Tales of 2024 PCB Running

Here are some random stories of my running in Panama City Beach in January and February 2024. You may find some of them interesting and amusing. Or not... Read at your own risk.

~

"Earn this," says the Tom Hanks character to the Matt Damon character in Saving Private Ryan. It's my theme for today's run.

I had packed an overnight bag for our stopover in Pulaski, TN on our way to Panama City Beach. I knew I probably wouldn't feel a whole lot like running there on New Year's Day, but I had to do it anyway. A lot of clothing (cold weather had been forecasted) for a very short run.

Short it was - only 3 or so slow miles around Pulaski. But at least I started the year off right. I earned it.

~

It's January 2nd, and I'm running my Beachside Six route. Twice. This route is my old stand-by; I've done it many, many, many times whilst staying at Beachside Resort here in PCB. It feels very familiar this morning.

The weather is cool, yet pretty and clear. I start slow, but each mile gets slightly faster. By the time I'm on my second go-around, it's getting lighter and I'm moving ever faster. My final three miles are fast enough to be considered tempo pace, and my last mile is my best.

It's Something of Substance, and it's a good thing to kick off my running down here.

~

Panama City Beach Conservation Park. It's where long runs get done. I've written about PCBCP before, most recently in last year's PCB running post. Well, guess what? I'm back. After a couple of easy days, it's now time for a long run. I know: it's been less than a week since the Brunswick Marathon but hey, I've got the Big Beach Marathon (BBM) coming up at the end of January.

It occurs to me that I can classify the long runs I've done here as A) Went as well as could possibly be expected, B) I got through it, but I only just managed to get the distance done, or F) A complete and total failure. Surprisingly, I've had very few F's and arguably more A's than B's. What would today bring?

I begin in the dark. The stars are beautiful. By about 6:00 AM, I'm a couple of miles into the run and it's already beginning to get light. As I often do, I'm running the first 9.5-mile loop around the park perimeter counter-clockwise, and the second one clockwise. This is so that the bright rising sun doesn't bother my eyes too much during the long east-facing parts of the trail as it's getting ever higher. 

It doesn't work. As I'm completing the final miles of loop one, the sun is already as blinding as it can get, and it's unavoidable - no shade or turns to help me avoid it. The counter-clockwise loop is better in this regard; there are fewer areas of bright sunlight shining directly into my eyes. I should probably just run all my loops here in this direction.

Although I start slow, my pace gradually improves during the first nine. This bodes well for the second half of my run. I take a gel and some water, and sure enough, my per-mile pace continues to improve during the first half of loop 2. Until it doesn't. I slow down and struggle to make it all the way to the finish. How to grade such a thing?

It's a B; I made the desired distance (19 miles, although I'd had thoughts of running one or two more), but I didn't quite continue improving my pace throughout the run. Maybe I can improve on this.

PCB Conservation Park

PCB Conservation Park

~

After that long run, I also managed to do another tempo run yesterday. Today's goal is a Yasso workout. I will do two Beachside Six circuits and in the process, complete ten 1/2-mile pickups. As usual (and due to my time goal for my upcoming marathon), I will attempt to do each repeat in four minutes or a little better. I've done this kind of thing before.

It's dark, cool, and windy, and I can't get motoring very well for the first one and my time is 4:20 or so. Not good. I manage to speed up just a little for my next few, but they're still well slower than 4 minutes. I am finally getting closer to that four-minute goal as I complete my sixth repeat during the first 6-mile loop. But that didn't go so well; I've now got four more to do during my second loop - maybe they will be better.

They aren't. The times wind up about the same. And I'm exhausted. I shuffle through the rest of the run, slightly disappointed. My average 800 time is around 4:09. I need to do better.

One slightly good piece of news comes when I look back at my runs from last year at this time. Those 800s are actually a bit slower, but I improved from there. Can I do that again?

~

As I'm getting out of bed, the tornado warning goes off on our phones. It's in effect until 6:00 AM. By the time 6:30 rolls around, I can see that it has stopped raining, so out and about I go. 

It is SUPER windy! But that makes it sort of fun. I am aware that I could possibly be hit by debris, so I'm on the lookout for that. I don't get far - just a couple of close-by miles. 

By the time I return, it's raining sideways again, and the wind has picked up even more. I am greeted by a worried wife, who informs me that there is yet another tornado warning.

Jan. 9: Strong wind, rain, and tornadic activity

~

This is going to be a very important long run. Yes, they’re all important, but this one, two and a half weeks out from BBM, is especially so. My first step onto the trail at PCB Conservation Park is a slick and muddy one. So is the second, third, and all those that follow. It appears that the trails have still not dried out from Tuesday’s storms. Keen readers of my blog posts may be aware that I hate mud. I decide early on that I am not going to put up with it today.

But I will not be deterred from completing my twenty miles today. Good thing I had an alternate plan: Gayle’s Trails. Named after a former PCB mayor, these bike trails are flat and straight, and go on forever. They connect Conservation Park with Frank Brown Park as well as other areas. They’re just the ticket for me today.

 
Some of my running friends don’t like straight-shot running venues. They wouldn’t like Gayle’s Trails. Some of them don’t like running around in circles. They wouldn’t like Frank Brown Park, where I’m doing several others of today’s miles. But for me on this day, it all seems to work out.

The first few miles in the dark are slow. By about mile three, it’s getting light and I find myself at Frank Brown Park. Once there, I run several loops. The longest loop around is about two miles. I do some in the interior of the park as well – that’s where the public restrooms and water fountains can be found amongst the baseball fields. By about mile ten, I am emerging from this park. I can go West and return back to Conservation Park. It’s a little over two miles that way. Or I can go East to some new (to me) areas. I choose the latter.

At about this time, I also finally manage to get my pace down below ten minutes per mile. Now, I had better keep it there. In fact, it would be nice to finish even faster, but we’ll see about that.

I explore East and South about as far as I can before I turn back. As I pass the spur back to Frank Brown Park, I am happy to report that I’ve kept the pace steady. But now, with only a few miles left, I try to go even faster. Success. I manage to run miles 17 and 18 at around nine minutes per mile. Once back at Conservation Park, I ease up just a little for my final two.

It’s been a pretty good long run. Not spectacular, but pretty darn good.

Gayle's Trails

~

Yasso this workout is better than that last one. It's cold and windy, and a couple of the 800s went above the magic four-minute barrier, but the rest were below. Improvement is good. Now, when does it get easy? 'Cause this one was a sonofab!tch!

~

They are building a blacktop bike path along Back Beach Road. Although it will eventually extend much closer, today I have to run three miles to get to the closest completed section. It's Sunday, so they're not working on it. The mile or so that I run on it is smooth, and I have it all to myself. So the good news is that the path is nice for running, but the bad news is that it still runs along a very busy four-lane divided highway that's never more than 25 feet away. Knowing all this, I suppose that if I don't like it, it's my own asphalt.

~

Time for another long run, probably my last before BBM. There is rain in the forecast, but how bad can that be? The first raindrops appear during my first few steps. That's okay. I can handle it. Then the wind kicks in. It's not too cold, and being dressed appropriately, I can handle it. Then the temperature drops about 15 degrees within a half-hour. I can handle that too. Then the wind, the rain, and the cold all intensify further, and all at once. I can't handle it!

My planned 18-miler turns into a quite miserable 9-miler. After some pretty good running over the past couple of weeks, I finally landed a stinker.

~

I encounter my first sea cucumber of the year. I nudge it with my shoe to see if it's alive. Frozen solid. If it could talk, I think it would say that at the moment, it is not a happy sea cucumber. Why am I running on the beach? I usually don't (in fact, this is my first such run this year), because a) the sand is soft, and b) it's slanted. But since it's 25F with a windchill in the teens, I figure it won't be an A run anyway.

