2024 by the numbers

Consistency is the word of the year. You could make a case that it's the word of my running career. More on this in a bit. First, let's do the numbers.

The Numbers

I ran 3,541.65 miles in 2024. That's an average of 9.68 miles per day. Added to my life-to-date mileage, we get a total of 117,886.18 miles, roughly halfway to the moon.

These 2024 miles took me 673 hours and 20 minutes. Thus, the average pace was 5.3 miles per hour or 11.3 minutes per mile. In other words, it's 11:18 minute-per-mile pace. Yup, that's pretty slow. But the previous three years were even slightly slower. I'm just putting that out there.

Marathons

There were five of them: Big Beach (3:57), Cleveland (4:07), Erie (3:55), Akron (4:04), and Brunswick (4:29). With my usual (of late) goal of sub=four-hours being fulfilled two of the times, I'm reasonably happy with the lot.

Half-Marathons

Medina (1:54), Lighthouse (1:51), Pan-American Masters (1:50). I would like to get back to sub-1:50. Sounds like a good goal for me for 2025, no?

Other Races

No ultras of course. It's been a couple of years. I think I may truly be done with them. I did do some shorter stuff, including a few 5Ks. Besides the related Half-Marathon, I participated in the Pan American Masters Games track races (1500 and 5000). Most recently, I did the Hudson Frosty-Five-Miler in 41:41, I need to do more of these kinds of things.

New Experiences

I had much more fun doing the Pan American Masters Games than I thought I would. In future years, I'd like to do more track races like these against my fellow geezers. In any case, I hope to do at least something new and unique in 2025.

Travels

Yes, I traveled a lot in 2024. I mostly managed to keep on running, even when on the road (or the seas as it were). Although running on a cruise ship isn't the greatest, it sure beats not running.

Friends

As always, I did a lot of my 2024 running with new and old friends. These are the truly enjoyable runs. It's one of the primary reasons why I run. Even though I don't run with them all the time, I don't know if I could do it all without them. 

Consistency

Ten miles per day, at least for most days. Seventy miles per week, most weeks. Sometimes more or less, as I also tried to do a long run of 18 miles or more each week. I believe all this consistency is good and helpful. I hope to keep it going.

Weekly miles for all 52 weeks

2024 Brunswick Marathon Race Report

A whole lot of firsts, and Dan is fairly flabbergasted; his fabulous friends have fomented a fiesta of fun. Best he can tell, around 24 runners start the 2024 Brunswick Marathon and Half-Marathon. This is sometimes referred to as the "BM" but you won't find any potty humor here. Nope, this is absolutely the wrong place for that sort of thing. Except, of course, to mention that this BM was the biggest, most solid, and most satisfying BM ever.

This is the first year that the course was entirely on an all-purpose trail. It includes the 1-mile loop around Brunswick Lake, the new 2-mile connector trail to Plum Creek Park, the half-mile loop there, and back. Altogether, this comes to 6.55 miles, a quarter-marathon. Simply do it twice for a half and four times for a full. Only one very small, teensy-weensy little problem: There's a 100-yardish area in the woods where the trail isn't completed. That part is muddy.

Did we mention that the mud is of the shoe-sucking variety? That it became known as the Mud-pit of Death? It is good news for the trail-runners in the group; not so much for the rest of us. Since the temperatures are in the fifties (and we almost had to cancel due to nice weather), said mud is anything but frozen as it had been during the training runs.

Dan runs much of the first half of the race with Shannon Barnes and Kim Tanner. They learn to *try* to stay on the green snake-like thing on the side of the trail through that Mud-pit of Death. The thing may hold mulch or something, but it's a godsend for keeping our shoes on. You just gotta keep your balance and walk slowly.

