Strongsville 5K

There was a big snowstorm the night before, but it was mostly over for this race. Even so, we'd have to put up with gobs of slush, snow, ice and cold. And I'd need to get back home in a hurry - we were heading off to Europe.

I ran very poorly. 20:30+ or so. If it wasn't for a much slower mud run in Broadview Heights, this would be close to a PW.

I didn't stick around for the awards because a) I ran so poorly and b) I had to get home for our flight, but I later learned that I was 3rd in my age group. Oh and I also did well in the ohiochallengeseries points department.

More on running

For some reason I lost posts - they were not published. So I'll have to be brief. Monday, 3 slow tired miles.
Tuesday: 8 outside @ 8:45 pace followed by 14 inside including 13 @ MP. Not as good as it sounds.
Wednesday: 12 on the mill including 10 x 1200 @ 9.5mph/4:45. Much better.
Thursday: 11-mile new subs route in a solid 85.5 minutes. This includes 3 @ MP.

Weight was 161 at start of week, but is now down to 156!

Trip coming up - very busy. But it's fun.

Another Solid One

Today I ventured outside into the cold, windy, icy morning darkness. I didn't have much time so I had to run fast. And I did" the 11-mile new subs route in 85.5 minutes, including a 3-mile tempo. Other good news: my weight is back to 156.

This is all with the trip coming up. Lots to do to prepare. But it's fun. I hope I don't get too fat and out of shape.

running yesterday and today

Yesterday I did 8 outside and then 14 inside with 13 at MP. Not the greatest though. Some holding on, and the weight was 161!

Today I did 10 x 1200 at 4:45 on the mill. This WAS a very good one. And the weight was back down to 157!

another wild wacky weekend, and I even did some running

Went out with Iris and Mike Friday - Sokoloski's again. Yeah, it's kinda good and kinda fun, but on the whole, Debbie and I "don't get it". This time we had more traditional fare - sausage and sourkraut and stuffed cabbage, and this time I, at least, enjoyed it more. And of course we had some laughs with Mike and Iris. Stopped by their place after dinner for a bit.

Veronica and Barry came in for the weekend. Barry needed to research something for his master's thesis in Sandusky. We all drove to the Sandusky library Saturday, but he found nothing. Debbie and I may be able to find something at the western reserve historical society later this week. We got Pita Palace carry out and also visited Kathy and Mike.

We're about to head down to Medina to meet up with Jill and Dave and their kidlets for dinner at Fiesta Jalepenos. We are dining out and eating too much - but we're usually good during the weekdays.

Running wise, I ran Friday - see post, skipped yesterday, and then ran today. I did 11 at 8.5 pace, and then headed back in to see Veronica and Barry off. Around noon I got out again for 3 more at 7.5 pace. It is so hard to get out for those 2nd runs of the day.

This Week's Running

I did 12 lousy miles on the mill on Monday and took Tuesday off. But Wednesday was a good one. I did the 16-mile course in 2:11, then, because traffic was getting bad, stepped on the mill and did 6 more - 5 at MP. All in all a good day of running. I never slowed down.

Yesterday I did 6 around the hood, including some hills. Today it was 7 the same way, then 3 more on the mill at 10MPH - another good one.

today's long run

The storm is over, but I still stuck to the mill because it's still a mess out there. I did do better today - 20 miles with 15 at MP in groups of 5. Some holding but not as much.

sneaux

About a foot and a half, and still coming down. We used the snowblower once, and Mike came down and did it again with his big one. And now we need to do it again. Kinda fun. Kathy, Jessy and Mikey are coming to celebrate Jessy's 16th B-Day here in a bit.

Because of the ongoing snowstorm, I ran on the mill today. Needed 17 and did that, but it was quite lousy. Maybe I'll do better tomorrow. Correction. I'll do better tomorrow.

Fighting a Cold

It came on suddenly yesterday. I'm fighting it with Zicam.

Possibly as a result - terrible running on the mill today. I did manage 12, but way too much holding on.

Hills

Been trying to get more hills in.

Yesterday it was the 11-mile Rocks run in Connecticut - plenty of hills there.

Today it was 13 in the morning: my usual 11 plus 2 extra hilly miles on Sleepy Hollow. And then 3 more at lunch. It was nice for a change so it was good to take advantage. It won't last.

More on the Mill

I did some more speedwork on the mill during the week. This included the 2 3-mile tempos at 10mph one day and then 10 x 1200 at 9.5 mph the other time. Finally I did 20 on Friday before driving to CT. Those 20 included 13 at MP.

Weekend Visit with Veronica

We had to drive through a snowstorm, but managed to get ahead of it after an hour or so. The rest of the trip east was fine. Mexican food and then "last of the mohicans" that night.

Then came the big day in NYC. We drove in for a change. Makes more sense than the train when traffic isn't bad (as in a Saturday), and when there are more than two people. We bought all-day subway passes and made good use of them.

We hit the Museum of Modern Art. It was pretty neat - we saw lots of interesting stuff, including lots that had us scratching our heads. Good impressionism works too.

Barry needed a book at Columbia U. Library so we walked around the impressive campus a bit. Then it was down to Greenwich Village for lunch/supper at the Bamboo Cafe. Good place for vegan food that looks and tastes like meat. Very good.

Magnolia Bakery has world-famous cupcakes, and you could tell by the 1-hour line outside. I personnaly didn't think they were that special - pretty standard stuff. Veronica had made some lemon vegan cupcakes that were *MUCH* better.

Then it was over to Times Square to see the movie "Persepolis". I thought it was ok - just ok.

Finally it was the 1-hour drive back home. It had been a long long day.

Weekend and Early Week Running

Saturday I ran with Amy and Dave on the roads. Too much snow on the towpath. It was fairly usual - 18 miles at 9 minute pace. some hills. Not too bad.

I had hopes of running long, fast, or something on Sunday, but I was sooo tired, I could only do 2 miles. Poor showing.

It was going to be an easy week anyway. So yesterday I did manage 11 at 8 minute pace. Not bad, but it was tougher than it ought to have been. Today I stayed on the mill and did 2 3-mile tempos at 6 minute pace. Just like last week. Not perfect, with a bit of holding on, but very good running in general.

Val's Visit

Valerie came in Friday morning, and we had a fun weekend. Lots of shopping and eating. We also went to see Paul Runevitch in "Guys and Dolls" in N. Ridgeville. As the weekend progressed, the shopping and eating grew more intense. We ate most of the meals at Kathy and Mike's due to his allergies. We even made livance.

Next comes Veronica's place for next weekend.

And tonight it's Wicked. And I think the weather will be too - we're having a BIG snowstorm.

recent running

As I said, no time for anything but work and running. Yesterday I had a cancelation, so I had a bit of time in the morning and managed 11 miles out in the cold and blowing snow. There was only about a 1/2 inch, but the cold wind and couple slippery spots made a difference. Still it was a good solid run - the 6 mile east loop at 8 minute pace, then 5 more nearby at 7:30 pace.

Today was a different story. I babied myself yesterday with the hope that today would also be a good run. I needed the speed, and didn't have much time, so I stuck to the mill. I did my 10 x 1200 workout, but it didn't go nearly as well as last week. I was just out of it - dizzy and tired - not fully awake or engaged. They can't all be gems. The weight is looking very good - 157 yesterday and 155 today.

Some social life stuff and recent running

Dave and Jill invited us to go to Sokoloski's with them Friday. Good family friendly place for them. I ate too much, as expected.

Saturday's run was pretty good. It was with Dave and Dan Fox this time. Some on the towpath, some on the Bike and Hike, and some on the roads. The snow made the trails tough. And we also tackled Bedford Res. Hill. I forgot how tough that was! 18 altogether at a bit over 9 minute pace. The roads were faster than the trails of course.

Today I did 13 outside in the cold (low 30s) miserable rain, and then 7 on the mill. It wasn't the greatest day for running, but ok considering yesterday.

Debbie and I met up with Rita and several other NeoDeads at Ari's. We didn't show up to walk or run because I'd already run, and because the weather was bad. But it was great to see everyone.

More on (or moron) Work, Life, Running

Work is only a bit less crazy. Still not enough time to keep up with anything else. I really really need to get away.

We went to Madd Chefs the other day for Valentines Day, and it was very good. No time for much else.

For the last two weeks, probably half my miles have been on the mill. This is due partly to bad weather and partly to having no time to get dressed up for outside. I think my running is getting a bit better though. My weight is slightly down to 157 - not too bad. I'm working at it with ww. Saturday's run with Dave and Amy was a good one, as Dave and I finished very strong. Tuesday I ran long on the mill, and it was also a good one. So things are slowly coming around.

work, social life and running

I put in 16 hours over the weekend, and am still going during this workweek. Last week it was 3am counts; this week it's 5pm to midnight. I can't wait for it to end. Of course then I'll be concerned about not having enough work.

Had a lot of laughs with the Zielinskis and Rafalskis on Saturday night. Valerie is coming in in a week and a half.

Running's been ok - but it's been mostly on the mill. Sunday I did 5 on the mill and 3 outside. Yesterday I did 7 on the mill, including some hills. (need to start working those in.) Today I had some time so I did 2 on the mill and then headed outside, only to get caught in a thunderstorm. I only did 5 outside, but then did 10 more on the mill, including some speedwork. So it was a decent longish run, along with some quality.

Debbie and I have been WW'ing it. Doing fairly well - I've lost 2 - 161 down to 159. Need a lot more however. But I'm sticking to the plan.

Work and Running

I was worked to death last week - 3am starts, 6pm finishes. I'm now way behind, with not much time this weekend to catch up. And next week won't be much better at all. I'll have 5pm to midnight counts.

Of course all that took a toll on my body, with awful sleeping and less running than usual. I did manage to get 10 in on the mill on Wednesday, including 8 x 1200 @ 4:50 or so. Not so bad there. Thursday evening I met Dan Fox and Dead visitor Joel Barnum for a downtown run of 6 miles. going thru the flats was neat. Today I'm heading for the towpath for my long run.

The Weekend - lRunning and Otherwise

Otherwise first: Went to BW to witness another concert by Bob Mayerovich with the Elysium trio. Sunday went to the builders home improvement show with Kathy and Mike. Learned a lot about kitchen countertops. I'm also having big time problems with my new printer - so I bought another one!

Runningwise I did 3 on the mill and 15 on the towpath Saturday. For some reason I get really beat up towards the end of these runs - don't know why. Should have been easy on me with the snow on the towpath and the slow pace. Yesterday I did a really really lousy fast 20 on the mill. Way too much holding on and stopping. Not good at all. Today I ran slow (8:45 pace) but steady for 10 miles - better than expected.

In and Out

I ran out in the cold for 7 at a 9+ pace. That cold (13F with sub-zero wind chill) seemed to zap my strength, but I was tired anyway. So I followed up with 3 on the mill in 22 minutes. I was still tired, but it went well.

