2020, by the numbers

2020 was a bad year in too many ways to count. But in terms of my running, it was a mixed bag. Since I'm a numbers guy, I will let the numbers tell the story.

3,895.86 - The number of miles I ran according to my running log. This number includes 198.31 walking miles that I only counted in order to achieve the mileage requirements for the Great Virtual Run Across Tennessee (GVRAT). (I actually walked a lot more than that.)

3,697.55 - The number of miles I ran, after removing the 198.31 walking miles. This is the number I will go with, just to be consistent with my previous running logging. This is the highest annual mileage total I've ever managed.

107,149.99 - Total life-to-date miles I have documented so far.

10.83 (or 10:49) - The average pace for my 2020 running miles. This is abysmally slow, but it's actually faster than my average pace in 2019. So there's that. Of course, it would be slower still if I included the walking miles in the average.

10.10 - The average number of miles I ran each day in 2020 (3697.55 / 366).

273 (and counting) - The number of days of continuous running days I did since the last time I missed a day, which was April 2, 2020. It's the most, ever; I've never been much of a streaker, believing that it is somehow good to take a day or two off each week. I'm not sure what got into me this time. Maybe blame it on GVRAT, or to no swimming due to Covid-19. 

3:49 - The time for my best marathon in 2020. I try to really go for it at one or two marathons a year. This one came at the Boston 2.0 race, and I'm pretty happy with it. I also ran a 3:59 at Tallahassee, and that wasn't bad either, considering the shape I was in. My other marathons - Brunswick, Medina Virtual, and Northern Ohio Virtual - were not so stellar. I also ran the Buckeye Woods 50K (where I was the only finisher, so I guess I won), and a few shorter races, some in Florida. GVRAT, though not really a race, was still a challenge. Covid-19 put a huge dent in my own, and everyone else's racing plans. I'll be happy to return to normal racing once the pandemic is over.

Weekly Mileage

Life-to-date mileage

Motivation, Schmotivation

Motivation is usually not a problem. I love to run, and I do it every day, no matter what. Of course, there are always good days and bad days. But in recent weeks, it's been mostly bad. So much so, that it's tough for me to get out and get going.

The lousy weather doesn't help. And so I do stay inside, on the treadmill, for a third or so of my runs.

But lookyahere. I have a marathon in two days, and I am not mentally or physically ready at all. Usually, having something like this on the calendar will be motivation enough. But not so much these days and this race.

How will I do? Stay tuned; you will definitely hear about it.

Quite a White (A Christmas Run Story)

There's a time crunch, but I've got two hours to get my usual ten miles in. Shouldn't be a problem. Should it?

The time restriction is based on the Grandkids' Christmas presents opening schedule. I certainly don't want to be late for that. Starting this early (5:00 AM) should make it all (the run and my presence for the presents) possible. But maybe I should have factored in the snow.

There's a lot of the white stuff - maybe ten inches. I begin my trudging. Early on, I spot daughter Veronica shoveling her nearby driveway. She's doing so so that we will be able to get into her driveway later. After chatting a little, I resume trudging.

It's still snowing. In fact, it's a whiteout at times. But it's also quiet and peaceful. I have the subdivision roads all to myself. I reflect on how I could have just stayed on the warm, dry treadmill this morning. But this is so much better. Even though I won't get as far. Not nearly so. I also reflect on my recent running. It hasn't been very good, but at least it's been something. Outdoor ten-milers for the past two days, plus some treadmill tens before that. I will probably need to stay on the mill for tomorrow's planned long run.

Did I mention that I'm trudging? I can barely pick my feet out of the high snow, and there are even a couple slick spots where some plowing had taken place. My planned ten becomes five, as I call it a day, and begin clearing the snow off my own driveway.

After all that, I do manage to catch the kids and their presents.

Merry Christmas to all!

C-

First Five

I had a friend who would grade all of his runs. He would mark A, B, C, etc. in his running log every time. When I asked what criteria was used to determine a grade, he answered that it was just his own subjective "feeling" about each run.

With that kind of scale in mind, today's run is starting off as a solid B. The grading is especially appropriate because this is a test. Not a Covid test, like the one I recently had, but a running test. You know the kind. To see if I will be at all able to run a marathon (the Brunswick, or 'BM') in two weeks. Such an endeavor is more in doubt than usual this time around. I am out the door (just) before four this morning. That's nearly unheard of these days, but I really do need to get some good and long runs in. And good and long runs take time - time that is best spent by starting early.

Curfew rules are that we should stay indoors between 10PM and 5AM. Since I'm in violation, I stay within my own neighborhood for these first five. The wind is very cold, but in spite of that and the early hour, I'm running okay. I'll give myself a solid B. So far.

Second Six

After a short break, I'm venturing out of the hood for a change. My standard six-mile course takes me up to and across Pearl, and east of the water towers, and back. If anything, I'm doing even better than before. I'm also pleased with the consistency. Hey, maybe I can run more than my planned 18 today. 20 is not out of the question.