Kim and Dan complete the second loop as the clock strikes (about) 2:12. Dan thought he'd been running faster than that, but he hadn't been watching his pace. The slow walks through the mud and the pit stops at the car have something to do with the overall time. Interestingly, a gunshot is heard near Brunswick Lake. Kim mentions that a man had been standing near an animal (perhaps a deer) that was on the ground. As they come back around, the police had arrived, and are investigating. It's possible that it was Animal Control or something like that, but gunshots are not often heard around Brunswick Lake.

The third and fourth circuits are fairly fun but uneventful. Dan runs mostly with Matt Palmer and Mark Sukie. It turns out that everyone else has wisely finished up. Matt and Dan finish in 4:29; Mark follows a minute later. This sub-four-thirty feels like a sub-four to Dan, and he's fairly happy with it. And since this is the first full marathon on this particular course, it's a new course record.

Not a bad way to end 2024. Now, what will 2025 bring? Maybe more running.

There oughtta be a law

It's Christmas Day, and I'm lumbering around in the 'ole hood. If there were a way to say "slower-than-slow lumbering" in a one-word description, I'd have happily used it. My thought for the day, other than I shouldn't even call what I'm doing "running," is that there really should be a law. This law should state that if you choose to decorate your home with holiday lighting, said lighting needs to stay on for the entire night.

As it is, I'm cursing those homeowners who have their lights not turned on this Christmas Day at 5:00 AM. That's perhaps 60% of them, by my observations. Sure, kudos to those who did leave their holiday lights on - I am indeed enjoying those.

Merry Godd@m Christmas from Dan.

Frosty Five Race Report

Cool and damp. It's about 35F with drizzly rain as I emerge from my car in downtown Hudson, Ohio. Not my absolute favorite weather, but at least the rain is subsiding. I jog over to pick up my bib and shirt, jog back to the car, then jog back another time to line up. That's where, among the huge crowd, I see some of my peeps.

Julie, Dan, and Theresa at the start

I start off with Julie Boggs and Theresa Wright. We run together often, so it's not surprising that we are starting the Frosty Five together. Our first mile is on the slow side (partly because I spent some time coughing - still getting over this crud stuff), but then we pick it up during mile two. It helps that that one is downhill. Of course, we pay for this during mile three. Four ain't bad, but it's starting to feel warm. Five winds up being my fastest and best mile of the day.

After the finish, it's great to talk with all manner of friends about the fantastic race and our great performances. 

More friends after the finish

My 41:41 seemed pretty good, and I won my ancient age group. But then I made a huge mistake: I looked up my time at this race from last year. A minute and a half better! I guess I'm getting older.

Was gonna run today, got cold feet

The blog post title says it all. I truly was going to run. And I did indeed get cold feet. You see, I was not only going to run. I did run. Just not very far. And the cold feet? That part is literal.

The plan had been to run a couple of Brunswick 1/4-Marathon loops with my friends like I've done the past couple of Saturdays. The problem? 1) There was lingering fatigue from Yesterday's long run, and 2) Besides the cold temps, the 2+ inches of new snow were pretty cold. This made my feet more and more cold as the morning wore on. Actually, it didn't wear so much, as I never actually completed a full BM loop. I did manage to get around Brunswick Lake a few times though.

I'll have to figure this cold-weather thing out.

Rule of Thirds

Waking up before 3:00 AM isn't all that unusual. Actually starting the run before 4 is. Such a feat used to occur more often; I even had a slogan for it: Out the door before four. Alas, it's been a while. Today, however, a long run on Lester Rail Trail was the goal, and for some reason,  the earlier the better. Exactly what reason is that, you ask? Damned if I know. But it surely is nice to finish a long run and still have a good part of the day remaining for non-running activity.

Although I'm still getting my mileage in, this week hasn't been as good as the last one. After suffering from sinus issues for a few weeks, I had finally came out of it last week and began to run well again. And then this week happened. Our wonderful grandsons brought/conveyed to us some nice Middle-School germs that we weren't used to. And Bob's Your Uncle, we were sick all over again. All the germs tend to take their toll on my running. Therefore, this week was another not-so-good one.