Sudden Snow

I weighed myself for the first time in quite a while: 161. Not so good. Debbie and I are back on the ww diet, so I've got high hopes.

Yesterday I did 10 very tired miles on the mill. Many stops for various reasons. I was hoping today would be better.

It wasn't - or if it was, it wasn't by much. I did the Substation 11 mile route, fighting the wind and cold. I was pretty steady at 8 1/2 pace. At mile 8 I ran into a sudden snowstorm. I guess you'd call it a squall. That made it challenging, but at least I was running with the wind at that point. The other thing that made it challenging was the %$# traffic. I gotta find other places to go.

long dreadmill run

I managed a pretty good long dreadmill run today: 20 in 2:25, with the last 5 at MP. This was especially good after yesterday's long trip. It's cold out - I may be on the mill for a while.

Running in Budapest

Back to Budapest. This is my third time here. I thoroughly enjoyed the other two. I don't see why I won't do so again. One difference: the weather is pretty durn cold and yuchy out there - temps around freezing most of the time, and a bit of ice and snow around. Pretty gloomy too.

01/10/08 - The ice was a factor in today's run. I did the run that I've done many times before: over to Margarite Island, around twice, and back. By travelling on the Buda side, and by going around the longest way, it's about 12 miles. I confirmed that with my GPS today. I started slow (extremely slow), especially over the icy and slushy spots, especially on the way there. The tartan turf on the island's path was mostly clear, but there were some bad spots on the west side. I got moving faster during the 2nd time around. Even so, this was a PW at 1:49 - just over 9 minutes per mile. I'd better get moving better.

01/11/08 - The ice was worse today. I did the same run again, but the ice on the route to the island was treacherous this time. Once I got there, however, things were a bit better than yesterday. I did the usual 2 loops - 29 and 27.5 minutes, and then headed home for a total of 1:44.5. Slightly better than yesterday, but still slow.

01/12/08 - I did the same route for the third day in a row, and this one was by far the best yet. It was warmer (mid-30s) but there was still that black ice on the way over. The path on the island was better though. It broke down this way: 24 to the island, then loops of 27, 26.5, 23 back. 1:40 altogether. I finally reached 8 mpm whilst on the island - I was checking my time by the km markings.

01/13/08 - When I’m in a new place, I usually explore a great deal by running, often returning to interesting areas later to explore more fully. I was clued into the good place to run in Budapest (Margaret Island) right from the start, and I’ve hardly run anywhere else. It’s great for running, and the other areas pale by comparison. But on low-traffic Sunday I decided to explore more, and I managed to see some areas that were new to me. The most important of these is Obudai Island. It’s north of Margaret Island, and tougher to get to. Much of it was deserted, and there was ice on the paths and even the roads. I turned back but then found a second bridge onto the island and found a small village at that part. I hadn’t heard of this island until the previous day, but I think it will be more important to Budapest in the future as it will be developed much more. 70% will be left as a park however. Most of this run was excrutiatingly slow. I came back through Margaret Island and picked it up a bit for those last 3. 13 in 2:06. Felt like about 19. Ouch.

01/14/08 - Back to Margaret Island. Back to normal. In fact, this was the best run yet: 96 minutes. I achieved eightness. It wasn't easy - this time the frost was slippery. And once again I started on the slow side. The interesting thing is that I can keep doing this without a day of rest. I'll need one one of these days, but I'll keep going whilst I can.

01/15/08 - As noted, with that soft surface on the island, I don't seem to have any trouble with recovery. I've been able to run every day, and hope to continue. I've also been able to continue to get faster each day; always a good thing. It's bound to get tougher though. Today was especially good. I got the the island fast, and found the sub-8 minute pace on the first lap especially easy, so I thought I'd attempt a tempo for the 2ns one. It's been a long time since I've done an outdoor tempo. There's even been some failures. But this was a gem: 3 miles in 20 flat. 21 to the island, loops of 26, 23.5, 22.5 back. 93 minutes altogether.

01/16/08 - How long can this go on? I somehow managed to get faster still. This was in spite of being tired and running slightly slower (20:17) for the tempo and the early miles. I said slower, but it wasn't that much slower. The last part was stronger than yesterday, and that made the difference. 92 minutes.

01/17/08 - Well I did it. I wondered if it was possible to improve further. And it wasn't easy. I got to the island in 21.5 minutes and immediately started at tempo pace. For the previous two runs, I had waited until the 2nd loop. It was tough and I had some doubts, but I did just manage to do the tempo - 3 in 20:33. I finished that loop in 24, and then began another tempo - this time a bit faster in 20:17. I completed that lap in 23.5 and the trip home in 21.5. The result was 90:40, a PR for the course - no small feat.

01/18/08 - This would be my last run for this trip - I only wanted to do 9, and so that's what I wound up with. This time I stayed in Pest until the far bridge, and started on the island there. I stopped to place my hands on what I think may be the "lucky tree" to make a wish. And then I headed home. 9 slow ones - in 82. My next run should be from home.

Home Runs

My plans had been to travel directly to Hungary from Florida. My plans changed. Now I'll have a couple days at home before heading out again.

On Monday, I managed to get another long run in - loops of 11, 6 and 3. The weather was unseasonably warm - mid 50s. Actually, it was warmer than several of my Florida runs. And I ran well. Very well - my best long run in quite a while. Strong and steady the whole way. My splits fot the above loops were: 92.5, 50.5 and 25 for an overall time of 2:48. Not bad.

I didn't sleep well on Monday night - the late OSU game didn't help. So I stuck to the mill for the first run. At least I made it a speed workout - 8 x 1200 @ 4:44 @ 0% elevation. I did really well for the first half of the run, but then had to hold on more and more. Later in the morning I went out for another run - 3 on the Presidents streets at 8 minute pace. Unbelievable weather - it's been in the 60s!

Now I'm about ready to go.

Running on Marco Island

1/1/08 – I was one of the first people out on the streets of Marco Island. I hadn’t even stayed up till midnight, so when I awoke at 5am, I felt fine. I did a whole lot of exploring on the island, eventually heading over the bridge at the western end. Altogether I did 21 miles on (and off) the island in 3:03. Although it was very warm (mid 70s) I was very strong and steady till the end. A very good start to the year.

1/2/08 – This time I decided to run on the beach. It was 30 degrees colder (mid 40s) and the wind was wicked. But it was clear, and the sunrise was beautiful. I ran to the south end of the beach, for 3+, then ran to the desolate north end, turning at about 8. Altogether I did 11 in 100 minutes, which isn’t bad for beach running whilst getting sand-blasted. And whilst carrying a heavy coconut for the last 2.

1/4/08 - Yesterday saw record low temps and cold winds, so I took it off. Today I did 11 in 96 minutes, mostly around the south end of the island. I had started slow - with an 11 minute mile on the beach. But I got going fairly nicely on those quiet, rich streets. It's finally beginning to warm up again. Not much yet, but it's getting there.

1/5/08 - It was only a bit warmer, and still windy.. I needed 16 to get 70 for the week, and I managed to do 17. The first 11 were on the roads, exploring the area to the north, including access to tigertail beach and some restaurants on bald eagle. Those were slow - I just couldn't get moving at all. Only about 9+ minute per mile pace. Then I hit the beach for the last 6, and surprise - they were faster! Don't know how that happened, but it is a good beach for running. Those averaged about 8.5 minutes.

Holiday visits

The kids have been in, and it's been fun. Thursday Debbie made a good vegan dinner for Veronica and Barry. Friday, after Dan and Valerie's delayed arrival, we all went to Sweet Mango for dinner and then opened presents. Yesterday we all went to the Akron Art Museum for a look at the Norman Rockwell exhibit. I think we all enjoyed it, even to the extent of exceeding expectations. Last night Kathy, Jessy and Mike brought soup and we had a soup party.

Today everyone's going home. I've now dropped them off at the airport, and we'll be taking off ourselves for Florida.

3295

That's for the year. Pretty good total, but I think it's my slowest year ever. And the racing wasn't great at all. All's well that ends well, and my last two were very good (Inland Trail Marathon in 3:14) and great (JFK50 in 8:27 or whatever). So I'll take it (the year) and hope for a better one in 2008.

My PF hasn't gotten worse, and it may be a bit better. I'm trying to not let it get any worse. I do plan to run a lot in Florida and in Hungary.

Today's 11 was solid, strong, and steady. 86.5 minutes on the new subs route. Not quite a tempo run for 2-4, but ok nonetheless.

Yesterday I did 11 with Dave on the muddy towpath.

My next run will be in Florida in 2008.

Recent Running

10 on the mill Sunday, and then 10 with Dave on the parkway (we met where the parkway crosses 82), and then 11 today at the same place. It's nice running there - we mostly use the bike path, and can head into some out-and-back places.

I'm still feeling the PF. Not bad, but I'm a bit concerned. Been sleeping with the boot, but I usually rip it off in the middle of the night.

Mom and Family

We were eating breakfast on the 23rd and Debbie noticed mom was having trouble eating. We realized that she couldn't use her right hand or arm. And her right eye was drooping. Debbie gave her a baby asperin and got her dressed and we drove her to Southwest General. She was doing much better by this time (the asperin really did the trick) but they had to do a cat scan, blood tests and an ekg. The diagnosis was a minor stroke. Quite a scare, but she seems fine now. Asperin every day now, and we've got to watch her in case of other strokes.

Party at Sandy and Nancy's last night. About like usual. Fun, big, loud, good food, crazy people. Mom had a great time, and Dave and Carol spent the night rather than drive home.

Today (Christmas), it's over to John and Jill's for more partying.

Today's Run and Other Stuff

I did 3 on the mill, and then 18 with Dave and Amy. We had to do the roads because the towpath and other trails were full of mud, ice, slush and snow. Even on the roads, we only managed a 9:45 pace. Don't know why these runs are so durn slow.

Debbie and I did the air for my Budapest trip. It was changed from Bucharest. That's good, but the bad part is leaving from Florida.

I Do Believe This Dreadmill Running is Helping

I managed to get outside today, and I also managed to run long today (no more calls, just lotso work). It went well: 20 miles in 2 hours, 55 minutes. I would've liked for it to be faster, but at least it was steady.

I do believe that all that dreadmill running I've been doing (6 and 4 at MP yesterday, 7 at MP Sunday) is helping.

recent running

lots of mill miles during the week. this is mostly because I started work at 5am and didn't have any other time. today I did 3 on the mill and then a short, slow 17 on the hills and trails with Dave in Brecksville res.

Dave, Jill, Amy and Brett are coming over this evening. We're in the middle of a snowstorm however.

pizza and today's run

I made pizza for last night's get together with Iris, Mike, Linda and Bob. It turned out good, but of course I had too much. And of course we all had tons of laughs as well.