Not another soul on the beach for my first three (of the four) miles; I have it all to myself. It's beautiful.

~

After this week's weather and other challenges, today is the day. It's really and truly my final long run before BBM. This time, I'm back at PCB Conservation Park for my usual: two 9.5-mile loops. I'm a little nervous and apprehensive. But guess what? It goes well. The first loop is slow and easy, and the second is excellent, with 3 of the final 4 miles under 9 minutes. I'll call it an A.

~

"Running: We don't do it because it's easy; we do it because we thought it would be easy." I smile about this fav meme of mine as I arrive at the Arnold H.S. track for the first time this year. It's to be my third Yasso workout though, and I'm anticipating that it'll also be my best. Yeah, it's 33F and the wind is extreme, but really - how hard could this run be?

Pretty darn hard. The first 800 almost kills me, and the four-minute flat time is mildly disappointing. I'd hoped to do all ten under four today. Maybe the rest will be better, and maybe it will get easier. Nope. At least, not yet. Numbers two and three are also four-flat, and also not at all easy. But finally, the sun begins to rise, and so (slightly) does the temperature as well as my speed. Numbers four through ten are under four, and I finally feel a little better still.

Overall, it's a second per 800 faster than my last Yasso. But no easier. Someday.

~

It's early Sunday morning, and I'm exploring. When there's no traffic, it opens the opportunities up a bit. Today I cross over usually-busy Back Beach Road to run on some of the roads that I almost never get to. I run along Lake Powell where possible. Exploring is a good thing.

~

I'm putting in a couple of beach miles. Although I usually don't, this seems like a good way to taper. BBM, you see, is tomorrow. The weather should be good, so I will have to dig deep to find adequate excuses.

~

I run the BBM. Click here to see the race report.

~

Gonna be a down week. At least that's my Monday thought. On Tuesday, I'm still sore, but I manage a slow ten miles. Will I be able to (fairly) quickly get back to where I was?

~

Nope. Those somewhat high hopes of a strong week fall away with today's painfully slow one and a half beach miles. Okay, maybe I still need the rest. But January is done, and I ran each and every day of it. Today's miles were the fewest of any. Now, what will February bring?

~

This Gulf is pretty darn cold. I think the water is a not-too-bad 60F these days, but the air is 45F right now. It's only the second time this year that I've gone in to cool off the 'ole legs after a run. I ought to do more of this... When it warms up a bit.

~

There's a pinecone standing up on the trail in front of me. It looks like T'd-up a football, I think. Time to try a field goal! I run up to it and kick away. I knew going in that I would have to go low to get underneath it enough to launch it up toward my imaginary uprights. As much as I try to do this, I don't. My foot hits the top and the pinecone/football just dribbles down and along the path for a foot or two. Meanwhile, I have nearly pulled a muscle from the unusual leg motion. I luckily (barely) avoid winding up on my back ala Charlie Brown.

It's a good metaphor for today's run: a complete and total failure that had started with high hopes. Personal ambition went from this being a B run to an F. And that was mostly about the time when the fateful kick from hell occurred.

So it was the long run that wasn't. That's okay; it's only five days from BBM. Maybe I'll be recovered in another 24 hours or so.

~

For my second long-run attempt since BBM, I decide to run from Beachside Resort instead of driving to Conservation Park or anywhere else. This time, I've had a few additional days to recover. But how to get to 18 miles? Well, I can do three 6's, a 10 and a 6 and a 2, 9 out-and-back, or just run. If all this reminds you of the First Citywide Change Bank, it should. Here are the links to the two SNL skits - 1 and 2.  Regardless of what I decide, it's generally better to have a plan since failure to plan is a plan to fail. I land on the three 6's idea.

As usual, I change my mind within the first quarter-mile. Hey, I think, why not run over to Conservation Park, then hit Gayle's Trails at that point? By my rough on-the-run estimate I may be able to get as far as Frank Brown Park and back for the day. Guess what? It works out.

I arrive at Conservation Part at a bit before mile 6. At this point, I could hit the dirt trails there, but after some water, I decide to do Gayle's Trails as originally conceived. Another three-ish and I'm at Frank Brown Park, getting more water and a bathroom break. Now, all I have to do is get back home.

The sun is rising and I'm picking up the pace, but the fatigue is also setting in. Nevertheless, mile 14 (back down to Back Beach Parkway) is my fastest, so far. I somehow manage to hold this better pace for the final four miles. An average run somehow became a pretty good ones.

~

Although most of my running is on the roads and the trails at Conservation Park, I still do run a couple of miles on the beach now and then. Today, I took my camera along for my beach run.

The Shadow Knows

~

What got into Dan today? Let me tell you: 2 mugs of coffee, about two dozen grapes, one breakfast bar, two gels, and two 100-mg caffeine pills. The result? One pretty-good 9.5-mile loop around Conservation Park followed by one pretty=great 9.5-mile loop. That second one, at a 9:03 pace, was my fastest-ever run there.

~

I fartleked the other day. Been trying to quit, but sometimes I just can't help myself. There's a separate post about it, so click here for all the details. Today, a Yasso was on the agenda. That means speed-work and not speed-play (aka fartlek). Other than said fartlek and some tempo-paced runs, I've done nothing of substance since BBM. But (and it's a Big Butt) I've otherwise been running fairly well. Anyway, we're more than half-way through February, and yet here I am, being a bum. Well, time to get off that bum. And do something of substantial substance.

For at least the fourth time, I skip the Seaside School Half Marathon because although it's nearby, it's also a logistical hassle and quite expensive. In its place, this Yasso run will be quite a serious effort. I even don my fast shoes.

The Back Beach 10-mile course. Ten half-mile repeats. Cool and breezy. It all seems to work out. I manage to keep them all under four minutes for a 3:49 average. I'll take it.

~

The crushed limestone on this part of the PCB Conservation Park Orange trail is not crushed so well. In other words, the stones are a little bigger here. Shouldn't be a problem for someone who picks up his feet when he runs. Unfortunately, that's not me. As I'm running along, I somehow kick one stone up an inch or two, and it lands back on top of my left-foot long (Morton's) toe. "EEEOW," I yell. How could such a stupid thing hurt so much and so suddenly? And how could such a stupid thing even happen to me?

Such questions are unanswerable. 

And that's not even the only crazy thing that happens during this run. I'm half-way through my first 9.5-mile loop (and the peace and quiet is wonderful) when a startlingly loud noise comes from the vicinity of my butt.  No, it's not what you think. It's an Amber Alert that couldn't have come at a more inopportune time. 

Despite all this insanity, I have myself a pretty good run. I complete the first circuit in 1:37:56 for a 10:16 pace, and the second one in 1:23:31 for a 8:48 pace and an FKT (Fastest Known Time) here. That's even better (way better) than the last time.

~

This is an experiment. Since we're leaving in two days, I'm doing my last run at Conservation Park. It's warm and sunny but breezy. I wonder what will happen if I don't take in any extra caffeine (other than my usual amount of coffee) or energy gel. Will I still be able to run as well as I have been here? Last week's FKT is probably out of reach, but perhaps I can still run fairly well.

Then a funny thing happens. I do run well. The mile splits for my second loop get faster and faster, and it almost looks like I can come close to that FKT. Alas. I slow up just a bit in the final two miles (the wind got to me, not to mention the fatigue) and I wind up with a 1:25+ for a 8:58 pace. I suppose you could call this a SFKT (Second-Fastest Known Time). I'm pretty pleased with it.