Yes, perhaps it's going better than before. But not that much better. The overall grade is still a solid B. So far.

Third Seven

I'm heading out of the hood once more. Seven more will get me to 18. Then maybe I can go back out one more time for a couple more to get up to 20. Today's run is going so well, I am not going to worry too much about the numbers. 

My mile splits for the first couple miles are slower. I'm not concerned, but then they get much slower. My grade is rapidly revised down to B-, then C+, C, and finally down to C-.

I shuffle home, barely vertical. There's no way that I will be going back out. 18 will have to do.

Recap

It was a pretty good run. Until it wasn't. At least I passed the BM test, Barely.

Note to Self

Note to self: when pulling up your two pairs of undies (originally under your tights, for warmth) after a bathroom stop, ALWAYS do the inner ones first. Otherwise, the resulting entanglement will take much more time.

Enough Negativity

Of course, there's good negativity and there's bad negativity. The bad negativity is occurring during this morning's run, just as it has for the last 800 or so previous runs.

For a lot of those other ones, I couldn't even make it outside, opting instead for a slog on the dreadmill. But today, I'm out, and I should be reveling in the conditions: nice and quiet, snow (but not too much), and cold (but not too much). It ought to be simply wonderful for this run, but it's not.

I wish I knew why. I'm just not woke, despite the couple cups of coffee. Besides being tired, I'm kinda sore and beat up, even though I shouldn't be. I'd be more concerned if this feeling wasn't so normal these days. Part of it, I'm sure, is related to whatever happened to me last week (it may have been a sinus condition related to the surgery). Part of it, I'm also sure, is that I miss my running friends.

Now I'd dang well better start my training for the Brunswick Marathon.

Negative!

Remember when I had that brain scan and was relieved when the results were negative? Well, it's like that for my Covid-19 test results as well. 

It's a relief, not because I'm feeling better (of course, that helps), but mostly because I didn't want to infect anyone else - especially my family. Now I can enjoy the holidays with them.

I mention feeling better. Maybe I'll even get some measure of running mojo back. 

Some day.

Test

Took me a minute. Should have known the opposite of a Big Push would be a Small Pull, but for some reason, it wasn't coming to me. Now that it did, here's what it all means. 

Last week's Big Push did start out okay, but I faded quite badly over the weekend. Since my weekly mileage is counted from Monday through Sunday, Saturday and Sunday finish up the week. As of last Friday, things were looking pretty good. All I would need to approach 80 miles for the week was about 18 on Saturday followed by around 10 on Sunday. I can usually do that in my sleep. But as you may have guessed by now, that didn't happen in either my waking or sleeping hours. And that made it a Small Pull instead of a Big Push. Here's why.

Last Thursday I had dental implant surgery. It went just fine. That is, other than the usual feeling of being punched in the face. They also had me on penicillin. No big deal - this isn't my first rodeo. To illustrate that point, Friday's run went fine as well. I purposely cut it a bit short, just to take it easy. Saturday's planned 18 was decidedly not fine. Sunday's run was only marginally better. Here's how this happened.

Just before heading out the door for Saturday's run, I seemed to develop a sudden runny nose. I did not think anything of this until it began to affect my run. That run started slow and then got worse and worse. I barely made it to 8 miles, much less 18, as the sniffling, breathlessness, and general fatigue all conspired against me. These conditions continued to worsen as the day wore on. But it wasn't until late Saturday and early Sunday that I began to worry a little more. Here's why.

Saturday, my daughter Veronica told me that my symptoms, which I thought were due to a cold, could also possibly be from Covid-19. Sunday, I felt at least as bad, if not worse. As noted, I did get out to run Sunday morning. "Don't you always get out of breath when you run?" asked wife Debbie. "Yes," said I, "but not this much." Every attempt at putting a foot forward was met with breathlessness, fatigue, and even some muscle soreness. I did some research and analysis and made a decision. Here's what it was.

It could very well be a cold. Interestingly, when we aren't exposed to very many people due to the pandemic, we not only reduce our chances of getting Covid-19, but also a cold or the flu. So I haven't been sick for a while. But still, a cold is probably the most likely culprit. It also could be a reaction to the surgery, or (more likely) to the penicillin. Or, as I mentioned, it could be the Big One - Covid-19. Whether it's a cold or Covid, it likely came to me during that surgery. I have tried to very safely shop when needed, but that's been the only other possible source of any viral infection of any kind, assuming that's what this is. Regardless of how I may have gotten it, it would really help to know. My decision was to get a Covid-19 test. Here's how that went.

The only testing place I could find on a Sunday was the CVS Wadsworth store. I stayed in my car and used the swab according to the drive-through lady's directions. I dropped it off, and hope to hear back from CVS within three days. The results can't come soon enough. Here's why.

