

So, I'm off to help those poor souls doing the 100 miler for Woodstock. If it goes well and I'm inspired, it may be me next year.

On the other hand, it turn me off to the whole idea. Difficult to tell which way...

Eddie Izzard

Anyone who does 43 marathons in 51 days has my admiration- especially if they weren't all that fit at the start.

Also, he's really a funny comic, too.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/8256589.stm

Running as Batchlor Party

So, my brother got married again this weekend, and I happened to be his best man. This was his second marriage, and he had a traditional party the first time, I think. (I was 16 at the time, so I wasn't invited).

This time, he wanted something a little different. Instead of something wild, he just wanted me to do a run with him. So a couple of days before the wedding, he and I did a nice, easy 10 miler together, talking about just about anything.

It was a beautiful weekend for it, and really started it off right. The wedding and reception went pretty well, too. :)

Red Carpet Run

Race I didn't run, but I did pour out, um... sparkling wine. Pretty good stuff, espeically when I felt bad about abandoning a bottle when it was *almost* finished. So I killed it. After doing it four times, I was just a bit tipsy...

Fun race though. I think people really enjoyed it. :)

Compression Gear

Thinking about that particular injury, it might be that certain kinds of compression gear might be helpful- it's a thought, at least. Not really sure if it'll be worth it, though.

The CW-X tights and Zensah stuff are only marginally helpful. But the Zoot stuff might be better- at least, according to their literature, it might.

I'll have to give it a try and see how it works. If I do, I'll probably go on about it. If it doesn't, and I really hunger to do road races again, I'll probably have to consider surgery. argh. :P

Road Running

No matter how slowly I go, running on a harder surface than a dirt road causes pain in my shin. Or better, I think that the harder surface makes me work Tibialis Anterior in a way it doesn't want to, causing pain in my shin.

Whatever. The point is road running effed up for me for a while. perhaps a certain doctor will be able to fix it up for me.

don't know. but I do know that in my current set of circumstances, I'll never run a good road race again. sad, eh?

Running Pontiac

There's a 10 mile trail loop which I dearly love not far away from my place. it's tough and fun.

I gage myself as a runner by the time it takes me to run a loop without feeling like wrung out. Two hours for mediocre shape, 1:50's for decent, 1:40's for pretty good.

On Monday, I ran it in 1:46 when I would've been pretty happy at 1:56. Perhaps, someday, I'll be back down into the 130's. That'd be awfully nice...

Leading the Blind

Had an interesting experience this morning- the Free Press is having a series on the marathon that bears it's name, go figure, and they featured a blind runner that my boss knows.

So my boss calls me up and asks if I'd like to come along to the filming and pretend to be a guide. It isn't that hard, really, and I wouldn't actually have to do much of anything- or so she said.

So I went, and got to try my hand at something new. Essentially beyond a tether and four commands, there isn't all that much too it. If you're going to gradually turn right, for instance, you say "soft right" More abrupt turns would be "hard right". And if you're not going to turn at all, I said "straight".

Takes some doing, though. Constant communication is pretty important, and so you have to be going at a speed which is conversational. If you're leading someone faster than you, that can be problematic.

Still, it was a good experience. I'm glad I went. But I do wish I had gotten a bit more of a chance to sleep in...

Oh, and...

I know that I had posted about doing all sorts of miles this week. Beyond things falling through on certain runs, injuries screwing up other runs, and just being too lethargic to get the hell out of bed in time, I think I might've logged 30 miles this week, including some walks and the pub run. Weak. :P

Not really ready for the cold

Been chilled recently. 50s and 100% humidity can do that... still, with the rain it's been tough for me to get out and run, without a race to train for.

I've got the lazies. Kind of a not good thing for a coach to have. And I don't think I've had a summer yet. I never do, until I feel all the chill that was frozen into my bones (and there was a lot this winter) has been baked out. A couple of 80 or 90 degree runs don't do it. Need hot temps for about a week before I really start to complain.

Believe me, I'm much happier running in the cold. But I don't appreciate it enough, till I've had my fill of the heat. And this summer just hasn't provided yet. I don't know that I hope it does, but I've hoped for more stupid things...

Well.... that sucked

I think my shin hates asphalt and loathes concrete. One terrible run today makes me think about chopping the damn thing off and going with one of those spoon shaped lower leg things.

Damnit to all hell, and points further south.

Food

Maybe 2500 calories, and I ran maybe 6-7 miles. Though I'm not really sure how much alcohol I drank....

It may not be a news flash to anyone but me, but I gotta say that pub runs are fun! :)

Food

I've begun to keep track of food intake; it might work out, or it might just kind of fall by the way side like it has in the past. Sometimes after reaching a goal, somtimes because I'm just kind of lazy.

Anyway, ball park figure of total calories consumed yesterday: 3300. Since I didn't run, I probably burned ~2500. Uh-oh. :P

Lethergic

A cost to the hill work from yesterday is a deep sense of ennui today. Meaning the vague feeling of wanting to do 17 miles today (I was off work- that's how I would have the time) came out to a total of zero miles run.

This isn't a bad thing, though. I want to stay in the 40-50 miles this week. With everything that I have scheduled, if I had run 17 today I'd finish just shy of 70. Which wouldn't be so good, even when they're easy miles.

Hill Training!

Went running through Cranbrook School in Bloomfield Hills yesterday. It's one of the few places around that seems to organically incorporate nature and human presence. Not try to dominate, which was pretty nice.

Has some nice hills, too. :)

Nine weeks (and change) to Bayshore

Nine weeks doesn't seem all that much. A little over two months.

Training has been going fairly well. No snafus as of yet; injury and illness have been held off, thankfully. Perhaps some mental/emotional/physical fatigue, but that's fairly par for the course. Speedwork starts next week, and that's a big jump in challenge so far as the training is concerned.

Upping my cadence to 90 strides per minute has been an interesting experience. It's drained a little bit of the relaxed feeling I get from running, but I figure I'll get it back when I settle into the new form. And upping turn over is a big key to getting faster, from what I understand.

The weather change has been nice. I just kind of wish that I could have worked more of my runs in with people. Oh well, such is life.

So, 19 weeks to Bayshore.

Next week I begin my program; I'm following the Pfitzinger/Douglas method. Ought to be interesting.

Last week I Snowshoed for about 22 miles and ran for about 28. 50 Miles, which isn't half bad. This up coming week... well. I'll probably take it relatively easy. I'm going up north for a 10K snowshoe race, but I'd like to get 30 miles of running/snow shoeing in before then.

Glad today way my off day. The rest of the week should be fun!

No real hunger to go running for the past few days; I've skipped three group runs and a race since Saturday. I've only gone once, and cut it in half. Life is like that, sometimes.