Day 75: Sustainability

That's always the question, isn't it? Is it sustainable?

It's the question foremost on my mind as I begin this, and most other, interval workouts. Today I do my first of ten 800 meter repeats in 3:49. Will I be able to keep the rest under 3:50 as well?

The answer (good news) is, yes, I can. At least on this day. I average 3:43 and my last two were the fastest.

Although this worked well for me today, I need to hit the track more often.

This brings me to today's other thought. Something that happened a long time ago.

Cashier: "That will be one thirty-five."
Customer (who has done one too many 400m repeats): hands over a dollar and waits for his change.

Now. If I could only get back to doing 400 meters in 1:35.

Day 74: Les Miz on the Mill

It's been a while since I've watched a movie whilst on the mill. But since we'd gotten a copy of Les Miz from the library, I couldn't waste it. Two and a half hours. Thirteen and a half miles. Lots of tears (even more than usual).

Day 73: 2, 3, 3, 10, then 3

50 GVRAT days left. If I stay on schedule, I should reach 1,000 miles later this week, and 1,200 (all the way back across Tennessee) by early August.

Today's accidental long run helped. Although yesterday's long-run attempt was a miserable failure, I did manage a pretty good run today. At Hinckley, I break my runs up by segments, so I did an initial two miles, followed by two three-mile loops around the lake, followed by the big, hilly nine-mile loop, that I stretched out to ten in order to call this a long-run day. Not bad.

The last run was our family walk around the lake

Day 72: A Big Lie

This morning, I burst out the door, immediately attaining a good, solid pace that would carry me throughout today's long run. Things went so well that I managed to run even farther than planned. It was a great day for running, and I'm rightly proud of myself.

Nothing in that previous paragraph is even remotely true. I had planned on a long run, but I started so slowly - just walking pace - that things went south right away. It's a miracle that I got as many as eleven miles in this day.

Let's hope I can get back in the saddle again soon. I don't like having to lie.

Day 71: Brunswick Lake, and Other Circuits

It's about 6:00 AM, and I've arrived at Brunswick Lake. I usually run two to four one-mile loops around the lake before turning back toward home again. Today, it will be two and a half.

I pick it up a bit. This isn't saying a lot since my first three miles were agonizingly slow. But it occurs to me that I generally do better when I'm running loops. I wish I knew why. Maybe because I don't need to work about getting lost or getting hit by a car. But that's only a guess.

After a couple speedy miles, my pace slows a little for the trip back to the house. That's just the way I roll.

Day 70: Not Uranus

I did not see Uranus today. Or Neptune. But I did spot Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn. Oh, yes. And part of Earth. I think that accounts for all of them. At least all the currently designated ones.

Fireflies lit the sky today as I began my run on the Lester Rail Trail. Fireflies, and the Moon and the stars. And the planets.

I got eleven miles in, and it was a nice run. Until the deerflies began to wake up.

Day 69: Get Enough Sleep

Knowledgeable athletes, including distance runners, are well aware of the importance of getting enough sleep. World-class runners reportedly get much more than other people, and the mid-day nap is an important part of their routine.

Although I am not quite world-class (I am still working on it), I also endeavor to get enough sleep. Based on my experience, it's of extreme importance, but there are other things to consider. One is probably how much time before waking to begin the run. Of course, caffeine figures importantly into that equation. Also, the relationship between the amount of sleep the previous night before a run does not appear to be nearly as important as the overall amount of sleep over a period of days, perhaps even weeks.

I can go out for a run the morning after an awful night's sleep (this happened yesterday), and still have a decent performance. This often happens for races, as pre-race nerves can be a factor. Yet if I don't get enough rest (including naps) over several days, I know my running will also suffer. It's possible that the amount of sleep two nights before a run have a greater influence than that of the night before. In any case, I'm certain that the amount of sleep over a relatively long period of time is what's most important.

My own sleep habits have greatly improved since my retirement. A very rough estimate would put it in the neighborhood of an hour more per day. How has my running been affected? One shouldn't put too fine on this, but I think it's improved, perhaps a great deal. Volume, for sure. Speed, maybe not so much. But that may be entirely because of the increased volume. And it may not be so bad anyway. Most importantly, I have been largely injury-free.

And that's a good thing.

Day 68: Lying Awake, Wondering if there is a Dog

Did you hear about the dyslexic, agnostic, insomniac? He kept himself awake at night wondering if there is a dog.

1:30 AM: I am lying awake, figuring that it's an even bet whether I'll fall back asleep or not. It also occurs to me that hey - with all this extra time, I can make this morning's run a long one. I truly had not been thinking about this last night before bed. I'd been thinking that I may consider doing elevenish miles to make up for coming up short of ten yesterday.

2:15 AM: Whoa. It appears that I did fall back asleep. At least a little. Now I'll begin getting ready for that long run.

3:15 AM: Double whoa. I fell back asleep again. But I'm really getting up this time. I mean it!

4:00 AM: I'm becoming woke. I'd been working towards getting out the door by four, but I've only had two of three huge mugs of coffee. I pour the rest and also have some toast with jam and an apple.