Of course, I'm very worried about spreading anything to my family. As of now, I'm just doing my best to stay isolated. Not to mention that my running went from abysmal to <whatever is much worse than abysmal>. I will report back when I receive the verdict.

The Big Push

You heard it here first, folks. Last week, I said, "Next week starts the Big Push." Well, it's started.

Not well. But it's started. The mileage is back up, although a lot of the miles have been on the mill. Those mill miles include a "long" 18.6-mile run the other day. I'm trying to not lose much of a step now that that's done. 

No aurora borealis this morning. They'd been forecasting that sightings were possible, but I got nuthin. At least I was outside for a change. The (finally) warmer weather helped. We will see how the rest of the weekend goes.

GYSABOT

Of course, GYSABOT stands for, Get Your Sorry @$$ Back Out There. But you knew that, didn't you?

The phrase comes into play when the conversation during the bathroom breaks goes like this:

Dan1: I'm not feeling it today. Yeah, it's only been four miles, but I think I should continue to baby myself some more.

Dan2: Only four miles so far, eh? GYSABOT!

Dan1: Hey, maybe I should hit the mill. That way I could possibly still manage to get a long run in today like I originally wanted.

Dan2: The weather isn't bad this morning. The mill is only a crutch. GYSABOT!!

Dan1: But it's so nice and warm in the house. And the mill is easier. Please?

Dan2: GYSABOT!!!

Dan1: Oh alright. 

~TIME PASSES~

During a later bathroom break...

Dan1: Hey, it's getting later in the morning. I don't like to be out for this long. Time to quit, no?

Dan2: No. GYSABOT!!!!

Dan1: But I'm running so darn slow. Can't I just quit and call it a day? Maybe I can run better and longer tomorrow.

Dan2: It's only been seven and a half miles in these couple hours. Need to get to double digits at the very least. GYSABOT!!!!!

Dan1: But two and a half more miles will kill me. Won't it?

Dan2: GYSABOT!!!!!!

Dan1: Oh alright. 

~TIME PASSES~

Ten miles is achieved. It took three hours, but a lot of that time was spent in conversations like the ones above. 

Next week starts the big push.

Next Week Starts the Big Push

You've heard it here before: Next Week Starts the Big Push.

It's especially true now. The wacky weather this week - Monday's and Tuesday's snowstorm - combined with Sunday's 50K, have resulted in one of my stinkiest running weeks in a really long time. I've been babying myself like I haven't in months and months.

But Next Week Starts the Big Push. Mostly because the Brunswick Marathon is looming.

Me and My 1986 Running Pants

It's dark, it's cold, it's windy, and it's snowing sideways. And here I am, playing in the snow. That, at least, was the original intention. Now that I'm out in it, it's not quite as much fun as anticipated.

I reckon that there are about six inches of the stuff. And it's not just regular snow. It's wet/sloppy/slushy/heavy snow. Our street has only been plowed on one side. I pick the unplowed side. I start off running with the wind, and although it's tough to pick up my feet, the conditions don't seem too awful. But then I turn the corner and begin running directly into the wind and blowing snow. And it's about this time that the footing gets worse as well.

It takes me 31 minutes and 57 seconds to cover 1.97 miles. This on a day when I was going to run the usual ten miles. BW50K is still lingering in my bones from two days ago, but I don't feel all that awful. At least I didn't at the start of the run. Now that I've done this much, I decide to call it quits and shovel the driveway.

The pants? I should begin by stating that it took nearly as long to get dressed as it did to run this morning. One of the articles of clothing that I had donned is my pair of Gore-Tex pants from 1986. They're bright silver - almost like a spacesuit. For some reason, I did not also wear the matching jacket. Had I done so, I would have looked like I was ready for a mission to Mars.

Speaking of spacesuits, in 1986, Gore-Tex was new. Or at least it seemed so with regards to running clothes that I was familiar with. I was under the impression that the material had been developed as part of NASA's efforts in space. This article does not mention the space race, so maybe I was wrong about that. Instead, it seems that the invention was more of a serendipitous accident.

In February 1986, I began working at EDS in Michigan. The company sponsored a 5-mile race at the Michigan State Fair each August, and that year our division added an incentive to increase participation: they would reimburse up to $100 for running gear to the runner who best predicted their time. 

My prediction? 32:30. Funny how I can remember something like that from 34 years ago. (It's also funny that I ran two miles in about that time today.) Without my watch, I had no idea how I was doing until I rounded the final turn. Then I was able to see the clock: 32:20. Naturally, I stopped for a brief moment. Then I sauntered in to finish with a couple seconds to spare. I wound up being the closest predictor.

To claim my prize, I shopped for the latest thing: a Gore-Tex running suit. It cost close to the $100 that I would be reimbursed. It was a decent chunk of change back then.

But just look at how long it's lasted! It will probably outlive me.

Just out of the washing machine after today's run (not me, the pants)