2022: Not so bad

 

I've had worse years. Like 2021 for instance. 2022 was better; I was on the upswing for most of it, and that always feels good. The highlights were surely the Akron Marathon, where I got back under four hours, and the Loop the Lake 50K, where I got back to the ultramarathon distance. I could also talk about my pretty-decent half-marathons and my pretty good overall mileage...

But I won't. I'll just leave it there, except to say that I ran most of those miles and races with friends, perhaps moreso than ever. And that was the biggest part of my success this year, such as it was. I'll take it.

We thought it would be easy

"Running: We do this not because it is easy. We do it because we thought it would be easy." Channeling my inner JFK here. I like this one. It ranks right up there with, "Any idiot can run a marathon. But it takes a special kind of idiot to run an ultramarathon."

I have been running a fair amount of miles lately, and I am still waiting for it to get easy. Luckily, I have friends with whom to share the misery. I honestly don't know where I'd be without them.

Today's friendly run began alone, at Medina's wonderful Square. I ran out towards Roscoe Ewing Park, and promptly got lost on the streets located at the far end of the trail. Once I found myself, I had to rush back to the Square in order to meet everyone. Now we ventured out through the park once again, this time with folks who knew their way. Then it was back to the Square again, to drop people off and pick up one more, before heading out through Roscoe Ewing one last time.

Those final few of my eighteen miles were not pretty. You might even say they were pretty ugly. But they're done, and so is this episode of... We do this because...

Not not running today

It's Christmas, and I cannot not go out for a run. By the way, did you know that in some languages, double negatives cancel one another and produce an affirmative; while in other languages, doubled negatives intensify the negation. Although English is generally in the former category, there are inconsistencies even within this here language itself (for example, "I don't owe nuthin' to nobody" is an example of a double-negative that's still a negative.) But in today's context, the "cannot not go out for a run" means that I do indeed have to go.

Out is the key word here. It's always possible to bang out a few miles on the 'ole dreadmill. But (once again) it's Christmas. I cannot remember a Christmas in which I did not go out for a run. Oh okay, maybe back in the seventies, before running was a thing. Thus, it's possibly been as many as fifty years since I've spent a Christmas day without a run. I like to think of the run as a gift I give to myself.

One possible reason to not not not run is that it's cold outside. So cold, that I haven't run outdoors since last Thursday, three days ago. This morning's weather is actually an improvement: the temperature is +9F and the windchill is up to -17F; positively toasty. In preparation, I unbox my new Adidas Terex trail running shoes, and I don my silver mid-1980s Adidas Gore-tex running jacket and pants. Along with my balaclava, hat, ski gloves, lighted vest, and several additional layers, I'm ready to go. 

The roads in my neighborhood are covered with packed-down snow. I get decent traction with the new shoes. At first, it doesn't seem cold at all. But then whoa: a gust of wind hits me from the side. Hooboy, that wakes me up. I quickly re-learn how much of a difference it makes whether I'm running with the wind, or into it. 

The gore-tex, the gloves, the shoes, etc. are all doing their jobs. It's me that can't get moving. I trudge through the subdivision, not seeing a moving car until the start of mile four, my last. It's quiet, dark, and peaceful. Just like Christmas is supposed to be. I find myself enjoying the whole experience at least as much as anticipated.

Having said all this, it's nice when it's over, and I can get back into the house to warm back up. It took over an hour to do those four cold, snowy (and at some points, icy) miles. But I'm happy I did it. And, as they say, the best part about the run is..... it's over!

Merry Christmas.

Wholly Unholy: a First Breakfast

Brown rice, cinnamon, canned pumpkin, plain greek yogurt, honey. These are a few of my favorite things. It may sound awful to you, and believe me, it actually looked even worse. But... (and it's a big butt) I did indeed like it. That was first breakfast today. You know, the one before the run. Second breakfast is what comes after. And no, I did not forget elevensies. 

If I eat anything at all before a run, it's often just an apple or some other fruit. But when the run will be a long one, it's good to have something more substantial. (Debbie would refer to this as needing some 'substinance.') Today's unholy mess of a breakkie would surely do the trick. Wouldn't it?

It was just two days ago that I got my long run for the week done: eighteen miles on Lester Rail Trail. First breakfast before that one consisted of a couple leckerli (Substantial Swiss cookie) bars. Fast forward to today. I was thinking of doing another lone ong, this time on the treadmill due to the 0F temperatures and ridiculous wind chills With the leckerli now gone, it was time for the rice-pumpkin-yogurt concoction. 

It wasn't pretty, and it was even slower than Thursday's Lester run. But (most importantly) it's done. Now, it's time for second breakfast.