So today of course it took way too long for me to actually get going into my run. I managed 2 on the mill and then 9 outside, up towards north park, around ganyard and back. Not bad running - most miles were about 9 min, but the last few were much better - but too little of it before it started to get late.

today's run and other stuff

other stuff first:

got a new printer and office chairs. also took mom out to sweet mango last night - really good food.

bin really really busy with work. hard to keep my head above water.

I'll call it 19 on the towpath with Dave and Amy today. We started from 2nd sole in the valley in order to hit their sale afterwards. The towpath was covered with about 3 inches of snow, so it was slow going. Gotta decide on this 50-miler next weekend.

it's been cold, and i've been a wimp

so i've been running on the mill. 12 with 1-mile intervals today, 10 on Sunday. one of these day's i'll get tough again.

Saturday Dave, Amy and I hit the trails. I'm calling it 17 with them, combined with 3 on the mill, so a decent enough day.

the ole weight ain't so great. 158 last week (not bad) followed by 161 and then 162 (bad) today. but there's hope. maybe after a couple good days, it'll be better again.

Went to see "Aunt Ida" Sunday with Mom. Met up with Iris and Mike and their Moms. Everyone enjoyed the nostalgic Dick Feagler play.

Saturday we went to the Ohio Challenge Series awards banquet, complete with wine from the winery and subway sandwiches. I was third, after they took 1st out for grand master award. I got a $10 subway card, a $10 Raisin Rack card, and $5 for Shearers snacks. We spent all but the Subway card.

This week

I've been running, but not particularly well. I did the 20 on Tuesday, 13 on the mill yesterday (wasn't the greatest, but I did manage 2 x 3-mile tempos) and then 4 really bad mill miles today. Been busy with work. Maybe next week will be better.

Today's Running

I managed a half-way decent long run today. First I did 8 outside at just under 9-minute pace. It was getting too late to be out, so I did the rest on the mill. There I picked it up more and more until I did the last 4 at MP. All in all, not bad.

Recent Running

2 days in a row I managed 7 slow miles. Yesterday was going to be the good solid run. It did start out that way - I took off for my 15/16 mile route and after a 9 minute mile, I got the pace down to 8:30 or so. But after about 8 miles my pace began to slow as I started to labor more. Don't know what went wrong - I just got tired. I cut it short by heading back on 303 to make it 13. Disappointing.

I've also managed to feel a twinge of PF in my left foot over the last couple days. Scary.

Weekend

It was wonderful to have the girls (and Barry) home. We had lots and lots of fun. Nothing new or spectacular. Some shopping, some games, lots of eating. But it was great.

Yesterday was the Krizak brunch. Lots of fun there too. Good to see everyone.

Aftermath

Of course I was sore and tired for a couple days. The ride home was tough. I slept *really* good that Sunday night. And of course I took Sunday and Monday off of running. But then a funny thing happened. I was able to run again on Tuesday. Half-way decent, too. I did a 3 and a 2 mile loop in the morning, and then another 3 at lunch. About eight and a half pace, starting slower and ending faster. Today was even better: 10 in 80, including - get this - and actual 4-mile tempo run at the track. I wasn't able to run this well for the entire 2 weeks after Inland Trail. Things are going well.

My weight isn't. Not that I'm overly worried about it - it's just funny. Monday morning I felt dehydrated, so I thought my weight would be really low. It was 165!! 8 pounds higher than a couple days before JFK! Where did that come from? All I can figure is that it's the salt tabs. "Down" to 161 yesterday. I'm hoping to not be too bad off coming out of the holidays.

We've had mom here for a while now. It's like having a child around the house. Not bad, just something to always be aware of. She really likes the senior center, so we'll start taking her twice a week.

Valerie, Veronica and Barry are coming in today. Can't wait.

JFK 50 Mile Run

The Joy is in the Journey.

It's been said in many ways about many different pursuits. And of course it applies to running... in spades. And it also applies to travel associated with running.

Brandon, Mike, Steve and I left for Hagerstown and had a pretty nice, smooth trip. Except for the snowstorm through a good part of PA. It was pretty bad when we stopped at the Flight 93 Memorial (not much there - an open field with a flag at the exact spot, some personal mementos posted on a board, and a tiny building with one volunteer to tell us all about it). And then it got worse at the higher elevations. This didn't seem to bode well for the next day's running of the JFK 50-Mile.

When we arrived at Hagerstown, things were much better - no snow and not quite so bitter cold. We checked in and drove to a couple parts of the course.

Now it was getting exciting. And of course I was getting nervous. Scared to death is probably a better way to put it. It's been 5 years since I'd run this far. And I had hardly trained for it. Trained for marathons, yes, but trained for ultras, no. Not at all.

JFK is as much a mecca for ultra runners as Boston is for marathoners. There were about 1,500 starters, and we all crammed into little Boonsboro High School before the start. Northeast Ohio was very well represented, and we bumped into several of the other Buckeyes. Even the long walk down from the high school to the start in the small town evoked thoughts of Boston.

The Joy is in the Journey. As soon as we started, the similarities to Boston ended. The first two plus miles are up, up, up. So much so that many of the smarter runners took to walking the steeper parts. Since the narrow Appalachian Trail was at the end of this road section, it was important for us to sort ourselves out before we started on it.

I had a good position going onto the AT, but this turned out to be a bad thing. I'm not a good trail runner, and that's being generous. The good, and even average, trail runners passed me by the hundreds, and this was tough for both them and me on this narrow, rocky trail. Did I mention that it's rocky? There are more rocks on this small section of trail than in the entire states of Ohio and Indiana combined. You can check my facts at www.howmanyfrigginrocksareonthattrail.com.

The AT was also steep. Extremely so - especially early on. The first three miles continued the climb that began on the roads. We hit a summit at that point, and the rest was a bit better. But I was doing a lot of walking. Not only on the steep sections, but also where the rocks, which were often covered by a deep layer of fallen leaves, were treacherous. Hundreds of runners continued to pass me. I eventually found some runnable parts and got into a bit of a slow rhythm. I ran some parts with Brandon, and others with Dan and Rita.

After about 14 miles on the AT, there was a steep descent leading down to the towpath. What a relief! The AT had been really beautiful. I'd like to return and hike some of these areas some day. But run? You gotta be kidding.

The towpath began at mile 16, and I had run, if you want to call it that, that first section in 3:08 or so. We would be on the towpath for just over 26 miles, and it occurred to me that I ought to be able to do those in about the same time as the previous 16. That, of course, might be conceivable if A) I'd been in good shape and B) I hadn't just completely trashed my legs on the AT. So yes, I had thoughts of at least running well in this section, but even that was in doubt; how much damage had I done to myself? If I continued at the pace I'd been going, I'd be in danger of not finishing at all.

It turned out that I *was* able to run again. And fairly well, too. My GPS told me I was doing my early towpath miles at 8 to 8:30 minute per mile pace, with a couple even faster than 8. I don't know how I was doing it, but I was doing it. And I was passing hundreds of those runners that had passed me. I ran a bit more with Dan and Rita, and some with Terry Hawk.

This towpath is not unlike the one I'm used to, except that it's a little softer, and many sections were covered with fallen leaves. Some said it was boring, but I didn't think so. There is the Potomac on the one side, the rocks, hills and cliffs on the other, and nice fall foliage all along.

I hit mile 25 in about 4:25, and I was still passing gobs of runners. It began to dawn on me that a PR was possible. I wasn't entirely sure, but I thought I'd done my other 50 in 8:30 or so. I'd run the distance a couple of other times as well, as part of the Mohican 100 and the Olander 24-hour run, but those were much slower still. The Chicago 50-miler had been five years ago, during an excellent year of running, and, being along the lakeshore, it was about as easy as a 50-mile run can be. JFK is coming at the end of a mediocre, at best, year of running, and the course was extremely tough. To beat 8:30, I'd need to do the second 25 miles in close to 4 hours for a big-time negative split. But I was running well, and my confidence was up.

Guess what happened next. Yes, I started to slow down a bit. I guess I was starting to tucker out. Now I was doing 8:30 to 9 minute miles. Some were slower than 9 minutes. I was also losing a lot of time at the aid stations. As with most ultras, they were well stocked with soup, GU, chips, pretzels, powerbars, coke, gatorade, pb&j sandwiches, etc. I would often stuff a bunch of pretzels into my mouth and then realize that I had absolutely no saliva with which to process them. So I'd take a big swig of water to mush them up. I'd usually take a GU too, and sometimes soup or an electrolyte tablet. So the miles where there was an aid station would take me 10 to 12 minutes instead of the usual 9 or so. Although slower now, I was still passing people. Just not so many. A few were keeping pace with me. And although slower now, I wasn't crashing completely; I was still holding my own.

According to my GPS, I finished the towpath 7 hours, 8 minutes after the start. And 4 hours and 1 minute since I began the 26-mile section. Not bad at all. The joy is in the journey. Yes, I really was enjoying myself.

The last 8 miles would be on asphalt roads. Immediately off the towpath I was met with an extremely steep hill. It felt strange to have to walk again, but I suppose I needed the break. After 5 plus minutes of this I could run again and eventually came to a sign that said 8 miles to go. Wait a minute. I thought it was 8 miles from the towpath, and my GPS now said 42.4 miles. Looks like I'd be getting a bit of extra mileage for my money today. A bonus! I was also met by some guy standing in the street in front of his house, yelling very bad words at passing runners and traffic. This was followed later on by a few locals holding signs that said things like, "JFK Runners Go Home - You're not welcome here on our roads". Strange.

Now I'd have to hoof it to get that sub-8:30. I'd have to average something like 9:30 or 9:40 per mile. And 9:20 to 9:30 pace was about what I was doing. Those early road miles were very hilly, so it was tough. Not to mention that all those previous miles had taken their toll. Could I do it?

In a word, yes. I kept that pace going all the way in, doing my last mile in a blistering 9:09. I finished in 8:28. It's been a long time since I've been so ecstatic with one of my runs, but this was ultra running as good as it gets.

I showered, ate, met up with my friends and other Ohioans, and then bussed back to the other school. A bunch of us went out to dinner, and of course everyone had a joy of the journey story to tell.

PS: I just peeked at my Chicago Lakeshore 50 results from 2002. 8:26. So JFK wasn't a PR. Or was it? JFK is OFFICIALLY 50.2 miles. So I hit 50 in 8:26 for sure. It's a tie. But JFK is still the better of the two - it's my best ultra of all time.

Disappointing Runs

After being so happy with my run at Inland Trail, my running since then has been downright lousy. I suppose that's to be expected, but since I finished so well, I was hoping to at least hold my own - especially after a week or so.

So when last week's running was slow, I wasn't concerned. I did manage a speedwork session where I did 4 x 1-mile at about 6:53 pace - about a half minute slower than the previous week. I thought this was fine. But Saturday's 13 (after 3 on the mill) on the towpath were really bad news. I had hoped for 20+ that day. Likewise, Sunday's 8 were very slow.