~

I finish my time here the way it started: by running the Beachside Six course. It's at tempo pace, and I'm pretty happy with it. 

I ran every single day in January and February. It's been mostly pretty darn good.

I fartlek in your general direction

"I don't want to talk to you no more, you empty-headed animal-food-trough wiper. I fart in your general direction." ~ French Soldier in Monty Python and the Holy Grail

"The only thing that bothers me is if I'm in a restaurant and I'm eating and someone says, "Hey, mind if I smoke?" I always say, 'No. Mind if I fart?'" ~ Steve Martin

We here at Dan Horvath's Running Blog have high ethical and moral standards. All types of Toilet humor, potty, and scatological humor is strictly off the table. (Maybe on the seat, but most assuredly NOT on the table.) So don't look for any fart humor here, (other than the initial two quotes).

It's about time for some fartlek, I think. I've been running slow and easy a little too much lately. Thus, a little fartlek is just what the doctor ordered. 

Fartlek, aka Speedplay, is a distance runner's training approach developed in the late 1930s by Swedish Olympian Gösta Holmér. In its widely adapted contemporary forms, fartlek training is alternating periods of faster and slower running, sometimes over natural terrain. It differs from traditional interval training by being less structured. To put it another way, traditional intervals can be thought of as speed work, whilst unstructured off-and-on speed running can be considered speed play, or fartlek.

After a mile of warmup, I let loose with the fartlek. Guess what? It all comes out pretty well. I run slow and slower, slow and slower, mixing it up. Others on the roads and sidewalks do not seem too offended. The entire ten-mile run winds up being just fine. 

It's all very satisfying.

Dan's Darn Data

My Garmin Forerunner 45

Data is my life. Maybe not quite so much as when I was a Project Planning Analyst who spent his working life measuring and analyzing project and software data. But data and its measurement is still in my bones. I’m now on my fourth (I think) Garmin Forerunner device, and for a runner who loves data, it’s the cat’s meow. I don’t have to guess anymore, and I have access to more data than even I know what to do with.

Feedback is important and helpful to activities that are being measured, as running is. For most of my running, especially that being done with friends and/or some of the daily, not-so-critical runs, I’m not so concerned with an individual training performance. But I am indeed keen on measuring some training runs and especially races. These are the instances where feedback is critical. Generally, the more instant, the better. But feedback over longer times and distances can help as well.

There are, of course, many individual differences in this regard. Some of my running friends, including some very good runners, care much less about measurement than I do. But then, most people on the planet care much less about measurement than I do. I’m weird; I know.

In this post, I am going to discuss the Garmin Data Fields that I use, and how I use them. I hope this information will be helpful. These are available on my device, the Forerunner 45. It’s possible that other models may have other data fields, perhaps even some very useful ones. But I can’t imagine any that might be better than these for providing instant and subsequent feedback for runners. Please leave a comment if you know of any.

The Garmin Forerunner 45 allows the user to define and configure data screens using the various fields. I prefer to display three fields per screen. I’ll show the screens and fields that I use and how I use them.

Screen 1 – Distance, Timer, Pace

This screen comes up first once my device acquires the satellites. For many daily runs, it’s all I bother to use. It provides the most basic data that I want to be made aware of: how far have I run, how long have I been running, and what pace am I going. Here are the Garmin field definitions.

Distance

The distance traveled for the current track or activity.

Timer

The stopwatch time for the current activity.

Pace

The current pace.

Screen 2 – Lap Distance, Lap Timer, Lap Pace

This screen comes up second for me. I use Garmin Laps for both laps and what they call Intervals. My Lap distance is set at one mile, so anytime I run more than a mile, I get more than one Lap. Some runners fine-tune their lap distance for various runs or races. For example, some may want to set the Lap distance to 1 kilometer for a 5K race. Since I don’t use Intervals, when I do run an interval workout, I simply press the Lap button when I want to record the beginning or end of an interval. This way I get to include the recoveries as well as the faster running. Whether or not you use Garmin Intervals, you would probably agree that the Lap feature is best for races of any distance. I keep this screen for most of the time for most races, tempo runs, and as mentioned, interval workouts. During a race, I can tell at a glance how far I’ve run for the current mile (my Lap distance), the elapsed time for this mile, and most useful of all, the anticipated split, aka the Lap Pace. I can’t overemphasize the importance of Lap Pace to my running. Whereas the Pace field tells me my pace at any instant, it can vary widely and does not provide a good overall picture of how I’m doing. By showing the anticipated split, Lap Pace really lets me know how I’m doing. At the start of each mile, it can vary by quite a bit, but then, as the mile progresses, it becomes more and more accurate and more and more steady. It allows me to constantly monitor how I’m doing. If you learn nothing else from this post, let this be it: USE LAP PACE for your racing!

Lap Distance

The distance traveled for the current lap.

Lap Time

The stopwatch time for the current lap.

Lap Pace

The average pace for the current lap.

Screen 3 – Distance, Heart Rate, Average Pace

I use this screen less often, but it’s handy when I do want to know one of these metrics. I show distance redundantly here for perspective on the other two fields. I do relatively little monitoring of my heart rate during runs. It can be interesting to look at later, and it’s interesting to compare it with perceived effort and to observe it by lap or over the entire run. But if I do want to know my heart rate in real-time, it’s here. Of course, I’m aware that some runners may a great deal of attention to their HR and HR Zone for training runs. I don’t. I probably should. The Average Pace field is interesting. It’s the average pace over the entire run up to this point. So it’s a little bit like the Lap Pace field but over the entire distance instead of for the current mile.

Distance

The distance traveled for the current track or activity.

Heart Rate

Your heart rate in beats per minute (bpm). Your device must have wrist-based heart rate or be connected to a compatible heart rate monitor.

Average Pace

The average pace for the current activity.

Screen 4 – Clock

Clock is not one of the official Garmin data fields, so I don’t know how I managed to configure this screen. But sometimes it’s handy to know the current time without messing up the data for a run currently in progress.

As noted, I use Screen 1 the most, and sometimes I don’t even look at the others. Also as noted, I use Screen 2 the most for intense training and for racing. When I do want to change, however, it’s quite easy to toggle between them.

Big Beach Marathon Race Report

The event is the Big Beach Marathon in Gulf Shores, Alabama. Gulf Shores is a very beachy place, and they do a great job with their marathon. Most importantly, they arranged for good running weather today.

Me, Andy, and Michelle at the start

I meet up with Michelle and Andy Wolff. They had done yesterday's 7K run, which took place in rainstorm of biblical proportions. Today is infinitely better. I talk with Andy a bit during the first mile, and then I slowly reel in the 4-Hour Pace Group, catching them by around mile 2. That was harder than it should have been.

The group is led by a guy who appears to be out for an easy-peasy jog. He keeps a pretty good pace, and I tuck in with the group for several miles. Now, running these nine-minute miles is starting to feel easy. Too Easy. Control yourself, Dan.

I don't. I get out ahead of them for some middle miles, but then they get ahead of me a few times as well. This hide and seek stuff is probably not good for me. I should just stay on an even keel and not get ahead of them at all. I do. This works just fine. Until it doesn't.

The course has been taking us all around and through Gulf State Park. It's entirely on the nice, quiet paved trails therein. Except when it isn't. It isn't when it's on elevated boardwalks. There hasn't been a whole lot of those boardwalks, until about mile 17. From then on, there are tons of them. It seems like two or more miles of boards through the park campground around miles 17-19. After we finally get back to terra firma, I move out ahead of the pace group for what I hope is the last time.