But today would be different, I hoped. I started slow, but the pace improved when I was joined at 5:00 AM by two friends, and then again at 6 by two other friends. These guys and gals got me moving as the twelve-ish mile pace became nine-and-a-half--ish. Just what I needed. Although the total, overall pace never quite made it to sub-ten, it was a very good eighteen-mile run.

The best part? I learned something new: The Rule of Thirds. I'd heard the term before, but not in relation to running. And I kind of understood it intuitively, but it was good to hear about it from my running partner.

The rule of thirds in running is a guideline that states that when pursuing a big goal, you should feel good about a third of the time, okay a third of the time, and crappy a third of the time. If the ratio of your feelings is roughly in this range, then you're doing fine.

The rule of thirds can help you:

• Shift your perspective: It can help you realize that okay days are part of the process of growth and are not something to shrug off.
• Find the right balance: It can help you find the right balance between pushing too hard and not enough.
• Identify burnout: If you're having too many crappy days, it might be a sign of burnout approaching.
• Look back over your progress: It can be useful for looking back over your progress.

Generally, the rule of thirds can be applied to other areas of life, such as relationships and jobs.  

For me, I plan to do my best to guide my running such that my good days are for big efforts like race days, my okay days are for a great deal of my everyday running, with the crappy days interspersed in there. Again, I (and probably most runners) do know this intuitively, but it's good to recognize it and to be conscious of it.

Well okay. Yes, I have issues. Installment 87

We had spent a couple of months in Florida, and I was nearly in panic mode. Would I be able to get through the trip with the (three, I think) pairs of running shoes that I had left with? Not only that, how would I manage to run when I got home with only used-up old shoes?

Internet to the rescue! Spotting an online sale, I ordered some that would arrive home just before we did (daughter Veronica was able to intercept them for me). Whew, that was a close one.

To prevent any such a near-disaster from occurring again, I began to stockpile shoes as opportunities presented themselves. Now I have nine in boxes, besides the four that are currently in active duty. 

Call it the Strategic Shoe Reserve.

Dan's closet, featuring 9 pairs in boxes and 4 pairs in use

And don't tell me I have issues. I already know.

TryptoDan

Tryptophan is an amino acid present in several food items, including turkey. It's given credit for those naps people have been known to take after a big turkey dinner. TryptoDan, on the other hand, has a slightly different connotation.

Dan is managing to sorta, kinda, mostly stay with the medium and fast kids today at Lake Medina. That's almost unusual since he's been slowing down in recent weeks. Blame it on the cold weather as well as an ongoing sinus issue. Not to mention running a lot at other times. There's less than a mile to go and wham! He's horizontal. Those bumps in the pavement had gotten him again.

No, it's not the first time. There was this fall in the same spot last September. And then there was that one just the other day in Buckeye Woods. 

It's tough to be a good runner when you're horizontal. In fact, you could say that staying vertical is a critical success factor for experiencing a good run.

Buckeye Woods 25K Race Report

"Does running on these trails make you want to get back to doing more trail running," asks Chadwick Sunday? "Well, this is indeed quite peaceful, quiet, and enjoyable, so long as I remain vertical," answers Dan. He goes on to qualify that even further, explaining that he's not above tripping and falling, even on these easy-peasy trails at Buckeye Woods. Not more than five minutes later, BAM - Dan is unexpectedly horizontal. Chadwick and Ella help him up and he dusts himself off as he begins jogging that final mile of today's 25 + 5 (extra) kilometer run. Nothing much was hurt, except his pride.

It's hard to believe that this was the 15th annual instance of this race. Dan used to regularly do the 50K, but no longer. 25 (+5) is just fine, thank you. Even though it was cold, some warm friends were always nearby, and that always makes it fun.

Dan's time of 3:03 was not so fantastic. But given the cold weather and the nice, long breaks, he will take it. Some day, Dan will be speedy once again. Today was not that day.