Today would be my day - I was hoping for a solid tempo run as part of my early morning 11-miler. Didn't happen. I just couldn't get moving fast enough. I wound up with 10 in 79+, followed a couple hours later by 3 in 23.5.

It just seems like running at a decent pace is a real chore, and then I don't feel like putting in the distance.

None of this bodes well for JFK this Saturday.

Marathon Heaven

Ever have one of those marathons where everything goes right? Me neither. At least not for a long, long time. But today’s Inland Trail Marathon happened to be a real keeper.

If your idea of marathon nirvana includes tens of thousands of runners, big expos, large numbers of spectators, big city scenery and landmarks, balloons, Kenyans, warm weather (forgive me, I’m not quite over Chicago yet), etc., then the Inland Trail Marathon probably wouldn’t be up your alley. But it was up mine. Cool overcast weather, no hassles with registration or the start, something like 100 to 200 runners, plenty of water and Gatorade, a 12+ mile rails-to-trails asphalt trail through woods and rural parts of Loraine County, and, did I mention good weather? That’s my marathon heaven, and this was it.

Of course there had to be one missing ingredient: me being in shape. I kinda figured that I was in about 3:15 condition, but it had been a while since I’ve even run that well. Could I do that today under these perfect conditions?

Temperatures were in the upper 30s at the start. (It was 48F when I finished.) There was a slight headwind that would be with us for the first half of this out-and-back course. That headwind felt mighty cold for the first mile or two. But after that it felt great. I started off at a 7:30 pace, which I figured would get me close to my goal. All I would need to do is to pick it up just a bit for the last couple miles. Right. Not to mention that negative split marathons had always been a rarity for me, especially of late.

Although most of my early miles were in that 7:30 range, I hit the halfway turnaround a bit slower than I’d hoped, in 1:39. I would have to pick up the pace earlier than planned. So I did. I started doing 7:10 to 7:20 miles. Maybe I was helped by the tailwind, or maybe it was the energy gel that I was now taking every 3 miles or so. Note to self: beware of PowerGel Tangerine 2xcaffeine AND 4xsodium. It was among the most foul-tasting messes that I’ve ever put into my mouth. On the other hand, it may have helped.

There had been perhaps 30 people in front of me as of the half, but I was picking many of them off now. I hit the 20-mile mark right around 2:30. Would I be able to keep that pace up until the finish? Short answer: yes. My last 6 miles were 7:11, 7:12, 7:17, 7:07, 7:16, 7:01. It’s always nice when mile 26 is your fastest. In fact, there’s no feeling in the world like it. My time was 3:14:40 and I was 2nd in my age group. This would’ve been disappointing during some of my better years, but here in 2007, I’m thrilled with it. Marathon heaven.

Recent Running and Social Events

Bin tapering for the week, so the only run of any substance was an 11-miler that included 4 x 1600 at about 6:22. The rest were mostly pretty short.

Went to a charity reverse raffle with Debbie's family but mostly my cousins. It was fun to see everyone. I've volunteered to try to put another social occasion together.

We went to dinner at Olive Garden with Kathy, Mike and Jessy last night. This was after a hike at Happy Days.

Today's Run and Florida Trip

I done good today - 11 miles including 4 x 1 mile @ 6:22 at the track. Very solid, but I'm not sure how many more I could've done.

We're arranging our trip to Florida - we'll stay on Marco Island. Sounds good.

Recent Running and other stuff

I think the temperature dropped about 10 degrees in an hour or so during my morning run. Caused me to put my gloves and headband in my shorts because heaven knows it wouldn't be *that* bad if my hands or ears got frostbite. I did manage to survive, and did 15 in about 2:09. Slow but steady. I'd had a lot of willpower problems, often on Sundays, but this one went ok.

Other running stuff: yesterday I only did 13+ on the towpath with Dave and Amy. Friday I did 8 on Substation, with a 6-mile tempo thrown in. Earlier in the week I had one decent dreadmill run, but mostly lousy running. Don't know if it was still more holdover from Chicago, or new from the half.

Speaking of the half, I earned $50 for my AG record award.

Friday we went to dinner and then a classical concert at BW. Lots of choral stuff, including some with Bob and Laura. Yesterday we watched a movie with Kathy and Mike,and today is Toni's baptim.

Today's Run and a Note to Dan

Another absolutely terrible run today. Once again, I was extremely tired and just could not move. I did 5 outside, and then 6 on the mill. At least those were a bit faster.

Here's a note I wrote to Dan Fox based on a question from him:

-----Original Message-----
From: Dan Horvath [mailto:runhorvathrun@hotmail.com]
Sent: Monday, October 22, 2007 5:14 PM
To: luminastudio@sbcglobal.net
Subject: RE: marathon stuff


Dan:

Nice goin!! You must've come in before it started getting warm. I think you probably had a decently cool start. I've always liked the Columbus thon.

Here's what you need to do to run Inland trail:

1) rest and recover
2) train hard
3) taper

Not so bad, but a bit tough to do in 2 weeks. Not impossible; just tough.

When I've done thons 2 weeks apart, I've run ok at the second one, but I don't think I've ever done it quite as fast as the first one - even when I've tried. But that's me. YMMV, of course, and I do know of folks who've made it happen.

Perhaps my problem is number 2. No, not that number 2 - I mean the one above. Maybe it's better if you skip it and just do 1 and 3.

As far as Mr. Wall goes, it sounds like you just met him. Dan, meet Mr. Wall. Mr. Wall, meet Dan. I think the best way to avoid Mr. Wall is to run some of your long runs progressively harder, such that you're running at marathon pace for the last 3 or so. That's what some of the elites do, and when I'm running well, that's what I do, and I think it helps.

In a small voice: About 10-20% of the time. But otherwise I think I've got about 0% chance of finishing strong. And there's *almost* no better feeling than finishing strong at a marathon.

Good luck and hope to see you there.

Dan

Dan Horvath
runhorvathrun@hotmail.com




--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
To: runhorvathrun@hotmail.com
From: luminastudio@sbcglobal.net
Subject: marathon stuff
Date: Mon, 22 Oct 2007 14:04:09 -0400

Hi Dan,


Would you entertain a couple questions about training? The gist of this is that
I ran 3:37 in Columbus yesterday, which surprised me because I've been REAL
slow all year what with the ultra events. So for me this was the fastest marathon this year,
and about 3.5 mins. slower than my PR from '05. The idea that I could set a PR this year has
insidiously wormed it's way into my thinking!


The questions:


1. I passed through mile 24 at 3:12, and then blew up to the point of actually walking for a minute
or two a mile later. Do you have any idea what the heck happened? Was that "the Wall"? How do
you, yourself, train to finish strongly?


2. Do you think running the Inland Trail marathon on two weeks "rest" would be taking advantage
of whatever shape I'm in, or an exercise in futility because I would still be recovering from Columbus?


That's it. Any random thoughts would be welcome. Maybe I'll see ya in a couple weeks in Elyria.


DanF

Amy and Brett's and 8 in 80

We spent yesterday evening at Amy and Brett's for dinner, along with the Gajewski's. Nice time.

Been EXTREMELY hard at work lately, and those 5am calls are bad.

Just when I think that I cannot possibly run any slower, I do. Today I was soooo tired. It was extremely tough to just get out the door. I got nowhere near the 15 or so I wanted - I just did 8 tired miles in about 80 minutes. Bad bad bad. Maybe tomorrow will be a better day.

Stomp the Grapes

The weather was very good for a change; I had some hope for a really good run today. But NO - Instead I really stunk up the joint.

The race was the Stomp the Grapes Half Marathon in Navarre, Ohio. It’s called that because it starts and finishes at a winery. Parking was a problem for some of us – I had to park 1.67 miles away, according to the ole GPS. There were busses, but of course I wanted to warm up, and I wanted to run extra miles today anyway. My “warmup” totaled about 3 miles altogether. A possible factor in the outcome? Maybe.

The course is very hilly, mostly on country roads, but also through the village of Navarre and also with a few flatter miles on the towpath. I did quite well for the first 6, averaging about a 6:45 pace. I probably hit half-way in close to 44 minutes. If I could only keep this up and run even splits, I’d have a 1:28 or so. And that would be 2 minutes better than my last half, which was in the rain and high humility.

But a funny thing happened to me once I hit that towpath: I suddenly had to work real hard to keep that pace up. Real hard. Was it the dirt and crushed limestone surface? Or was there a grade? I now think it was a bit of both.

I struggled with some 6:5x miles, but was suddenly able to do a 6:28. But after that things went downhill fast.

Check that. It was actually uphill. Now I was doing 7+ minute miles. Mile 11, which I knew was going to be tough because it was all up, was a 7:39. The last couple were also uphill, and also slow. I simply had not realized how much down that first half of this generally out and back course had been. On top of the hills, there was a strong headwind for the second half.

My time? 1:31 flat. Maybe a few seconds below that for split time. My place? That part wasn’t so bad. I was 18th overall (and I have NO idea how many runners there were, but it seemed like 200-300). 1st in my AG was the first master, so they took him out. 2nd place had just turned 55, so he really wasn’t 2nd in my AG anymore. And that left me – 1st by default. Interesting award: a piece of slate from the roof of a 100+ year old chicken coop.

Recent Running

In spite of starting at 5am all week, I've been managing to get my running in:

3 Monday
11 Tuesday - 7 before work and 4 at lunch, all on the mill
11 Wednseday - 8 on the mill in the morning, 3 outside at lunch
11 today - all outside before work

Some of the mill running was decent - I did some tempo running Tuesday, and 6 x 1200 yesterday. Nothing earthshattering though. Hope I'm good to go for Saturday's Half.

Today's Run - 2007-10-14

Maybe it was the clambake and lack of sleep. Maybe it was yesterday's 16. Maybe it was still recovering from Chicago. Maybe all of the above. But today's attempt at something of substance - either a solid long run or some speedwork went poorly.

The weather was great - about 40 and clear. But I started out at 9+ minute miles and never got untracked. Only the last couple were decent at all. I wound up with 14. Maybe now I won't take tomorrow off.

Clambake - and today's run

Yesterday I made pizza and cooked it at Kathy and Mike's. Today they're having a clambake and Dave and Carol will spend the night here.

Today I ran on the towpath with Dave and Amy, and a bit with Chris. We're still in recovery mode, so we went slow. Also, Amy is recovering from frostbite that she got from icing her heal (you've always got to explain this).

One other thing - we're going to central Europe next year!

Competing Marathons

I've been reading with interest the posts about the two Indy marathons being so close in time. This happened in Cleveland not once, but twice.

The Revco/CVS/Rite Aid Marathon (the original one) is in the spring. One time someone decided to have a "Greater Cleveland Marathon" a week later. Many loyal Cleveland Marathoners were upset by this competition, feeling that there aren't enough runners to hold competing events. I did both (of course) and thought they did a decent job on the new one. They definitely had a nice course. They had trouble getting sponsors for the GCM the second year and scratched the race at the last moment, having only a 10K instead. And that was the last year for that event. The new race did have an influence on the old one, however. The old race changed from their traditional out and back course to one much more like that of the GCM in order to provide more variety and generally better scenery, and to better show off the city.