Whereas their nine-minute miles had still felt easy, my slightly faster miles are now feeling just right. Until they don't. I slow back down a bit as we hit even more boardwalks in the last few miles. The icing on the cake is the hill up to the pedestrian bridge over the highway. That slows me down a lot.

Until it doesn't. I try to pick it up on the downhill side, but then I get tripped up (but manage to not do a faceplant) on one of the last ten or so boards of the day. I suppose I should be happy that that's the only time that happened, considering my running style and the sheer number of boards.

Now there's only about a mile and a quarter to go. The weather has been absolutely wonderful. Until now, when it isn't. The wind, which hasn't been bad, stands me up and slows me down. I struggle through a slow final mile, but I manage to finish in a vertical position.

My time is 3:57, good for a 9:03 pace. That's good for first in my ancient age group. Nice race on a good day. Had I been able to run those final two miles as fast as the others, it would have been an even more-than-good day.

My loot - the lunch container and the plaque are from the AG win

A couple later additions, care of the race.

At the finish

My Major Award(s)

The Crucial Role of Rest in Intense Marathon Training

I awoke this morning thinking about rest. I've had some relatively intense running experiences lately, and that's good. But rest is just as important. Here is some further information about the importance of rest.

Embarking on a marathon training journey is an endeavor that demands dedication, discipline, and perseverance. While the focus is often on rigorous workouts, long runs, and meticulous nutrition, one aspect that is frequently underestimated is the importance of rest. In the pursuit of peak performance, runners must recognize that rest is not a luxury but a crucial component of successful marathon training.

Understanding the Physical Stress of Marathon Training

Marathon training subjects the body to significant physical stress. Long runs, interval training, and speed workouts place strain on muscles, joints, and connective tissues. Continuous exertion without adequate recovery can lead to overtraining, increasing the risk of injuries, fatigue, and burnout. Recognizing the signs of overtraining, such as persistent fatigue, decreased performance, and increased susceptibility to illness, is pivotal for athletes aiming to achieve their marathon goals.

Muscle Repair and Adaptation

Rest plays a pivotal role in the recovery and adaptation process. During intense training, muscle fibers undergo micro-tears, which is a natural part of the strength-building process. Rest days allow these muscles to repair and grow stronger, reducing the risk of overuse injuries. Moreover, rest is crucial for the body to replenish glycogen stores, repair damaged tissues, and regulate hormonal balance, all of which are essential for optimal performance.

Preventing Mental Fatigue

The toll of marathon training extends beyond the physical realm to the mental domain. Constantly pushing the body without adequate rest can lead to mental fatigue, diminishing focus, motivation, and overall well-being. Incorporating rest days or lighter training sessions provides athletes with the mental respite needed to sustain enthusiasm and commitment throughout the demanding training period.

Mitigating the Risk of Injuries

Overtraining increases the likelihood of injuries, such as stress fractures, tendonitis, and muscle strains. Rest days or periods of reduced intensity give the body an opportunity to heal and prevent the accumulation of stress on vulnerable areas. Cross-training activities, such as swimming or cycling, on rest days can provide a low-impact alternative to maintain cardiovascular fitness while minimizing the risk of overuse injuries.

Optimizing Performance on Race Day

The ultimate goal of marathon training is to peak on race day. Adequate rest in the weeks leading up to the event is essential for ensuring that the body is fully recovered and primed for optimal performance. Tapering, a strategic reduction in training volume and intensity in the final weeks, allows the body to recover fully, maximizing energy reserves and fine-tuning neuromuscular coordination.

Conclusion

In the pursuit of marathon glory, athletes must recognize that rest is not a hindrance but an integral part of the training process. Balancing intense workouts with adequate rest is key to preventing overtraining, minimizing the risk of injuries, and optimizing overall performance. By prioritizing recovery and incorporating rest days into their training regimen, marathon runners can ensure that they arrive at the starting line prepared, resilient, and ready to conquer the challenge that lies ahead.

P.S. 

this sounds at all like it was written by ChatGPT, well, that's just a coincidence. Actually, it was, but I did formulate the question and I did add my two cents here and there. Hope you liked having AI tell you how to run.

2023 Brunswick Marathon Race Report

2023 marks the sixth running of the Brunswick Marathon. For the first time, there is a new course; the race now begins and ends at Plum Creek County Park, and takes place mostly on county and city all-purpose trails. Runners begin in the park and then use the new Brunswick Greenway Trail to head up towards Brunswick Lake. The trail isn't complete yet, so runners use some city streets to make it all the way to the lake. There, they circumnavigate the lake and return to Plum Creek. This makes about 6.5 miles: a quarter-marathon.

Only four loops - should be a piece of cake. 35F and light rain - couldn't be better weather. Horvath is going into the race with an attitude: he's going to finish the thing no matter what. Fifteen or so of his best friends line up for the early-morning start at Plum Creek.

He runs the first loop with Debbie Hicks and a few others. It's way too fast.

He's all alone on the second loop when he encounters a cul-de-sac. That's significant because Horvath is not only the race director, but he's also the course architect, and he shouldn't be here. He realizes that he missed a turn. Sometimes it's good to pay attention. It's just a little bonus quarter-mile or so.

He starts loop three. Finally, someone to run with. It's Michelle Wolff, who accompanies him for a mile or so. Then, as they see some of other friends going the other way Michelle also turns, he's alone again. Frank Dwyer is up ahead. He probably won't be able to catch FD (like he used to, a long time ago), but he can try. The rain and drizzle comes and goes. That part's getting old.

For lap four, Horvath is still trying to catch Mr. Dwyer. But it's not getting any easier. Many of the others are done running for the day. The good thing is that although he's slowed down a little, he's still keeping nearly all his miles under ten minutes. A steady pace is a good thing. The best part is that the off-and-on rain has changed to off-and-on snow. It's a pretty sight, especially while in the woods. At the very end, the sun comes out for a brief few minutes - even whilst the snow continues. That's pretty as well. Is Horvath experiencing a "runner's high?" Who knows?

Horvath finishes in 4:13. The course is a wee bit short, but he won't tell anyone. Frank finished a good 11 minutes in front of him, so Horvath is technically dead last.

Okay, he could also call himself second. That sounds better. The BM was a good way to end this year of running. 

And launch into 2024.

2023

2023 was a pretty good running year in several ways. Here are a few of them.

Overall miles: 3,152 miles for the year. That's an average of 60 miles per week and 8.6 per day. Compared with other years, it's a fair amount. My average pace was (a very pedestrian) 5.2 miles per hour which is 11.5 minutes per mile. It's the same as last year. When added to my previous total, it yields a total life-to-date amount of 114,344 miles.

Non-Marathon Races: The best was probably the Hofbrauhaus Half Marathon where I ran 1:52. I ran one half-marathon in 2022 that was slightly faster. I also did a smattering of shorter races, none of which were outstanding. I've said it before, but I'll repeat it here: I need to do more races of the shorter variety.

Trail Runs: No, I'm not joking, and don't call me Shirley. Run with Scissors was a complete disaster. So much so, that I wrote a separate ditty about thick mud and trails. The Buckeye Woods 25K was better, if you can call that a trail run. It is to me.

Marathons: Tallahassee and Drake Well both went about as well as I could have expected, and the times were identical: 3:55. Cleveland's time of 4:12 was not so good, but also not unexpected. Brunswick was Similarly slow (4:13) but also not out of line with expectations.

Unique Experiences: One was my run with Jenny Hoffman during her record-breaking run across America. It was quite an honor to accompany her. Another was my run at the Grafton Correctional Institution. That was not only an honor, but also an experience that I'll never forget.