4:30 AM: The run begins. It's ridiculously warm and still. The current heatwave has, so far, featured relatively comfortable humidity and relatively cool nights. Those days are now gone. The heatwave isn't fooling around anymore. I notice the nearly full moon, then nearby Saturn and Jupiter. In the middle of the sky I spot Mars, and then Venus rising in the East.

5:30 AM: Time for a necessity stop after those five one-mile loops in the subdivision. Afterward, I bring some water and gel with me as I jog over to the track. Only 13 to go.

6:00 AM: I crawl under the fence as usual. I will plan to do around seven miles here before my return. The sunrise is pretty.

6:30 AM: My pace, which had been extremely slow, has now picked up. I would call it. 'respectable'. I mostly hold to it while I'm here running in circles.

7:30 AM: I took a gel and I'm going home. Whoa. I'm tired, sore, and beat-up. I slow down. Then I slow down some more.

8:00 AM: The final three miles have been totally awful, but I've made it back home. Barely.

Day 67: When Coffee Doesn't Work, Part 215

Readers of this blog may remember some of my previous posts about coffee, the most recent being only a couple weeks ago. Usually, coffee does it's intended duty quite well, but other times it doesn't seem to work well at all. Today was one of those latter days. I call it sleep-running.

Maybe I'll be more woke for tomorrow's run.

Day 66: Back in the Hinckley Saddle

What with travel and most notably, the Coronavirus, I have hardly been doing any of my used-to-be-weekly Hinckley 9-mile runs. In fact, I've only done a couple this entire year, and none since early March. But today, I was back.

I've written about the Hinckley Nine before. I've listed the instances (I've done lots more since this list was published), and I've written about doing multiple loops, sometimes as many as three.

I realized how much I missed it. I missed the hills. I missed running with my friends. Today, it was good - real good - to be back. I was joined by running friends Julie Boggs, Dennis Amstutz, and Theresa Wright. The morning was cool and pretty, the hills - especially Effie - were challenging, and I loved my run.

Now then. Next week starts the big push.

Day 65: State Route Sizzler

Every Fourth of July, the Medina Square comes alive with activity related to the Twin Sizzler. It's a bunch of running and biking events, and it's always tons of fun. This year, like nearly all running events, it has been postponed. Although this is completely understandable, it's still sad.

Enter the Medina County Road Runners. Even though the Sizzler isn't a club event, it always sees high participation from MCRR. In the race's absence, the club held a fun and safely distancing (non) event called the State Route Sizzler. To keep the runners safely distant from one another, we started in three (it was going to be four) different directions from the Square, all on state routes (18, 42, 3). Each route was just out and back to the Gazebo.

My randomly chosen direction was East on 18. I started slow, and each mile got slower. But it was tons of fun. It was so great to see everyone before, during, and after the run.

Just after sizzling

I also ran a bunch before and after the sizzling. My warmup (and it was literally warm) was actually faster than my race.

I had a blast on the Fourth!

Day 64: I Won't be Long

I have managed to get a long run in every week since GVRAT began the first of May. Even though this week ain't over yet, it's beginning to look like it will be a break in the streak. Why, you ask? Let me count the ways.

1) I'm still recovering from last Saturday's 60K run. Nuff said.
2) My toe hurts. It's the big one on my right foot. It hurts a lot. What caused this? See item one.
3) Today was going to be the day (because I will be involved with a club event), but I ran out of time. I got 13 in.
4) I'm just plain tired.

Today's run was on the Lester Rail Trail with Andy and Michelle Wolff. It was a pretty, but very warm morning. 13 miles was less than I'd been originally considering, but at least it's more than the usual ten.

Day 63: Please Excuse the Fartlek

I don't always fartlek, but when I do, I make sure everyone knows about it. That, my friends, is the purpose of this post.

Starting out, I don't have much in the way of specific goals. That is, other than to run ten or more miles. And there's also that thought that something of substance would be a plus. When I get to my course decision point, I determine that it would be best to head North to North Park.

Once I hit the asphalt lake trail, I pick it up to tempo pace. And once I start running those eight-ish paced miles, I must continue. Five loops equal two miles, and things seem to be going well. When that's completed, I start running back to the South, trying hard to keep the pace going for at least one more mile.

I do it! The third mile is slightly slower than the other two, but I'll gladly take it. There are days when I am able to continue going at this pace - sometimes for the entire final three-mile distance home. But I slow down to catch my breath. Today will not be one of those days.

I do manage some short intervals at a slightly faster, up-tempo pace. I try to continue these until I arrive back home. Fartlek: it's not just for breakfast anymore.

Day 62: A Bite in the @$$ (actually more than one)

It's just beginning to get light when I sit down on the front porch to don my running shoes. As I'm about to get up, I look down to see 12,000 ants having a non-social-distancing party in and around the spot just recently occupied by my butt. My immediate reaction is to do a crazy dance and slap at my shorts and legs. Since it was early, the neighbors probably aren't looking, and that's a good thing. I never actually see any ants on my person, but I keep scratching my butt as I'm running. I eventually wind up with welts there, but I'm not sure whether the cause was ants or just scratching.

Eleven itchy, scratchy miles today.