Then came the Akron Marathon. They decided to hold that one the very same weekend as my beloved Towpath Marathon, which is only a few miles away. Once again, many were upset by the competition - out of 52 weekends, why did they pick the same one? I keep thinking they were trying to put the TPM out of commission. If that was the goal, it didn't work. For some reason, both of these races are doing well now (a couple years late), although they are now a week apart.

ORN: 10 on the mill this morning including 8 x 1200 @ 9mph. Then 3 outside at lunch outside. I have to keep breaking these things up because of my work schedule.

Dan Dan Horvath runhorvathrun@hotmail.com

Recovery

Been reading lots about the marathon. Plenty of carnage and snafus.

I'm not doing too badly. Just sore and tired. 3 on Tuesday weren't bad, but yesterday's attempt at 11 went very poorly. I had to cut it short at 8, and even those last few were a real struggle. 2 more on the mill yesterday.

Today was a good day. I got up early for dreadmill speedwork, and it was one of my better sessions: 8 x 1200 @ about 5 minutes each. I've done faster, but at least these were steady, and I didn't hold on hardly at all.

I did 3 more at lunch in 25. Not bad, but I was pretty tired.

Chicago Marathon

Nancy Toby nancytoby@COMCAST.NET wrote:
> 88*F, heat index 91*F there right now...
>http://wcbstv.com/sports/chicago.marathon.heat.2.314226.html
> Did we have anyone running it? That would suck mightily.


I was there, and I managed to finish before they called it. But I did run much slower than I had intended. And yes, that heat did suck mightily.



Going into it knowing it could be record heat, I abandoned any hope of running fast, and instead adopted a "the heat is my friend" philosophy. In the first half, it really didn't feel all that bad. I was taking it easy, and I was mostly in shaded areas, thanks to the Chicago skyline. I hit that half-way point in 1:42 and change, and thought, ok, I've taken it easy; now is the time to pick it up.



Except there was one minor problem. That's also the point where the sun came up to the point of being more above than below the tops of the buildings, and it's where we runners were getting away from downtown anyway. With that sun, it felt like the temperatures skyrocketed. It had been a humid 75-77 at the start, and was probably well into the 80s now. Runners were making sudden changes in order to get to the side of the road where there would be even a bit of shade. I didn't have any problems getting water or gatorade, and I took plenty. And salt pills as well.



I managed to run slower and slower as that heat took its toll. Almost all of the runners around me were doing the same, and many were walking, dropping out, and getting first aid. I kept wondering how many would die today. Sounds like it's hopefully only one. I kept thinking about the volunteers and spectators being out in the heat as well.



The 8 minute miles turned into 8:30's and, for the last couple miles, 9's. I crossed the line in 3:35. Not a minute too soon. All I wanted to do afterwards was to GET IN THE SHADE. And of course there wasn't any to be found until long afterwards. I thought it was smart of the race organizers to get many extra tons of ice - I put the bag on my head, and held it up against other body parts.


ORN: I think I'll take a day off from running today.

Hot Times in Chicago and Spirit of the Marathon

I'm here, and it's hot. Low tonight should be about 72, with lots of humidity. Going up to 86 tomorrow.

In case you've forgotten, I'm the guy who's performance becomes affected when temperatures get as hot as the upper 50's. When they're in the 80s, it's a bit tougher for me.

By some quirk, my family and I got to see an advance screening of the film "Spirit of the Marathon" last night. Someone just gave us the tickets, saying she had extras. Pretty good running movie. Good for first timers and non-runners who have no idea what we go through. I thought it showed us runners as a bit too much into ourselves, taking ourselves a bit too seriously. Still an ok film though.

2:58

Not my marathon time... yet. It's going to be hot, so I decided it will only be a training run and that I shouldn't taper so much for it and that I should therefore run something of substance today.

As such, I took off early and ran to the track and did 5 x 800 in 3:00, 2:59, 2:58, 2:58, 2:57. They didn't feel all that fast on this hot morning. Nice going.

Now it's time for the bus.

Off to Chicago

Leaving on a slow bus.. don't know when I'll be back again. Megabus that is. Got it all figured out. I think. Kathy will take us to the RTA stop, we'll take that to Tower City, then get on Megabus to Chicago. Then we'll taxi it to Val's. Sounds like a plan.

I think it will be hot and nasty in Chicago. Not planning to set the world on fire. It already is. I'm thinking about a 7:30 pace, but I'll see how the weather is.

I have actually been running better lately. Last Sunday I did the 'ole Substation 11 in 82.5 minutes - 2nd best ever. That included 5 @ MP.

Then on Monday I went over to Hinckley to do that hilly 6. I wanted to do at least 3 at sub-7 pace, and I did, but they weren't consecutive. Still not a bad run in 43.5 minutes, with splits of 23 and 20.5. Afterwards I did 5 more extremly slow miles in the area, with even more hills.

Wednesday I did 10 on the mill, including a 3-mile tempo. Not bad. Today I did 3 on the mill and then 3 on the Presidents streets at lunchtime. I've had 4am counts all week, so it's been a bit tough. Luckily not as tough as it would've been had I not been tapering.

Recent Running

Tuesday I had an early call so all I had time for was 10 on the mill, including 6 x 1200. Not the greatest, but at least it was something of substance.

Yesterday was to be my last long run before Chicago. I had hopes that it would be a good one. It wasn't. I started off just fine, with 8 to 8:15 miles. Near the first stop at 12, I started to slow down. After the stop (13), I really got slow. I headed to the track to try to salvage something. I could only manage to do a few sub-8 (as opposed to sub-7) miles before heading back home. Altogether 24 in 3:28. Not that bad, but not good, neither. Humility didn't help.

Today I ran 10 on the towpath with Amy and Dave. Slow going in the darkness and the dampness.

Sippo Valley 10K

This was my 7th, and final race in the series. Or not. I can improve my standing by doing more - we'll see.

This one went almost exactly the same as the other 3 10Ks I've done this year. Slow. I couldn't seem to get going during the first half. After the turn around I did a bit better and I did manage to finish strong. Still nothing to write home about - 41:55 or so. 2nd in AG and 10th overall. (There was a tiny showing.) Splits were about 21:15 and 20:40. I suppose I'll take it.

Recent Running and the Fish Fry

Thursday I did 10 on the towpath with Dave and Amy, and yesterday (Sunday) I did 12 the same way. I didn't want to go too far because of today's 10K race.

After the yesterday's run Debbie, Kathy and Jessy came down and we all walked the Old Carriage Trail. Then we had lunch at Panera. Hard to imagine why anyone would go to McD's or Wendy's when Panera stuff is so good.

Meanwhile, Mike and Mikey were catching fish for our dinner. Debbie spent a lot of time filleting those little guys, and then she and Kathy fried them. Boy, were they good!

Thirty

Once upon a time, running thirty miles was not such a big deal for me. I had determined that doing this "over-mileage" was the answer to hitting the wall at 20 miles during my marathons. During one of these no-big-deal training runs, I actually ran 30 miles at an average pace of 7:30 per mile.

Those days are gone, perhaps forever. Thirty *is* a big deal now. Now that I haven't done it in several years. I felt the need to do it, and to do it on roads, because I've got Chicago AND JFK to look forward to. And I need to somehow train in such a way as to maximize my performance at both. So I got it in my head that I was going to do 30 road miles early this morning.

I was out the door before four. It was cool - in the upper 50s - but not bad. The couple drivers that were out probably thought I was nuts. Little do they know.

I did my 11-mile Substation loop in 95 minutes. A bit on the slow side, but that was ok. I'd pick it up later. Yeah, right. After a quick pit stop at home, I went back out for another 11 - this time my "new subs" loop. I did fine for a while, but the last couple miles were slower. This time I did the 11 in 97 minutes.

During the ensuing quick pit stop - my second, I really felt like hanging it up. 22 was plenty, thank you. I started running again before I thought too much about it. By now it was about 7:15 and getting light. I did 4 miles across 303 at mostly a 9 minute pace.

For that last pit stop (my third) at 26 miles, the voices were *really* telling me to stop. But as before, I started running again before I thought too much about it. These 4 would be on the Presidential streets, and they were *good and slow*. About 9:40 pace. Nothing I could do about that - just get through them.

So I was done by about 8:30, having completed the 30 miles in 4:27 - an 8:54 pace. Now I'm a little sore and tired.

The salt pills help - I took one at the start, and one at each of the first two pit stops. On the other hand, I'm not sure they help all that much either.

Today's Speedwork

It was decently speedy, but it was work. Since it was so nice and cool (46F), I wanted this to be fast, but easy. Perhaps because of my running for the past two days, it just wasn't easy. I did 3 x (1600, 1200, 800) in times which were about what I'd expect: about 6:25 for the 1600s, 4:45 for the 1200s and 3:04 for the 800s.

The thing that bugs me the most is that I've gone exactly nowhere this year. I'm right about where I started once I began getting in shape. Maybe these long distance long runs are doing me some good though. We'll see.

Recent Running and Movie

The weather has finally started to break. What a relief to get back to cool, crisp mornings.

9 on the towpath Thursday with Amy and Dave. It sure was DARK at 5:30AM. Couldn't see nuthing! Caused some of the slowest starting in a long time - till we finally got used to it. By then we could see a bit anyway.

3 on the mill followed by 22 on the towpath and other trails with Amy and Dave yesterday. Slow going because of the trails. Another nice cool morning.

I was surprised that I wasn't too sore this morning. Still tired, but not so sore. Ibuprofen helped. I managed to get 11 fairly slow, very hilly miles in.

We went to see 3:10 to Yuma with Iris and Mike Friday. This was after dinner at Buca's, where we talked about vacationing next year.

Ate pizza with Kathy and Mike last night. Nice walk afterwards.

Got our weekly call from Veronica last night. She's doing especially well at work; just got a big raise and other good stuff. She just wishes she could have a house though.

There was no moon...

But the sky was clear and the air was cool. So it was a run by starlight as I took off at 4:30. Orion was rising in all his glory. After all the warm, humid, hazy morning runs for the last few months, this clear, cool (50F), beautiful morning was a joy. I saw Venus rising during the last few miles. It was as bright as I've ever seen it. I almost thought I could see the disk. A gorgeous sunrise followed that, just as I was finishing up.

Since I awoke earlier than planned, I decided to run a bit more than I would have. The Abbeyville 16-mile course was just the ticket. OTOH, I haven't been running my long or medium-long courses such that they keep me away from water for long periods of time. From home, I'll do multiple loops, coming back home for pit stops. At the towpath I'm able to stop at the various rest areas. At the Lester Rail Trail, I keep returning to the car. This Abbeyville route, which I used to do, but haven't recently, would keep me away from any aid for the whole 16 miles. And the other question is: would my 'ole legs handle it? Even 3 days after Sunday's race and long run, they were still tired, with some tenderness in my left knee.