Most Memorable of All: My best and probably most lasting memory of 2023 was the near-daily running with my friends throughout the Spring, Summer, and Fall. Those runs were as gratifying and enjoyable as runs can be. Best of all was having all my friends achieve their goals at top race events.

My Goal for 2024: Run a lot.

Yule own the roads today

There have been times in Horvath's running career when he felt the need to run 25 miles on the 25th of December. It's a special day, of course, but Dan also enjoys having the roads - even the main ones - almost entirely to himself, since traffic volume is as low as it gets on Christmas morning. Some of these long Christmas Day runs were quite memorable. Today would not be one of them.

Yesterday's race was only a five-miler, but even shorter races take their toll on Horvath these days. Add to this the overall mileage and dearth of days off, To top that off, Horvath has the Brunswick Marathon on the horizon. The only-five-day-away horizon. Now, you have a recipe for a not-so-great run. 

Horvath is out of bed early like usual, but the coffee doesn't do its job as well as he'd like. He'd been thinking of doing some kind of special run on this special day, but now he is starting later and is also running slower than he'd hoped. There is a time constraint: the Grandkids will be opening their presents around 7:30. The run will have to be completed by 7.

As expected, the roads are indeed deserted. It's nice to have everything so quiet. Horvath doesn't get very far. He understands that he's just not going to have any kind of speed today. He calls it quits at 7:00 straight-up, and his watch informs him that he ran 4.99 miles.

Irony of ironies, the kids had awoken and opened their presents already by this time. Maybe Horvath should just go back to bed.

Frosty Five-Mile Race Report

This 5-mile race takes place in Hudson, Ohio, and it's huge. I suppose that's because, unlike Thanksgiving Day races, it's the only game in town. I expected to see lots of friends at the start, but hardly any could be found in the pre-start throng of people.

The crowd at the start and the hills certainly slowed many of us down for that first mile. That was a good thing. The second mile was downhill almost the whole way. So that was a fast one for me. I hit reality again during the third mile, and I tried hard to pick the pace back up for the final two.

During mile four, I still wasn't running as fast as I thought I ought. But the magic happened for mile five. Really - it was my fastest of the day.

My time was 40:14, an 8:03 pace. That's pretty good for me these days. It helped that the weather cooperated.

Afterward, I found a bunch of my friends, and it was fun to talk and compare notes. 

I learned that I was second in my ancient age group.

At the finish with Garrett Wright and his friend. We all won major awards.

They can't kill us all

"You can take them off my cold, dead legs." That's what I say to those who insist on poking fun at my fashionable pink pants. You know: the ones from the 1980s... with the stirrups. 

This photo is from 2013, but 10 years later (not to mention 25 years prior) I'm still wearing the same outfit. For some reason, my old friends as well as some of the new ones still ridicule my sense of style. Some were even laughing (out loud, mind you) at my tiny little red blinking light, the one otherwise known as my "blinkie."

Why, you may ask, am I so festive? Well, it's the holidays, and some of us just like to celebrate. 

Celebrate we did at the Annual MCRR Holiday Lights Run. Chadwick Sunday did a marvelous job of arranging our meet-up at the Corkscrew for the run through the Medina Fairgrounds' Holiday Lights display. 

"They can't kill us all!" It was just a short jog over to the Fairgrounds but the ice and snow forced us to run on the road, in the dark, at rush hour. There was more than one close encounter with a motor vehicle. At some point, Chadwick made his declaration. Thank goodness. I felt safer as a result. 

Somehow, we all made it there and back again. Not only did we not get runned over, we all even stayed vertical. The other intrepid participants included Tim Pepe, Catherine Kinsey, Alexis Mayer, Ladd Clifford, Julie Boggs, and Shannon Barnes.

Meatier!

It's that time of year: The Geminid Meteor Shower is upon us. I saw two during yesterday's long run on Lester. The funny thing was that my companions didn't catch any. I suppose that's because they weren't very bright. I managed to get 18 miles in, with the help of said running buddies.

Thursday's solo run was different. On my way up to North Park, I spotted a bright one. So bright, it was startling. You might even refer to it as a meatier meteor. By the way, I don't run up to North Park very much anymore because I'm running most of my mid-distance runs with friends. And this may be my last run that way for another long while - the city will be draining and dredging the lake, and closing the entire park for the year of 2024.

To Do Two Too Bad Runs

Cool Runnings. 28F didn't sound too bad. But as soon as I stepped out of the car, the wind hit me, and I knew it really was too bad. To do two of these too-bad runs, back to back, was a bit too much.

Shannon Barnes was the only other brave runner to show up at the track today, so it was just the two of us. I suppose everyone else caught a case of wisdom. That never happens to me. We actually managed to run something of substance (a 1600/1200/800/400 ladder), and then it was time to cool down and for Shannon to stretch. 

I did some stretching in sympathy, but mostly so we could talk a little more. Not to mention that we were temporarily sheltered from the wind. The trouble was, when this was over and it was time for Shannon to leave, I still had four-ish cold miles to go. So I started my run number two with some measure of trepidation.

There are times when I am able to pick the pace back up after everyone else leaves. This was not one of those times. I did get the mileage in, but there was nothing of substance.

Looking to Literally Lope Long on Lester

It's Friday, so of course, it's Lester. Lester Rail Trail, that is. This three-mile stretch has been traversed many times by Mr. Horvath. How many would there be today?

Horvath starts out with the 4:30 A.M. crowd. They don't get too far before having to return to meet with the 5:00 A.M. bunch. This group stays together for another half-hour before some of the early bunch needs to leave. They will be driving to Salt Fork State Park today for a Saturday trail run. But Horvath and the others soldier on.

Finally, an entire six-mile loop is completed, and one other person plus his doggie, Ella join. Unfortunately it's also time for everyone else to leave. It seems that work is an issue for some of them. Not Horvath; he's retired.

After one more six, the boy and his dog need to leave, and Horvath finds himself alone. He's got nearly 15 miles in, but needs more to be able to consider this a long run. And a long run is something he desperately wants.

Horvath slows down for these final miles. But thankfully, not too much. He finishes at around 8:15 A.M. with twenty for the day. Not too shabby. But where does he go from here?

Friends are gone, time for a little fartlek

When Dan put the word out about the Tuesday Track run, a few of his friends showed up. But the speedwork didn't quite happen. It seems that running around in circles at any kind of fast pace in 34F weather wasn't their cup of tea today. Running around in circles at an average pace was just fine, thank you.

It's when everyone else left the track that Dan began to fartlek. It was pretty good, satisfying fartlek at that.

Run the straightaways at a decent speed, and take it easy on the turns. That's the way.

Details about today's BM

There was a serious attempt on the part of the Race Director to cease and desist from calling the Brunswick Marathon the BM. There would be no more jokes about having a satisfying and complete BM, bragging about the first BM of the year (since it used to be on New Year's Day), or about the overall size of the BM (like, 'it was massive!').

Having stated that, your author decided to research the start of it all. Here it is, the 2019 post about the very first BM of that, or any year. And now it appears that there was an attempt to maintain high standards even at that point in time. Evidently, the attempt failed. The thing is, even as the RD now tries his darndest to refrain from BM jokes, the other runners seem to insist on it.

Today's run would not be a complete BM. It was only going to be a BM training exercise. But BM training is certainly important, and your RD takes it quite seriously. The new Brunswick Marathon course is much improved; it starts and ends at Sleepy Hollow County Park, and takes place mostly on asphalt trails to, around, and back from Brunswick Lake for about 6.5 miles. Four circuits make a complete BM, but partials are allowed. Today would see some runners accomplish as much as 3/4 of a complete BM.