Dan and friends at the start

Medina Turkey Chase 4-mile race report

32-something, 33-something, 34-something. Those are my times for the 2022, 2023, and 2024 Turkey Chase races. The cold rain didn't help. Nor did, now that I think of it, the 7+ mile warmup. Some of that was on the mill. I know. I'm not the smartest gobbler in the group. Now, I can say, I'm also not the fastest.

It was great to see all my friends out there, gobbling along. This race is a whole bunch of fun. It would be even funner if I could run fast.

Somewhere near the finish - ergo the smile

Mama don't take that porta john away

Today, I unhappily discovered that the porta johns near the Claggett Middle School Track had been removed. This got me singing...

When I think back on all the craps I took in high school
It's a wonder I can poop at all
And though my lack of constipation hasn't hurt me none
I can't go 'cause there is no stall

Porta John
They give us those nice bright colors
Give us the greens of summers
Makes you think all the world's a sunny day, oh yeah
I got to go real bad
I love to know where they're at
So mama, don't take my Porta John away
Mama, don't take my Porta John
Mama, don't take my Porta John
Mama, don't take my Porta John away

Barbarian at the gate

It's one of those days when my coffee has failed to kick in entirely. The situation is almost dire enough to prevent me from getting out for my solo run. Almost; I'm out the door.

A half-mile into the run, a smattering of brain cells begin to fire. It's enough to come up with an idea about where to go. The Brunswick Middle School Track, they suggest. It's not a bad idea. That track, like the high school one, is usually buttoned up tighter than a high-security prison. And believe me, I do know about high-security prison security. But I'd recently heard that the middle school would be opening the track up to the public on Sundays. This would only be for certain hours and I am probably too early. But hey, I'll give it a try. If I'm turned away at the gates, it will at least have been worth the try.

I'm in! The gate was open! First time since the track was completed a couple of years ago. I go round and round for some mindless miles. Just what the 'ole under-utilized brain needed today.

One other remarkable thing happens: A couple of hawks are hanging around the track as it begins to get light. They grudgingly hop from the track surface, up to the top of the fence each time I come by. It's unusual to get this close to these marvelous creatures, so I'm tickled. 

Measuring that BM

To anyone who would listen, I used to say, measurement is my life. That's from someone who used to measure things for a living. Last Sunday, it was time to measure the new course for the Brunswick Marathon (BM). The the new all-purpose trail from Brunswick Lake to Plum Creek is nearly entirely complete, except for a 100-yard muddy section in the middle of the woods. With the help of some friends, I ran the whole way there and back, including a loop around the lake. With that extra mile, I can get it to come out to be just about exactly 6.55 miles.

That's an important number for this measurement because it's the distance for a quarter-marathon. That will enable BM runners to return to the start/finish area between loops as well as to quit at a half-marathon if they wish.

But then, they wouldn't get the entire BM experience.

The man who ran too much

Let's call him, "Dan." There's an old Alfred Hitchcock movie called, The Man Who Knew Too Much. Dan likes to say that he fits in the opposite category. But it's not quite the same with running. Dan ran quite a bit on his recent cruise, about like he usually does. But not so much recently. 

After all those 70+ mile weeks, Dan's total was much lower last week due to jet lag and the time spent traveling itself (over 30 hours from Singapore). This week, he thought, his mileage would be back up there. It started out okay, but then the residual cruise germs got to him. At least, that's his theory. Regardless of their origin, they've been manifesting themselves in his sinus area, causing an infection. Yes, Dan is fighting back, but, so far, he's not running as much as planned.

Today would be different, he thought. He's feeling slightly better, so it will be 18 miles on the dreadmill. The cold rain and snow of recent days makes running outside less compelling; it'll be nice and warm on the 'ole mill. Everything is ready for that long, boring morning, when Dan notices that his friends are indeed going to run on Lester Rail Trail. Dan thinks, 'Hmm. The rain and snow have mostly stopped. Maybe I should join my friends instead of being a hermit.'