But it went well. Not great, but fairly well. Since this is the first time on this course since I've had the GPS, I was naturally interested in the actual distance. Of course it was short. .2 miles short. Oh well.

Most miles were in the 8:30 to 8:45 range, but 14 and 15 were slower. 16 was good again. I did 2:18. The old course would've been 2:16. Nice to have that under my belt.

Vegas (in 20 Hours)

I spent 20 hours in Vegas to take my cfps exam, so it wasn't a happy coincidence anyway. (I think I may have done ok on the exam; only time will tell.) Even so, I have no desire to go back to sin city. Here's what I wrote as I was in the airport, about to head home:

Everything they say about Vegas is true. Based on the less than 24 hours I spent there, I can see it for all its cliché’s: that it’s a tribute to American excess. A Walt Disney World for adults. A metropolis in a desert where no city should exist. And so on. Mostly it seems to be a place designed to separate people from their money.

And I don’t need that. Someone please kick me hard if I ever say I want to go back there. There are plenty of other things to see in the world. Vegas remains low on my travel priority list. Check that. Make it lower – somewhere between Chad and Nigeria.

More Global Warming Debate With Dave

After he saw the running related global warming article, Dave wrote:

> >From: Dave Gajewski
> >To: "Dan Horvath"
> >CC: runrx@cox.net
> >Subject: Re: FW: Article Submission for Personal Record
> >Date: Mon, 10 Sep 2007 13:38:24 -0400
> >
> >Cleaning up old e-mails....I couldn't figure out how I missed the 'Dave'
> >reference in Dan's g-warming article so I went back and read it. Funny to
> >see the date - 8/13/07...day when my life blew up w/ baby Toni. I must
> >have given it my usual scan, to read in full later. Sorry the 2nd read
> >took nearly a month.
> >
> >I have a lot of thoughts on the environment, global warming and politics.
> >Most of them I mention on runs are incomplete statements when I'm oxygen
> >deprived. Some day I'll put them down in an organized manner, as Dan did
> >below.
> >
> >In the meantime my biggest grip about all the G-Warming talk, as Amy
> >eluded to on our last run, is the hypocrisy of the people who will claim
> >to fix all this stuff (in exchange for your vote) by making rules for you
> >and me not to break while they continue to indulge.
> >
> >Coincidentally I found this article on Al Gore:
> >http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/09/09/wgore109.xml
> >
> >If Al feels so strongly about the harm that SUV's, chicken and cows
> >produce, why doesn't give them up? Would he ride a bike and go vegan? Or
> >would he just raise the price of things for you and me to pay (in the form
> >of taxes) which the government would then have $$ in-hand to use at their
> >own discretion? He's got a lot more money than all of us to pay extra for
> >a nice juicy steak or gallon of gas. And dog-gone-it, that poor farmer in
> >Brazil trying to produce food and shelter for his family shouldn't be
> >allowed to cut down a tree in a rain forest in order to plant some crops
> >(says the guy in the mansion with the $10k/month electric bill). Al
> >should sleep well at night because he writes a b.s. check each year to
> >some imaginary fund that automajically 'offsets his carbon usage.'
> >
> >Environmental stuff shouldn't be a political issue. We all need to stop
> >pissing all over the world and hold each other accountable for doing so.
> >
> >Good article, Dan!
> >
> >
> >
> >Dave Gajewski
> >I/T Manager - Policy Admin Program Office
> >network# 625-9424
> >


And then I replied:

> From: runhorvathrun@hotmail.com
> To: Dave_Gajewski@Progressive.com
> Subject: Re: FW: Article Submission for Personal Record
> Date: Tue, 11 Sep 2007 07:43:34 -0400
>
> Hi Dave,
>
> I know what you mean by those oxygen-deprived deep thoughts on the run - I
> feel the same way.
>
> I honestly don't know whether Al Gore, or any given movie star, is a
> hypocrite or not. I don't spend time worrying about it, because as strongly
> as I feel about the planet, I myself still use my home's A/C, drive a
> non-hybrid car, take vacations, etc. If Al Gore were president, he'd
> probably be even more wasteful than he is now. If someone preaches global
> warming and eats meat (as in this article), does that make them a hypocrite?
> How about if they drive a car? Live in a house that's heated and cooled?
> Taken to it's logical conclusion, we should all kill ourselves in order to
> stop breathing out carbon dioxide.
>
> I think that for some people, the message itself has become too difficult to
> attack, so they're attacking the messangers. What I'm trying to say is that
> I don't think that hypocrisy should be the issue at all. The fact that it
> has become so, only seems to point out the fact that global warming *is*
> political.
>
> Now, if you want to get political, what about a god-fearing christian
> starting a war on nothing but a whim? A war in which hundreds of thousands
> have died? That's my definition of hypocrisy.
>
> Ooops. Sorry for the bashing. I'll stop now. Really.
>
> See you Saturday - Nice job at the Buckeye Half under tough conditions.
>
> Dan Horvath
> runhorvathrun@hotmail.com
>
>
>

Pretty-Good Expectations, and a Tale of Two Runs

Success is defined by our expectations. This is why, in spite of slower times and fewer age group awards, I’m considering this year to not be so bad. Yes, I’ve been managing those expectations better than ever. Not my training or weight or general running ability, mind you, but how I view those things.

For the River Run ½ Marathon, I thought that I was setting reasonable, achievable expectations when I set my goals as: I ought to be able to do sub-1:30, I should be able to do sub-1:29, and if things go really well, I might be able to do sub-1:28. There – that should be doable, no? After 42 and 41 minute 10K’s and that 67 flat 10-miler, I sure thought so.

That explains the expectations. And the two runs? Well, that’s easy. The logistics for the River Run are difficult at best. No race day registration or packet pickup. Either park at the start and take a shuttle bus back after the finish, or park a few miles from the finish and shuttle both to the start and from the finish back to your car. Having done this race a few times, I’ve learned that, believe it or not, the latter option is the better one. And that’s what I was going to do, until something hit me the morning of the race as I was about to drive up there. I could park at the start, and just run back after the finish! I wanted to get a long run in sometime, so why not do 26 today?

It was warm, rainy and humid at the start. I didn’t know there would be pace groups, but I found myself running with the 1:30 group for the first couple miles. This was a good thing: start conservatively. The race winds through the absolutely beautiful – even in the rain - Cleveland Metroparks. After a 3 or 4 miles, the rain tapered off, and it seemed to get a few degrees warmer. And even more humid. I told myself that I could handle this, as I pulled away from the pace group with some 6:40-ish miles.

In those middle miles, I passed a lot of people, and was mostly running alone. Mile 6 went by in something like 40:40, and I thought things were going quite well. This, of course, is when things started to not go quite so well. The 6:40-ish miles became 6:55-ish ones. That pace group, now much smaller, went by me at about mile 11. I tried mightily to keep them in sight. I hit mile 12 in 1:22:30, and knew that I just had to do those last 1.1 miles in 7:30 or better in order to salvage this run into something I could call decent. The best I could do was to cross the line in 1:30:0x, with my only hope that my chip time would be better.

Now my legs felt as dead as can be, and somehow, I had to run back to the start. Well, I didn’t really have to. I could still take the bus. I wrestled with myself as I was trying to take in some calories and liquids, knowing that the longer I stood around, the better chance I had of just getting on a bus. So without any further thought, I just started jogging back.

It would be 12 miles; I’d skip the extra 1-mile detour into Berea, but I would still be able to call it a 26-mile day because of my warmup. And those first two sure were difficult. There were other runners also doing a cool-down, but I was alone, for this direction, after the 11-mile aid station. And After stopping at those aid stations, I started running better again. Not good, just better. Maybe 8:40 miles instead of 9:00+ ones. It wasn’t long before I saw the last few slower runners coming towards me. I had tried to stay mostly off the road, out of everyone’s way. “Hey, you’re going the wrong way!” Oh – now they tell me. The volunteers were taking down the 10-mile aid station, and soon I had to share the road with traffic. I ran on the bike path at times, but moved to the road when I thought it was shorter. I certainly didn’t want to run MORE than 26 miles!

I made other stops for water and bathroom breaks, and also to look out at a scenic lookout near Berea. The last few miles were slower and slower: back to the 9:30-ish range. I had earlier picked up an (unopened) GU packet and now used it to get through that last mile. I made it back in something like 1:46.

Checking the results, I learned that I was 4th in my age group (story of the year for me), and that my chip time was 1:29 something. I guess I cut those expectations a bit too close this time.

today's run and physical

Had my physical today. No big deal - I didn't ask enough questions. We did discuss this shortness of breath. Could be the allergens in the air, air pollution, or exercise induced asthma. I've had it before and it went away, so I'm not worried.

Did 2 on the mill and then 3 outside. Not a great running day - guess I'm still tired from Wednesday's 26. I also need to rest up for Sunday's race.

Today's LONG Run

I did 20 really lousy miles outside. It was warm (71) and extremely humid, but that's not really the excuse. I just didn't do well. Got slower as it went on. 3:02.

Then I took a 3rd salt pill and got on the dreadmill. I had wanted to get 24++ in, and this time things went well - 6 additional miles in 42 minutes. 0% incline. Much better. Maybe the salt helped.

Alliance Rotary Castle 10K

Do I detect some improvement here? Maybe a marginal couple seconds. I've been doing my 10K's 2 minutes slower than last year; this one was 1:45 or so slower. Final time was 41:44 on a warm (low 70s) day. And those hills were really tough. So not great, but things are looking up a bit. As usual, I was 4th in my age group. Here are the splits:

6;28, 6:23, 7:07, 6:33, 6:57, 6:44, 1:28.

I hit a new high heart rate: 174. I'd thought that 173 was my max.

Went to Kathy and Mike's for a picnic yesterday. Also present were Dave and Carol (who stayed the night with us) and most of Mike's family. We stayed late by the fire. Heading to Iris and Mike's tonight.

Today's Long Run

I did 20 on the towpath and Old Carriage trail today with Dave, Amy and Chris. More than I wanted - got the race Monday. Hope to recover ok.

Nice running weather.

Took Succeed electrolyte pills for the first time. They may have helped.

I managed 1 (count them, one) mile at sub-7 mile pace near the end. It's a start.

Today's Run and Put in Bay

I did 3 on the presidents streets in 23. Felt like I was flying. Too bad I didn't have more time - maybe I coulda done something more.

Debbie and I and Dave and Carol went to Put in Bay for the day. The weather was perfect - low 70s, sunny and breezy. And the island wasn't crowded on a weekday. It was very very nice to finally see the place. The highlight was the Perry War/Peace Memorial - the history of the battle for lake Erie was fascinating.