The 5:00 AM loop consisted of just RD and Frank Dwyer. It wasn't raining; the wet stuff in the air was not real. The few hills on the course weren't either. They make it back just in time for the 6:10 group to join the fun. This group consisted of Harold Dravenstott, Debbie Hicks, Michelle Wolff, Andy Wolff, Julie Boggs, Shannon Barnes, and Jeannine Nicholson. There may have been others, but RD's brain was already rattled by this time, so he may not remember them. Still others joined during the 7:20 loop: Mebelit Melendez and Jamie Carr. 

Everyone ran great. RD thought it was all much more fun than it had any right to be. It was a wonderful and memorable BM.

No Laughing Matter

If you were looking for any jokes about penile frostbite, you're humping up the wrong tree. I would never make any smart-alecy remarks about something so serious. Okay, I suppose it may be a little bit funny when someone else suffers from it (like the time Prince Harry got it). But it's not funny at all when it happens to you. 

Having experienced a couple of seemingly serious such incidents, you would think that I'd know better. Today, it was 20F with a feel-like reading of 8F. I thought I was dressed appropriately enough: my fancy tights with one layer underneath - the old insulated undies. But that wind was wicked. As I started running with the wind at my back, I didn't feel too bad. It was only when I turned around that I felt it.

And 'it' got colder and colder. And colder and colder. I stopped at a convenient porta-john, and I think the warm pee passing through may have helped. For a while. Then everything got cold again. Eventually, and not a moment too soon, I arrived home for a mid-run break.

What to do now? At this point, I was six miles into a planned ten-mile run, I sure wanted to do more. But it certainly wasn't going to happen in my current state of inadequate malfunctioning wardrobe. By the time I could change, I would certainly be able to talk myself out of any further running. But then it occurred to me: stuff a rag down there!

Our rag pile is conveniently located by the garage door, so I grabbed a cut piece of towel and stuffed away.

Guess what? It worked. I completed the run without further incident. So don't worry about me; I'm fine. Maybe I'll even get smarter. Nah.

2023 Buckeye Woods 25K Race Report

Thirteen years ago, some friends and I scouted out a five-mile course through Buckeye Woods Park in rural Medina County. The purpose was to hold a new free, fat-ass after-Thanksgiving ultramarathon run. Participants would run six such loops plus one more mile to make it to 50K, or cut that in half for 25K. Runners could also just show up and run as much or as little as they wanted.

And run they did. Folks came from all over to join the fun. Although there was no fee, we made them join the Medina County Road Runners in order to be official. The race was small and informal enough that I was able to act as Race Director yet also participate in the run. Eventually, I was able to hand those awesome RD duties off to others, but I've still (mostly) continued to run.

The race has continued to prosper, although there have been up and down years. I've managed to complete the 50K ten times (including the one Summer edition). Other times, I ran somewhat less than 50K, but once (and I'll never live this one down) missed the race entirely because I was traveling.

This year, 2023, I'm back in the saddle. Mostly. A year ago, I declared that I was done with ultramarathons. With that pledge in mind, I'm only going to run 25K today. Should be easy, right?

We start with a pretty good group; more runners than I thought there would be. After the initial mile, I run the first five-mile loop mostly with Julie Boggs. She's planning to run the entire 50K; she's not a wimp like me. I run the second loop mostly with Shannon Barnes and Katherine Kinsey. I can tell you that I am hurtin' for certain by the time we approach the finish line. Our time is 2:39 - around ten minutes per mile. 

I'm happy to say that we stayed mostly together and that we kept it at a fairly steady pace. But this 25K felt like the old 50K runs used to. After hanging around a little, I decided to jog a couple more - mostly so that I could call it a long run. Some of that was with Julie, who had been starting her second half. I was happy when that part of the run was finished as well!

2023 Medina Turkey Chase Race Report

I definitely need to do more of these shorter races. The mile splits tell the story: 7:43, 7:55, 8:23, 9:00. Yeah, the first two miles are down and the last two are up. I knew that. But still... That totals up to 33:07. That's about 45 seconds slower than last year, and I didn't get a pie (for the first 50 gobblers) even then. 

That's all the bad news. Here's the good news. It was a blast: Seeing all my new and old friends, and everyone enjoying the fun event at the Square. That's what it's all about.

All I need to do to make everything perfect is to run faster.

Running in Scotland and Ireland

Our first four nights were in Edinburgh, Scotland. Edinburgh seemed like a nice place to run, with many parks and quiet, public areas. I, however, spent most of my running time just exploring, and you know how I get when in exploration mode: very, very slow.

I did indeed manage to explore the city quite a bit during my two runs there.

Another cool thing that I encountered in Scotland: the beach in St. Andrews where Chariots of Fire was filmed. Too bad I wasn't able to run at the time we were there.

Chariots of Fire Beach

Once we got to Dublin, Ireland, I did manage to get a good run in. I ran along the River Liffey for two and a half miles, then along the trail through Phoenix Park for another two and a half miles. By the time I turned around to head back, it was already getting light, and I had to hurry. I did, and it was a pretty good double-digit run. Exploration mode is fine, but I like to get somewhere as well. It helps when you don't need to worry about getting lost or about (very much) traffic.

Walking along the River Liffey later on

Galway was unrunnable, as storm Debi hit with furious wind and rain. 

In Derry, I found a place to run... along a river (this time, the Foyle) once again. Does this surprise you? It took some doing to find the trail, and I found myself in mud at times (even though the trail was mostly paved), but it was, all in all, good running. That went for both an afternoon and a morning run.

As unexpected as that afternoon run in Derry was, it was even more surprising to get a couple of runs in at the Giant's Causeway near Belfast. We were there with the group, but when it rained, Debbie went (and stayed) back at the visitor's center. I then got some running - up and down the trail leading to the formations. It was pretty cool (and windy, and rainy).

Trail to the Giant's Causeway

My first run around Belfast was cool. Literally - it's the wind, not, so much, the cold. At least there was no rain today. Once again, I had a river to navigate by, the River Lagan.  It all worked okay, but Belfast isn't the greatest place to run. For my second run there, I pushed the pace a little, got ten miles in, and had the best run of the trip. (That;s not saying all that much).

For more about this trip, check out my travel blog post.

Alone Again, Naturally

Friday morning: It's time to run long on Lester, once again. Things go quite swimmingly, until they don't. You see, they left me all alone. I could be singing the song, Alone Again, Naturally, because I sure felt alone and lonely. You would think I would slow down as I often do when I'm left alone to my own devices. But I had taken a gel and I felt like I was still moving fairly well. Unfortunately, my Garmin begs to differ. I am indeed slowing down. But after having company for those first 14, I can handle 4 more. I can, and I do.

But it wasn't pretty. I averaged 10:29 for those 18 miles, about par for the course for me. But had I maintained that faster pace I did with my friends, my overall average would have been much better.

Sunday morning: 18 miles twice in three days? I did it this way before two weeks ago. And now I'm at it again. This time it's at Hinckley. Many are aware of the vertical challenge the Hinckley 9-mile loop presents. Today, I'm doing it twice, just like I did three weeks ago. And just like then, I've got company. Company for the entire run. Said companionship helps tremendously today.

I actually manage to run the second loop faster than the first. Last time, they were nearly the same. Finishing strong down those last hills really feels good. I'm not even very sore.

Here's to hoping that I can keep improving from here.

You guys rock!

She did it! My friend, Jenny Hoffman made it: a new World Record for running across the United States in 47 days. I couldn’t be more proud, and I feel honored to have had the opportunity to play a (very) small part in it by joining her for part of her run through Ohio. Jenny’s run was all the more astounding because she tried and failed to get across in the past. Persistence pays off.