He makes it out there, and it's cold and wet and muddy and snowy. But Dan's friends are there, and he has the run of his life. Or, at least the run of his week. Anyway, it is quite enjoyable. He's glad he did it.

So now, here's the problem. He only did 12 miles, instead of 18. Where will he get the miles he needs to continue to be the man who ran too much?

Course Correction

Been home for less than 24 hours, but that shouldn't be a problem. I haven't been doing much running on dry land for the past month and a half, but that shouldn't be a problem either. I ought to be able to just go and pound out a ten-plus miler with ease. Except it's not quite working out that way.

As my run starts out, I realize that I am so very tired. And this here slow pace reflects that. What's up with this cool weather anyway? And inclines? And concrete? Traffic (even though it's light)? Maybe, I think, I'll just do my six-mile course and see if I can do any more after that. Even this much is becoming a chore.

But then it occurs to me: I wonder whether the new all-purpose trail from Brunswick Lake to Plum Creek is completed? One way to find out: run there. Except it's a long way. Such a course correction would make this run more than six miles; maybe something like eight or more. I decide to go for it.

Over and around Brunswick Lake, I get onto the new trail. It does indeed appear to be nicely completed. I don't think I can make it all the way to Plum Creek, but at least I can explore this new section up to Laurel Road. It's very nice, and I'm zooming right along. Until I encounter the mud. It turns out that there's one 100-yard or so section that's in the middle that's not completed yet.

I slosh through the mud, emerge back onto the paved path, and make my way to Laurel. All-in-all, it was probably less than 3/4 of a mile. But it's fun to explore. I feel (very slightly) rejuvenated for my run back home. 

Not bad for a slow but decent eight-miler.

Running from LA to Singapore (On a Cruise Ship)

The good ship Oceania Regatta is sailing from LA to Singapore, and I am onboard, ready to run. Well, at least the first part of that sentence is true. The Regatta is one of Oceania's smaller ships, also known as 'R' Class Ships. That means 13 laps per mile, or perhaps somewhat fewer if I do the corridors along with the loop. It's still not a good situation. But the treadmill is worse. More on all this later.

The outdoor situation is made worse when there's wind, rain, or waves to get in the way. When it's really bad, they close the deck 10 track entirely. I don't care how cold or wet it seems to be, or that the deck-swabbers and I must do battle each day, leave the dang thing open for me. Please? (Incidentally, sometimes the Captain personally allows me up on the deck 10 track when it was otherwise closed.)

Itin

Speaking of treadmills, on (rare) occasions, I can watch a decent movie to help me get through the otherwise boring run. One such enjoyable and appropriate movie was MacFarland, USA. Another was Zatopek. If only the rest could be that good.

Okay, now some more on the on-deck running. Since there's nothing new about running on one of these boats, I've copied this description from another voyage.  

The fitness center doesn't open until 6:00 A.M., and here it is, five-something. What to do? Run in circles on deck 10, of course. Running in circles, you ask? Isn't that awful, you ask? Maybe. But not always so much. I have options, you see... I can:

a) Run the 13-laps-per-mile recommended route. Yes, that's a lot of turning. But even here, there are options within this option. You see, I can run counter-clockwise (the usual direction, though I'm not sure why) or clockwise. See? All types of variations. I do a mile in each direction, but can only run clockwise when no one else is about. Today, I'm alone up here. Regardless of direction, I can only handle so much of this, so there's option b.

b) When I get tired of all that turning, I can do something else: add the two short aft hallways to the route. When I do this, it's only about 8 laps per mile. Another advantage is that I now (assuming that I'm going the accepted counter-clockwise direction) do two left-hand turns and two right-hand turns, and I don't even upset any fellow walkers or runners. The only disadvantage is having to do 180-degree turns at the end of each hallway. When I get tired of this, I can graduate further to option c.