But we also thoroghly enjoyed the beauty of the little island. We ate at a nice place right on the lake. Took a hop-on, hop-off tour around the island. Even the ferry ride was fun.

long run today

There was the usual heat and humility today. Amy wasn't going to make it, so I got up early and hit the Lester Rail Trail for a long run instead of the intervals. It went well. One problem: I still can't get down to sub-7 pace at the end. I almost made it, and the last four were at least sub-8.

6-mile splits: 52.5, 50.5, 49.5, 46.5

total time: 3:19.

Not bad.

today's run - 2007-08-27 and some other stuff

First of all, I did 10 slow ones yesterday.

Today I did a yasso workout, and it went really well. Difficult, but well. The cool weather helped. I ran to the track, did the 10 x 800, with a few stops, and then ran home. Times were: 3:02, 3:03, 3:02, 3:02, 3:04, 3:04, 3:01, 3:02, 3:01, 3:01, for an average of 3:02. Woo hoo.

Debbie and I also went to the cat show with Amy, Brett, Kathy and Jessy. We then had dinner with the Zims. Yesterday was Deanna and Jack's 25th anniversary party. Good food and fun with the family.

Today Debbie and I drove to Mohican and did a hike there. Beautiful. The nice weather helped too. We ate lunch at a nice cafe in Loudenville.

today's long run

I did 3 on the mill at tempo pace and then drove over to BVH to run with Amy and Dave. There we did 19 more in the heat/humidity. Not bad at all.

Going to the cat show today.

Good Speedwork Today

Wasn't quite as fast as last week's 6:23 average - but considering the oppressive humility, this week's average of 6:25 was not bad at all. Done it with Amy. Going to visit the Gajewskis tonight. Maybe Uncle Jim in the hospital tomorrow.

Nike Attempt III and today's run

A while back I was looking through the Sunday Ads. My daughter, who lived in Connecticut, happend to be nearby. I laughed when I saw an ad at Kohls, Dicks, or somewhere for a running shoe called the Nike Attempt II. I explained to my daughter about how the running shoe companies make less expensive models for sale at large department and sporting goods stores. She laughed about the Nike Attempt II as well. It seemed to imply that this was the second attempt that Nike was making at this model. Or you could take it a different way. This would be you're second attempt at running in these shoes.

Now I just saw an ad for the Nike Attempt III. I suppose they still haven't got it right. Maybe they'll keep trying.

ORN: 11 dreadful dreadmill miles. It was raining, so I stayed indoors, and this shouldn't have been so bad. But it was. Maybe I'm still getting over Sunday's race.

Perfect 10-Miler

No, it wasn't all that perfect; that's just what they call the thing. It was, however, fine. Fine isn't as good as perfect, but it's pretty good.

This is the fourth year for this race, and I'd done all the others, so of course I had to keep going. Even though the cool autumn-like rain might have otherwise had me stay at home. My previous times were: 66:30, 67:30, 63:51!!! That last one reflects my good running year of 2006. I knew I wasn't in that kind of shape in 2007. My 10Ks had been about 2 minutes slower than those of 2006. So I expected this 10-miler to be 3-4 minutes slower. I just wanted to do under 70 minutes. A bonus would be to run every mile under 7 minutes.

The rain was fairly light, but felt really cold. That's a good thing. I had a rough time in that first mile. It was crowded, and I just couldn't get untracked. When my watch told me it went by in 7:05, I knew that particular goal was out the window. The next few were under 7 minutes, but not spectacular. But that was ok. I really wanted to do negative splits. That's assuming I had anything left. The 5-mile mark went by at about 33:50 or so.

The long gradual hill at mile 6 caused me to go over 7 minute pace once again, but then came the good part. Coming back down the hill produced my best split at 6:23, and the rest were good as well. My finish on the track was strong, and I crossed the line in 67:08.

That's about as good as I could've expected. No AG award - lots of fast guys there. At some point, I need to get myself up to the next level. That will involve getting my weight *down* to the next level.

Today's Stinker

I was dead tired yesterday, and couldn't run at all. I thought I'd be better today, but I didn't sleep well at all. So I was dead tired once again as I started running. And that showed. Tried to pick it up just a bit, but wound up with 9+ minute miles at the finish. I did 12 in 1:42:30. Much worse than it looks.

Mom's staying with us. Should be getting cable with HD and faster internet today. Picnic tomorrow at Mosquito with Dave and Carol, and Beth and Ed and Deanna and Jack and family.

today's speedwork

I ran to the track and met Amy there. The 'ole legs were tired and sore, but I managed to do some speedwork with her. I did 2 x 1600 (6:39, 6:35) and then 2 x 800 (3:08, 3:06). Slower than yesterday's speedwork, but not bad. Circuitous route home for 13 miles total.

today's speedwork

There was some trepidation - yesterday's tiredness and my big big belly. But it was much better than expected. 8 x 1600 in 6:23. Very very good running.

It's a girl - born on the 13th so I win.

today's run and travelling to races

I did 5 extremely slow miles today after yesterday's decent 22. Here's a note I sent to DRS about travelling to races.

Does anyone else on the list ever stop to wonder about the wisdom of traveling to races? I do. Not that it necessarily completely stops me from doing so. I still do some of it: I'm planning on Chicago and JFK this fall. OTOH, I've skipped some out of town races that friends were doing, just because of the expense.

There are plenty of good races of all sorts within an easy drive of my home. When I stop to think about it, there is no need whatsoever to travel anywhere for any kind of race. Some would probably say that by doing an out of town race you meet new people and get new scenery. My take is that the people are nice, but so are the ones nearby. And scenery is nice, but I really don't notice it during the races themselves.

It can be really funny to hear runners talk about their travels to races if you pretend you're a non-runner listening in. You would hear things like: "Are you doing Chicago this year?", "I did Las Vegas and the logistics were so bad that I'll never to that one again", "At Boston they had this dual start", and on and on and on. Just funny.

Don't get me wrong. I'm part of this community myself. It's just that I occasionally try to view it through the eyes of a non-runner. Maybe an anthropologist.

ORN: 5 EXTREMELY slow miles today. I just couldn't wake up. I'll try to do better tomorrow.

today's run - 2007-08-12

I started slowly, but somehow managed to get 22 in today. It's always tough after a 10K, but this was pretty decent. I did the 11-mile substation loop, then slowly made it over to the track, where I picked up the pace, but not down to MP, then I made my way home. Decent Decent.

Green Family Y Caribbean 10K

Last year I was so proud of my record of three sub-40 10K's. Of course I've been disappointed when it hasn't been happening again this year. It just couldn't be that those 5-7 extra pounds that I'm carrying around would have something to do with this. No, it must be some kind of negative divine intervention or something.

So at the Orrville 10K a month and a half ago, I did 42 minutes flat, whereas last year it was just under 40. And at today's Green Family Y Caribbean 10K, I did 41:38, whereas last year it was 39:38. 41:38 isn't all that bad, but it still hurts when I compare it to my recent past. I suppose it won't help to mention that my GPS (I know: they're not always all that accurate) showed it as 6.31 miles, now would it? Even if I did factor that in, I would've had to also do so for last year's time, because the course was exactly the same.

Also - last year I was 1st in my AG, and this year I was third. They gave me a hat for that. The race is called "Caribbean" because as a door prize last year they gave away a trip for two to the islands. Some 18-year old won it. This year, it was a trip to anywhere AirTran flies, which I don't think includes the Caribbean. Unless maybe Jack Sparrow hijacks the plane or something. I didn't win again this year anyway.

Now I've got the Perfect 10-miler to look forward to next Sunday. Last year I did a really fantastic 63:51 there; one of my best 10's anywhere. Think I'll do anything like that again?? (small voice: "don't bet on it")

today's run - 2007-08-09

Another early morning run on the mill because of the early calls. This time 11 in 81.5 minutes, with a 5-mile MP run. More buckets of sweat. I may do another run later. Tough to get in 70 miles while taking two rest days a week.

today's running - 2007-08-08

12 on the mill including 8 x 1600 in 6:28. Buckets of sweat.

Later on, 3 across 303 in 25 in oppressive heat/humility. More buckets of sweat.

And yesterday, 08-07:

What a good run today. It was oppressive - near 80, with terrible humility, but I did the 11-mile new subs route in 83 and a half minutes, including a 3-mile tempo.

I successfully fought off that cold with zicam. Even so, I was very tired all day yesterday. Better today.

Tale of Two Towpath Traversals

Yesterday I ran with Dave, Dena, and Amy on the towpath and on some other trails. It was nice, and not quite as hot a day. 2:39 for about 18.

Today I met up with Dena and Amy on the towpath once again. They only did about 5, but I managed to do 20, including an elusive, of late, end-of-run tempo. So I'm happy about this one, but now I feel like I may be getting a cold. Taking zicam.

Yesterday we had Dave and Carol, and Kathy, Mike and Jessy along with Mom for chicken on the grill.

Fair and DRS Posts

We went to the Medina County Fair with Mom today. It was nice, but hot! And the junk food was good and fatening as expected.

Here are a coupla DRS posts:

Fat Charlie the Archangel wrote:
A lady who was just over 40 was stating that her training hadn't changed,
but that her race times had slowed. John Barbour (I believe) answered her
by saying that she should do what she's probably been unwilling to do -
RUN LESS.

Huh?

Mr. Jim Craig used to say "Jes mo' miles" - that for folks like us (yes, I'm
lumping myself in with Mr. Craig; I hope he doesn't mind, but we usually run
around the same times in the same races) - that for folks like us, the only
way to get faster is to run more miles.

some stuff removed...
Have any of you smart folks heard that we old folks should run LESS as we
get older? I've always sort of assumed that it was a Red Queen's Race - that
I'd have to keep running harder and harder to stay in the same place.


RW, RT, and all the other experts are always telling us how to run less, that we need to run less, that the older you are, the less you should run, that less is more, etc., etc. But there are a few contrarians out there. I think Coach George is one of them, and apparantly Mr. Jim Craig is too. I happen to mostly agree that it helps to run more, although there are other ways too.

It sure seems to me like I've been working harder to stay in the same place as I get older. I have increased my mileage some. I can't convince myself that I'd get better by running less. I just can't. And I don't subscribe to running publications in order for them to tell me how to run less. I want them to tell me how I can run more.

Also,,, I think we've hit on another recurring dead thread: improvement through higher volume. The prevailing concensus seemed to be that improvement can occur by adding more volume, up to about 70 miles per week, but it also helps to increase intensity as well. Once you reach 70 mpw, more volume in and of itself won't help you improve.

ORN: 10 slow, sweaty miles with Dave on the 'ole Broadview Heights/Brecksville/Richfield loop.

Dan Horvath





AND

Coach George the Contrarian, as expected and as always, made a very good argument for hard work and against the less is more theory.

One area where I'm reluctantly starting to agree with the established experts, however, is that we runners need more rest as we age. Trying to rest more, while keeping the volume up, of course, creates a problem.