It occurs to me that until this point, I have never written very much about some of my other friends and their recent running accomplishments. These are people I trained with several times a week throughout the spring, summer, and fall of 2023. That makes them closer than most close friends. As it happens, each of them did exceedingly well in their late summer and early fall goal running events. Not that I ever had any doubts. Here are just a few of the great achievements. I will try to do this without mentioning their actual names, just to protect their privacy. Sorry if I left anyone out.

Two of them trained together nearly all the time. It helped that they were married to one another. They traveled the farthest for their goal race: the Crater Lake Marathon in Oregon. This was the most arduous event because of the overall elevation as well as the elevation gain and loss over the course. Finishing was quite an achievement, and surely a memorable one.

Three ran the Akron Marathon. For one, it was a comeback race after a major injury. For another, it was a very first marathon (a very good one!), and for the third, it was a personal best. All this during a slightly warm day on a challenging course.

One, after pacing many other events, ran one just for himself: The Columbus Marathon. As expected (by me), he ran a super time which was also a personal best.

And that’s not all. Some of my other friends that I don’t see quite so often also did some fabulous stuff. One person managed to qualify for Boston in Dayton, and another completed a Double Marathon at Run with Scissors. Besides all of us normal people, some trail ultrarunning friends are so far beyond what I can comprehend, that I hesitate to even mention them. So I won’t, other than to say, ‘All you guys rock!’

How did we all do so well? There’s little doubt that it helped to work together. Teamwork and camaraderie are nearly unbeatable. It’s all pretty amazing. I don’t know what will happen next for our tribe, but I can’t wait to find out.

Methinks thou doth protest too much

The actual quote from Shakespeare's Hamlet is, The lady doth protest too much, methinks. According to Wikipedia, "It is spoken by Queen Gertrude in response to the insincere overacting of a character in the play within a play created by Prince Hamlet to prove his uncle's guilt in the murder of his father, the King of Denmark." In more modern times, it is used to imply that someone who denies something very strongly is hiding the truth in some way.  I made it gender-neutral so that it could apply to me and my complaining about trail running. I also placed the methinks at the front of the statement, because it's a little more like the way we talk these days.

The title and the paragraph above are my way of apologising for b!tching so much about trail running. First there was my un-race report, and then there was my Dr. Seuss-like poem called Thick mud and trails. No more of that. I'm gonna be positive from now on. Or, at least for this here particular post. Regarding protesting too much, I actually do like trails. Just not knarly, rooty, rocky, muddy ones. And just not for running. <Editor's note: Dan is coming dangerously close to protesting too much again, even though he says he's not. We are going to put an end to this right now.>

Okay. Back to my happy place. Back to my comfort zone.

This place, this zone, today was, as it so often is, the track. (And that's the most commas you can possibly have in a thirteen-word sentence.) I love the track. And today was a good day to run there. There aren't too many bad ones, anyway.

Not to say that it was easy, but, with the help of some friends, I managed to pull off a full-Yasso today. Although I've had faster ones, this result (I averaged about 4 minutes for each 800) wasn't bad. The best part is that it was fairly steady.

And the best part is, it's over!

Claggett M.S. Track - Round, round get around

Useless Stats

The most useless stats yet

Thick mud and trails

 Do you like thick mud and trails?

I do not like them, Dan-I-Am.

I do not like thick mud and trails.

Would you like them here or there?

I would not like them here or there.

I would not like them anywhere.

I do not like thick mud and trails.

I do not like them, Dan-I-Am.

Would you like them in a park?

Would you like them in the dark?

I do not like them in a park.

I do not like them in the dark.

I do not like them here or there.

I do not like them anywhere.

I do not like thick mud and trails.

I do not like them, Dan-I-Am.

My final trail run

"There will come a day when you can no longer do this. Today is not that day." It's an old saying, but now I need to modify it, as it applies to me: "There will come a day when you can no longer do this. Today is  that day." 

I already knew that I wasn't a trail runner and that I had no business whatsoever being out there, but a friend asked me to join the fun, and I couldn't say no. I should have. Although the Run with Scissors Half Marathon was indeed fun for a while when said friend and others left me in the dust (I should say, mud), the fun suddenly ended and the misery began.

Did I mention mud? There was gobs of it on the Cuyahoga Valley National Park trails, but also rocks, roots, steep hills, creek crossings, and hairpin turns. All with light rain falling. All were hidden by fallen leaves. Have I ever mentioned that I like trails, but just not for running? Or that I like trails, but they don't like me?

I found myself alone after about mile 5. Only 8 or so to go - what could go wrong? In short, everything. I couldn't wait for the misery to be over with. By and by, I began looking for a way to drop out and get back to my car. This isn't an easy thing to do in the middle of a trail race. I could have possibly cut over to a road or two and run back from there.

But I didn't. Finally, at about 9 1/2 miles, I came to the final aid station at Pine Hollow. Although I could have probably hiked the final four miles on the Salt Run trail, I opted to run straight back and around Kendal Lake, thereby cutting the course and dropping out with only 10 1/2 miles. (I should say that I did get 13 miles in today, considering the warmup I did on the Towpath.) But by and large, I can't remember the last time I was so miserable during a run.

Although I may still do The Buckeye Woods 25K (those trails are fairly gentle), I think I'm truly done done with trails.

My run with Jenny

It was an honor and a privilege to run eleven miles with Jenny Hoffman today. RunJennyRun is attempting a world record crossing of the continent from San Francisco to New York. She is well ahead of record pace, doing around 60+ miles every day for the past 41. I was with Jenny from Windham to Warren, Ohio. She’ll be entering Pennsylvania by this evening. Thanks to Larry and CJ Orwin for logistical help. For more, see Jenny's run page, RunJennyRun.

Me, Ward Freman, Larry Orwin, Jenny Hoffman

What I found during my run today, Part 387

Brand new running shoes! Some of you may be aware that I've been known to find strange items on the run, often during out-of-town runs. (I have no idea why - maybe I look down more?) Before you go any further, PLEASE read this post from 2020. I will be here, waiting patiently.

Hope you enjoyed that. Now, on to today's find.

I'm staying in Horseheads, New York. Fun fact: Horseheads was incorporated as a town before the Godfather came out. It's near Elmira and just down the road from Corning. Even Watkins Glen isn't too far. Debbie the Lady Adventurer and I are here in the Finger Lakes region once again to sample some wine and see the sights. The new running shoes are indeed quite a sight. 

Before I came across them, I had emerged out of the Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott Elmira Corning (I guess they don't want to use 'Horseheads' in the name) and into the early morning darkness. As wonderful as the Finger Lakes area is, this part of Horseheads seems a little more like the other end of a horse. It's a freeway stop with a four-lane road and gobs of strip malls and car dealerships. But nowhere to run. I go by all the usual joints: Walmart, Texas Road House, Red Robin, Target, Michaels, CVS, Panera, and so on. It's when I find myself on a street that's more like an alley behind Kohls when I spot the shoes.

They're right there in the middle of the road. They're not in a box; they're just lying there. I look to make sure no one else is around before I pick them up. Yes, they're brand new and still stuffed with paper. Yes, they're some sort of running shoe, although I don't recognize the brand. Yes, they're about my size. I suppose I ought to get out of here before someone else does show up and... 