c) This one only works when no one else is about. I can start in one direction, say clockwise, run one aft hallway, then turn and change direction all the way around the other way, in this case, counter-clockwise. When I get to the end of the other hallway, I turn 180 degrees and reverse direction once again. Now it's only five and a half laps per mile, at least for each complete - going each way - circuit. The advantage here is that I'm constantly changing direction and my turns are completely evened out. Of course, I can only do this when I'm completely alone. 

d) By the time I get a few miles sorted out as described above, it's 6:00, and (Bob's your Uncle) the gym is open. I hate that mill, but it prevents me from running in circles or U-shaped thingies (c). I can only take so much milling around, so I will often revert myself back to option a again. 

I do also manage to get a few runs on dry land. Only a few miles here and there, but it sure is nice to get those in. One such run was in Ketchikan, and another was on Kodiak Island.

Minor encounter with an eagle in Ketchikan

Then, at Dutch Harbor, I got out in Unalaska on Amaknak Island located in Alaska's Aleutian Islands. My route took me up the side of a local mountain where there were some artifacts left over from the U.S. military in World War 2. The hill was both long and steep, and the views were fantastical.

Up the mountain in Unalaska

I manage to get some long runs in. It's tough to run around in circles for 18 or more miles, even when you break that up with some mill miles. Somehow, I do it. But not all runs are gems. Some of the runs in rough waters are really tough. It's mill miles only, but even those are whilst hanging on for dear life.

When we finally arrive in Japan, I get some more on-land running in, starting in small-town Miyako and Oarai. Then we get to big-town Yokohama. Once there, I go out to do a nine-miler (my longest land run) and enjoy the many parks and their bidet-equipped public toilets. And let me tell you, those can be quite welcome!

Yokohama

Besides still more ship running (that's 'ship' with a 'p'), I ran on land in Kobe and (at our our last stop in Japan) Okinawa. That short run in Okinawa was with John Shively, a fellow passenger who's from Lafayette, Indiana.

And that's about it for my running on this old rust bucket. 423.8 miles. Most of it on deck, running in circles or something similar. Some on dreadmills, some on land, and some whilst hiking. 6 18-mile runs, and a whole lot of 10-ish milers. And guess what? I still gained weight. A lot of weight.

For more about the trip in general, see this travel blog post.

(in the voice of Crocodile Dundee): That's not a long run

A long run is 18 miles or more. Less than that, even a tenth of a mile less, does not qualify. Why, you may ask? Why make the threshold 18 and not 17 or 20? Why classify long runs at all? Good questions. Decades ago, back when 20 miles was the minimum for my long runs, I read somewhere that anything approaching 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) takes considerable effort and time, and therefore could be considered long. At that point, I knocked my threshold down a notch from 20 to 18. Don't get me wrong; twenty is still better than eighteen if distance is your goal. But many times eighteen is just fine or at least, good enough. I classify long runs as such because my log allows me to, But more than that, I prepare, pack, and act differently for my long runs. I drink more fluids and eat more carbs the previous day. I pack gels, bodyglide, and other stuff for the run. I also dress differently (or at least more thoughtfully), and at least begin long runs more conservatively whilst being more mindful of nutrition and hydration during the runs. For more long run information, see this post where I republished an article on the subject.

Today's run on Lester Rail Trail (my most frequent long run venue) begins slow and easy. My expected 5:00 AM companions do not show up, so I am running alone until the 6:00 AM crowd arrives. That's okay; I enjoy the cool early morning darkness. After such a hot summer, the chill is quite welcome. The stars are like bright little diamonds shining down on me. I never quite wake up enough to get moving very fast, but only five days after Akron, I don't mind too much. 