I've attacked this dilemma by trying to take an extra rest day per week, whilst running somewhat longer on the days that I do run. I've also mostly eliminated two-a-days. The result is that I've kept my weekly mileage about the same, but now usually have two days completely off per week. I don't think this has hurt me; at least not much.

In my best running years, my late 30s and early 40s, I averaged about 2,800 miles per year. My weekly mileage would fluctuate pretty wildly, from 80 to 90 some weeks, to 30-40 others. It was mostly in the 60-65 mpw range during my most intense training weeks. And I think I averaged just below 8mpm for all the miles, although that fluctuated wildly too. Now these last 5 years or so have been different: I've done about 3,200 miles per year, with less fluctuation week to week. I do still try to take an easier week once per month or so. So I'm typically averaging 5-10 more per week, week in and week out. And now I'm doing them slower: just over 8 mpm.

The results? 10-15 years back, I was doing 10K's around 38 minutes and marathons around 3 hours. Nowadays I'm often a minute or two slower in the 10K, and 10 or so minutes slower in the thon. Slower, but not toooo bad. Yet. This is not to say that I don't think I'll ever get back to my former levels. I'm a legend in my own mind. Seriously, there's a MUCH greater correlation between my weight and my race times than there is between my age and my times. Or even, I think, my training and my times.

I'm pretty sure that the increased mileage is helping and not hurting me. Am I working harder to just stay at the same level. Hmmm. Mebbe.

PORN: Today is one of my two off-days. I'll run long tomorrow, and again on Sunday. I only wish this miserable long hot summer would come to a crashing end.

Dan

Dan Horvath

Today's Run - 08-02-07

Easy does it today - I did Dave's 10-mile loop with him in about 86 minutes. This heat makes it tough. Not to mention the last few runs.

Constant heat. 85-92 each and every day. Can't take much more of this.

Mom's coming to stay with us for a few days tonight.

Not gonna go on the cruise that Iris and Mike found because the price went up significantly. Looking into other cruises now, including some repositioning ones.

Today's Run - 2007-08-01

Another pretty good run today. It was warm, but not too very humid. Maybe low 70s. I started slow, but wanted to get a tempo run in, so I headed over to the track. There I did 3 nice consecutive 6:40s for a 19:52 tempo. Decent pace back, and I finished the 10 in 77 minutes. Not bad at all.

Today's Speedwork - 07-31-07

Another great speedwork/interval session today. This is encouraging after Sunday's stinker. I did the 'ole 3 x (1600, 1200, 800) - something I haven't done in a long while.

The session was controlled, steady, consistent, and progressively faster. Just what I wanted, and better.

6:30, 4:51, 3:03, 6:28, 4:48, 3:02, 6:22, 4:41, 3:00

Tale of Two Death Marches

Yesterday wasn't really that bad - just slow in the middle and end, but I *was* tired. I did 16++ on the towpath and old carriage trail with Dave and Amy. It was hot and humid, and those last couple were tough. Afterwards I helped Dave in his basement, and then I was *really* tired.

Today I was still tired, but decided to do the Lester Rail Trail 24. I started slow, and seemed to be holding my own, in spite of the rising heat and humility. Then I bumped into "Dan", a guy I met there, and we did my 13-18 together - way too fast for me. Those last 6 (by myself) were a real death march. At least I got through this one. 6Mi Splits: 53.5, 51.5, 47, 57.5. Altogether the 24 were in 2:09and change.

Today is Nikki Zielinski's wedding.

Gichi Gummi

Debbie and I had always wanted to drive all the way around Lake Superior. Going around the world’s largest freshwater lake would have been a long way from where we lived in Farmington Hills, Michigan. But from our Ohio home it would really be a fur piece. Regardless of the starting point, we hadn’t thought about it for a long while. Then came the dueling weddings and all the hoopla. Then came the cleanup and then came the “what’re we gonna do now?” question.

So Saturday came the wedding (the last one – the Cleveland version), Sunday came the propovini breakfast, and Monday came the cleanup and the question. Surprisingly, the same answer came back to both of us independently: Circumnavigate Gichi Gumi. After a brief discussion Monday morning, and some last minute packing and putting up of garden produce, we did something we never, ever, ever do: started a several-day road trip on the spur of the moment. We always plan things out way in advance; this time we were impulsive and spontaneous.

Only made it as far as Mt. Pleasant, Michigan after 5 hours of driving Monday afternoon and evening. At the Mackinac Bridge we would need to decide whether to head clockwise or counter-clockwise around the lake. Debbie said clockwise would be better so that we could make all right hand turns. I couldn’t stop laughing. Not that she was wrong; it’s just that it’s a big lake.

Counter-clockwise it was. 50+ miles north of the bridge we crossed over the Sault Ste. Marie straights into Canada. Since the Soo is the eastern end Gichi Goomi, I had assumed that we’d start traveling west soon thereafter. But noooo. We continued north along the lakeshore for many, many more miles. This part of Canada is strikingly beautiful. The views of the lake are great, and there are hills that are nearly mountains everywhere. The best part is Lake Superior Provincial Park. In the park, Agawa bay and Agawa rock were great places to stop.

After 10 hours of driving, and stopping and walking and gawking along the way, we made it to the hamlet of Marathon and a no-tell mo-tell for the night.

I don’t know why, but I had always been fascinated with Thunder Bay, Ontario. Nothing particular, just the concept of it. A remote city on the north shore of Lake Superior. And that name! Well, it is remote. And the name is still cool. But nothing really special about the town itself. Some industry and a tiny bit of history. Did I mention remote?

The drive through Canada continued to be beautiful, even though there was a rare all-day fog. The 160 miles from the US border to Duluth were also pretty, but eventually not quite as nice as the Canadian shores. Duluth itself is a very nice town though. After being lost for a bit, we found the harbor-front, ate, had ice cream, and a very nice long walk.

The next day we drove the entire length, and then even the width, of the U.P. Then we went on to drive back to Mt. Pleasant for our last night. Start to finish, that amounted to 14 ½ hours in the car, but you’d have to subtract two hours or so for sightseeing. But that sightseeing was great. We visited Holland Lake to bring back camping memories – more for Debbie, but for me as well. We’ve seen it when it’s quite deserted, but there were 5-6 camping parties around. The worst part is the Off-Road Vehicles. They ruined the place for us, esthetically speaking. Other than that, the place looked about the same. Debbie says she won’t need to see it again. We’ll see.

Along the way, we stopped for Grandma T’s pasties. They were filling!

Munising was beautiful as always. Some day I’d like to see the Pictured Rocks. We never seem to have the time.

Our last stop before heading back down was Whitefish Point and Whitefish Bay. There we toured the lighthouse and the connected living quarters. The highlight there is the shipwreck museum. There they have the bell from the Edmund Fitzgerald along with information and artifacts from several other area wrecks. Of course we’d been listening to The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald, by Gordon Lightfoot over and over, and of course they played it there, over and over. Sidenote: in November, 1975 I was in Atlanta on a business trip, when a hurricane came up from the gulf and (the remnants) went over our heads, heading north. It didn’t rain much, but I was fascinated by the clouds. This was the same storm that wrecked the Edmund Fitzgerald.

We looked out onto Gichi Gummi one last time (there’s a nice beach there), and then headed back.

We made 2,200 miles total.

The legend lives on from the Chippewa on down
Of the big lake they call Gitche Gumee
The lake, it is said, never gives up her dead
When the skies of November turn gloomy.

With a load of iron ore - 26,000 tons more
Than the Edmund Fitzgerald weighed empty
That good ship and true was a bone to be chewed
When the gales of November came early

The ship was the pride of the American side
Coming back from some mill in Wisconson
As the big freighters go it was bigger than most
With a crew and the Captain well seasoned.

Concluding some terms with a couple of steel firms
When they left fully loaded for Cleveland
And later that night when the ships bell rang
Could it be the North Wind they'd been feeling.

The wind in the wires made a tattletale sound
And a wave broke over the railing
And every man knew, as the Captain did, too,
T'was the witch of November come stealing.

The dawn came late and the breakfast had to wait
When the gales of November came slashing
When afternoon came it was freezing rain
In the face of a hurricane West Wind

When supper time came the old cook came on deck
Saying fellows it's too rough to feed ya
At 7PM a main hatchway caved in
He said fellas it's been good to know ya.

The Captain wired in he had water coming in
And the good ship and crew was in peril
And later that night when his lights went out of sight
Came the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.

Does anyone know where the love of God goes
When the words turn the minutes to hours
The searchers all say they'd have made Whitefish Bay
If they'd fifteen more miles behind her.

They might have split up or they might have capsized
They may have broke deep and took water
And all that remains is the faces and the names
Of the wives and the sons and the daughters.

Lake Huron rolls, Superior sings
In the ruins of her ice water mansion
Old Michigan steams like a young man's dreams,
The islands and bays are for sportsmen.

And farther below Lake Ontario
Takes in what Lake Erie can send her
And the iron boats go as the mariners all know
With the gales of November remembered.

In a musty old hall in Detroit they prayed
In the Maritime Sailors' Cathedral
The church bell chimed, 'til it rang 29 times
For each man on the Edmund Fitzgerald.

The legend lives on from the Chippewa on down
Of the big lake they call Gitche Gumee
Superior, they say, never gives up her dead
When the gales of November come early

Two Other Runs Whilst on the Trip

When we were in Duluth, I ran an extremely hilly 8 miles - slow going out and fast coming back.

We spent the last night back in Mt. Pleasant, so I had to hit the track once again this morning. I did the 20 x 400 10K workout for the first time this year. And, considering everything, it wasn't bad at all. I did the 400s in 90-94, and finished the whole 10K in 45 flat.

Wedding, Trip and Recent Running - 2007-07-24

The wedding went great. I think everyone, including the bride and groom, were extremely happy. Nothing to complain about. Sunday's breakfast was real good too, but half the people didn't make it. We wound up with a ton of leftovers. On Monday came the question: what the heck do we do now? The answer, of course, was to circumnavigate Gichi Gumi. See the post on that.

Sunday I was sooo tired. I managed 6 miles at 10-minute pace, and that was it!

Monday was off - I couldn't run at all.

I didn't expect Tuesday to be great either, but it was! After driving well into the evening Monday night, I though it would be another disaster of a run. But I found the Central Michigan U. track, and did the Yasso: 10 x 800. This was even better than last time. 3:08, 3:07, 3:08, 3:06, 3:05, 3:05, 3:04, 3:04, 3:00, 2:55. Average was 3:04. 10 miles total.

today's run - 2007-07-21

Big day today - the Cleveland version of Valerie and Dan's wedding.

I did 2 on the mill and then 18 on the towpath with Dave and Amy. So so pacing - tried and failed once again to do a tempo for last 3. Dave and I were talking too much.

Running Yesterday and Today

15 yesterday in the hood for 1:34 and 15 today on the towpath with Dave and Amy in 1:28. Both were EXTREMELY humid. Today's run included a failed attempt at a tempo run. Oh well.