Storm's a-comin'

 

Description

...WINTER STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 1 AM FRIDAY TO 10 AM EST SATURDAY... ...WIND CHILL WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 4 AM FRIDAY TO 10 AM EST SATURDAY... WHAT...Multi-hazard winter storm with a combination of strong winds, very cold temperatures, snow, and blowing snow expected. Total snow accumulations of 2 to 4 inches. Winds gusting as high as 60 mph. Dangerously cold wind chills expected. Wind chills as low as 30 below zero. WHERE...Portions of north central and northeast Ohio and northwest Pennsylvania. WHEN...For the Winter Storm Warning, from 1 AM Friday to 10 AM EST Saturday. For the Wind Chill Warning, from 4 AM Friday to 10 AM EST Saturday. IMPACTS...Plan on slippery road conditions. Widespread blowing snow could significantly reduce visibility and potentially cause hazardous travel. The hazardous conditions could impact the morning and evening commute. Very strong winds could cause extensive damage to trees, power lines, and blowing snow. The cold wind chills could cause frostbite on exposed skin in as little as 30 minutes.

We've been hearing about this oncoming storm for a week, but now it's just about to arrive. What's a runner to do? Get his/her miles in while we can. And that was the plan for today.

Actually, the planning began last night. Realizing that Friday through Sunday are not going to be good for running, I decided that Thursday would be my day to get a long one in. A couple of my friends would already be running on the Lester Rail Trail; all I needed to do was arrive earlier to get enough extra miles in to call it "long." (That's by my definition - 18 or more miles = a long run. It would be no more than that this time around, but hopefully, no less either.) So I contacted Andy Wolff to see if he'd like to be my early companion.

Andy and I ran one six-mile loop from 4:30 to 5:30. It went pretty well. At that point, Andy had to head off to work, but Chadwick Sunday and his dog, Ella showed up for my second six. That was nice as well; I hardly noticed the miles going by. But now that it was 6:30, Chadwick (and Ella) had to leave for work as well. Of course, that's when Michelle Wolff showed up to accompany yours truly for his final six.

Yours truly was beginning to get a little tuckered out, but Michelle was okay with that, having just completed a strenuous strength workout.

We finished up around 7:30, just as it was beginning to get light. We beat the approaching bad weather by twelve hours or so. And I got my long run in.

Me and Connie and our racing flats

I found myself telling this story to some friends during our Wednesday morning sojourn at Lake Medina. So now, I'll tell it again here. It's an oldie but goodie.

~

The year is 2010. I'm working at Second Sole Medina with Connie Gardner. She had ordered a pair of yellow (with sparkly laces) Mizuno Ronin 2 racing flats and is excitedly trying them on. "They're way too big," she exclaims. We determine that the shoes are sold in unisex sizes; women's are 1 1/2 sizes smaller than the corresponding men's, so they would need to order them accordingly. But since Connie didn't know this, she is now stuck with big shoes. She begins to consider whether and how to return them.

"Just for the heck of it, let me try them on," I say. And they fit like gloves. 

I don't usually wear racing flats. I consider myself too big and lumbering for them, and I figure I need the cushioning and support that normal training shoes provide. But I figure that in this case, I'll make an exception: "I'll buy them from you," I say. They definitely are comfortable, and who knows, maybe they'll help me run faster.

"You have a half-marathon coming up, right?" she asks. "Stomp the Grapes, this Saturday," I answer. "Wear them, and if you can run a minute faster than your last half, then I'll let you pay me," she says.

Wait a minute. This is just the opposite of the type of incentive that I would have thought up, had I been in her shoes (so to speak). I would have thought that if I run well, I should get them for free, and if I run poorly, that's when I should have to pay.  As it is, you might call it a negative incentive. 

Yet I'm not really surprised. I just consider it 'Connie logic.' If I run well, I will earn the right to pay her and keep the shoes.

What happened, you ask? You can read the old race report by clicking here, but I will summarize it by saying that I did indeed earn the right to pay Connie.

P.S. Funniest part of all: I STILL HAVE THE SHOES! I wore them for a few races back in the day, then placed them in the garage where they became buried by other old running shoes. They appear to be in very nice shape and still fit like gloves. The laces even still sparkle. But I most likely won't be wearing them again anytime soon. I'm even more big and lumbering than I was in 2010.

The laces still sparkle

UAE

I managed to do two runs on dry land during the past ten days. The rest of the time, I was stuck on the Good Ship Nautica, where it was deck loops or dreadmill, or both. Mostly both. One piece of good news about that: through careful consideration and analysis, I've determined that it's best to extend the deck loops to include two hallways, making the distance about seven laps per mile, versus the usual thirteen. 

But let's talk about the dry land runs. They weren't particularly fast or far, but they were done. One was in Abu Dhabi, and the other was in Sir Bani Yas. The latter is a United Arab Emirates island. Did I mention that they weren't great runs? 

Oh, and don't forget about my pound-a-day cruising rule (something I am proud of). I'll be close.

A run on Sir Bani Yas