The 6:00 throng of runners consists of Shannon Barnes. Slim pickings these days, but I'm very happy to have Shannon's company. Now, the pace improves significantly. That's good; it couldn't have gotten much slower. We talk a lot, and this helps pass the time and the miles. Soon, we're done with another six-mile loop, but we decide to do two more miles, just for the heck of it.

When it's time for Shannon to leave, I decide to call it a day as well. I have 14 miles in, and I'm well aware that 14 is less than 18. That's okay. It's not a long run failure, it's a short run over-achievement.

2024 Akron Marathon Race Report

It's hard! Really hard!! Of course, I'm talking about the 2024 Akron Marathon. What did you think I meant?

Besides that overall hardness, there are hills, humidity, a fair amount of heat, and heavy legs to contend with. Then you need to add a healthy dose of humility to all that. Now, you're getting the picture.

Three weeks ago, I ran the Erie Marathon, and I (somehow) exceeded expectations. I decided to keep expectations low today, given the hills and expected humidity. I would stay with the four-hour pace group much longer this time, and only go faster in the last couple of miles, if possible. Two years ago, I also ran both of these races, and that time, Akron had the better weather and the better race result. Today, I'd settle for a simple 3:59 again,

I managed to stay near the four-hour pace group through half-way (in around 1:58) until the famous hills of Sand Run. That's when those horrendous hills took their toll on me. I just could not stay with the group, no matter how hard I tried. Even up to mile 20 (in about 3:03), I still thought I had a chance for a sub-4. But then there were still more hills. And that humidity refused to let up. Not to mention the humility.

My finish time was a disappointing 4:04. At least I won my ancient age group. As always, I can say that although it was a tough day, the Akron Marathon organizers did a wonderful job, as they always do. And it was great to see all of my friends out there. You just can't beat camaraderie like that.

After the finish - Julie Boggs, Shannon Barnes, Theresa Wright, Dan Horvath, Sharon Sibilski

Pride goeth before the fall (and not for the first time)

I'm stumbling, stumbling, falling forward but not quite reaching the ground, stumbling, stumbling some more......

Wednesday mornings are for Lake Medina. My friends and I usually do one to three 3.5-mile loops that include the asphalt lower portion along with the crushed limestone trail adjacent to the lake. We begin in the dark, at 5:00 AM. 

I am talking too much, as usual. This time, it's about how Sharon Sibilski and I will be carpooling to Saturday's Akron Marathon. That's when the bump in the pavement gets me. I should say that there are a lot of bumps, ridges, and other uneven sections that tend to swallow up unwary runners. Especially in the dark. Especially runners who don't pick up their feet and don't pay attention to where they're running.

As I begin my tumble, I start to think that I may yet come out of this without becoming entirely horizontal. After a couple of more steps, I still cling to this hope. But I reach out to put my hands in front of me to break the fall, just in case. Good thing, because after oh, a mile or two of stumbling, I do finally lose my verticality for good. 

I manage to fall mostly on my hands, and just a little on my right leg. A few scrapes and a little pain, but no blood. I immediately let everyone know that I'm okay. They're all fairly kind and caring. Most importantly, they don't laugh too very hard. Except to comment that "You almost made it!"

It wasn't the first time. In fact, I had another fall that may well have been from the very same bump. Sadly, it probably won't be my last either.

Something of Slight Substance (SOSS)

He wasn't expecting a stellar workout. Just something that's better than nothing, otherwise known as a Something of Slight Substance (SOSS) run, since it's only four days till Akron. But even that ain't happening. The run starts at the same time as a slight drizzle. That light rain gradually becomes more and more substantial however. His friends are here, but they are not feeling it today, either. After hardly even getting started, he is done for the day. At least on the track.

He hates the mill. But it may be the only chance at salvation given this now-heavy rain. He drives home and steps on his old, trusty True. 4 by 1200 is the plan. You know. The one that just popped into his head. He does manage to do them, and even one more. As he finishes up, he thinks, this whole morning turns out to be not too very terribly awful.

Just Something of Slight Substance.