Now I'm running with a shoe in each hand, trying to decide what to do with them. I determine that it would be best to take them back to someplace close to the hotel so I can hide them and continue my run. But first, I examine them a little more. This is a bit of a challenge in the dark and while I'm running, but hey, I've done this sort of thing before. The brand is still unrecognizable. I look for the size on the underside of the tongue. It says '4A' or something like that. I'll still take them and try them on. Even if they're not top-notch running shoes, I've been known to use some strange ones. (Remember the Aldi shoes?)

Having run with them for a little while, I am surprised to see that one shoe is sliced open along the side. Why didn't I see that before - it would have saved me a lot of careful consideration.

Now, I have to find a place to throw them away. I don't want to just return them to the back of Kohls - I don't think they accept store returns that way. Besides, I'm further along now. What do I find now? An Aldi store! Better yet, it's an Aldi store with a trash container. And that's where they wind up.

How appropriate.

The Will to Win

You have probably heard it before: The will to win is nothing without the will to train. The original quote was from a Tanzanian runner named Juma Ikangaa, who actually said, "The will to win means nothing without the will to prepare." 

Ikangaa was well known for his hard training regimen. Unfortunately, he finished second at some big marathons in the late 1980s, including multiple times at Boston. What did he do? He doubled down, of course. He trained even harder. Did the perseverance pay off?

Juma Ikangaa finally won his biggest race: the 1989 New York City Marathon. He talked about his hard training, and how he simply trained even harder to finally win. His will to win, perhaps in question after the second-place finishes, was not as important as his will to prepare.

You have to

The way I remember it, in the movie, No Country for Old Men, the bad guy, played by Javier Bardem, tells his victims that he will flip a coin. "Call it right, you get to live, call it wrong, you don't." One guy replies the way I think I would have: "I don't want to play." But Bardem tells him (in his deep bad-guy voice), "You have to."

I'm not sure that's entirely correct, but I like to think that it is. But sometimes that "You have to" phrase can be applied to running. I don't mean that in the way you might think. You may think I'm thinking of, "You have to run." Nope. (Well, okay, you do have to run. But that's not what I'm sayin'.) Here, I mean you have to prepare. Remember the Juma Ikangaa quote: "The will to win means nothing without the will to prepare." (I've just decided to write an entire blog post about that.) But today, I want to talk about how unprepared I was for the run.

You have to prepare for your training runs. That means the usual stuff, like eating right, getting enough sleep, and not doing too many hard running days without rest. It's even more important to prepare for the long variety of training runs. Double down on everything I just said if you have a long run on the morrow. 

This week, I didn't do that. I procrastinated because of a myriad of options and because I try to work around the weather forecast to get the best running done on the best weather days. The thing is, said forecast kept changing. When I awoke Friday morning, I'd been planning to run on Lester, but not especially long. Long runs could be done either Saturday on the Towpath, or Sunday at Hinckley. But the forecast now said Friday morning is okay, Saturday will see cold rain. 

That's when I called the audible; the long run would be today! The preparation, oh the preparation. Take a quick snort of beet juice powder mixed in V8 (Yeah, I'm back to experimenting with that). Get extra caffeine inside me as quickly as possible. Even mix some pumpkin in the coffee. And pack extra stuff I'll need during the run: extra water, gels, etc.

How did it go? It wasn't pretty, but I got eighteen miles done. So it wasn't awful, either. Last week's run went better, but for today, I'll take it. 

I have to. 

Best since August

Keen readers of this blog will have noticed more than one lament about how out of shape this runner has become since he ran his August marathon. Danny Boy is happy to report that he is now on the upswing. Upswings beat downswings every darn time. Today, he ran his first legitimate long run since that race. We say legitimate because he did run an illegitimate, wimpy, eighteen-miler on the dreadmill last week.

By contrast, today's run, done with friends on the Lester Rail Trail, was for real. Yes, it was eighteen good miles. And at a fairly steady pace. It sure felt good.

One additional thought: you have to take these things seriously. It's simply not practical to try to do a long run without adequate preparation and concentration. Today, he had it.

4 x 1

This will be in backward order, by the way. There's a good reason for this, but I don't know what that is.

~

Now, I'm done done. That's what we project-oriented people used to say at work to indicate that something was really and truly done, and no further effort would be forthcoming. Just plain done didn't have the same connotation. Done done in this case means that I've finally completed my one-mile intervals and am doing my final cooldown, which is two slow and easy laps. And another thing: woohoo, I'll get over ten miles in today.

~

This fourth mile is not going so well. That extended time since the last one may have been a factor. It couldn't possibly be that I'm out of shape. Nope. Not at all. But somehow, I manage to finish this one in a very pedestrian time of 8:37. I suppose I should be happy that I could do it (a fourth one) at all.

~

My friends are all getting ready to leave. They've done their workouts and jogged their cooldowns. I, of course, joined them for their cooldown laps, light stretching, and talk-talk. I've done three of these one-mile thingies and I've got eight-plus miles in. Should I try to run some more? Maybe even do another (relatively) fast mile? Maybe, baby.

~

This third one-mile repeat is the best one yet. I'm doing better than eight-minute pace for the first time in a long while. I suppose it helps that my friends are all nearby, doing their things as well. My plan had been to do what I had suggested for everyone else: 1600, 1200, 800, 400, but I called an audible. Having already done one 1600 early and then another one with Chadwick as he started, I decided to keep all of today's repeats at the one-mile distance. Of course, I had to explain this strange behavior, but my friends understand. My (somewhat speedy) time for this one is 7:58.

~

This time, it's only a half-lap recovery between intervals. Why? Because that's what I suggested in the Facebook post. Why did I do that? Who knows? I make this stuff up as I go along.

~

My second repeat is with Chadwick Sunday. That's being generous; he's way ahead. But at least we started together. According to my plan, I could call it at 1200 (since I've already done a 1600), but I don't. I do the whole one-mile enchilada. My time of 8:04 isn't too awful.

~

Everyone is here. They're warming up and I'm cooling down, since I've already got one under my belt. This interval between repeats (I think I actually stated that correctly) is extended a little, but that's okay - we need to catch up on all the latest running news. And there is a lot.

~

I'm doing it! Running fast (relatively speaking) before anyone else even arrives (Although Michelle and Andy are already warming up on the roads). I consider it a good thing if I can get started early, and an even gooder thing if I can get my fast running started early. This first super-fast mile is completed in eight minutes and eleven seconds.

~

It's 4:25, and I've even beaten Michelle and Andy Wolff, and that's something. I begin my slow and easy warmup around the track. It's cold and dark, but that's all okay. The main question is, how will my speedwork go today?

More observation

After one day of spectating, I thought I'd do it all again. The Canal Corridor 100-mile run was still going on when I awoke. My plan was to drive to Akron to watch some of my friends finish.

But that didn't work out so well - Larry Orwin ran much too fast, and I wasn't able to get there in time. After altering my plans a little, I did manage to catch up with Doug Rafalski. He was at the Ira Trailhead, mile 90, and it was still dark and rainy. Luckily, he had his sister, Karen, to pace him. She got him through that cold rain during the night and was getting him through now as well. I tried to help a little.

After I saw them and walked with them some, I went out for my own run. It was slow going, but I almost never fail to enjoy a run on the old Towpath.

Then, I realized that I might possibly be able to see them yet one more time. I drove to Akron to catch them at mile 94. Slow going, but it was light now, and we all knew Doug would make it. He did.

Although it was indeed inspiring to watch Doug and all the other 100-milers, I'm still not inclined to make another attempt. But if I ever did, Canal Corridor would be the place to do it.

You can observe a lot, just by watching

Today's run didn't feel quite so bad. I could kinda even keep up with people. A little. Maybe this downward spiral of a training cycle is finally beginning to turn around. Then again, maybe not.

I would have probably registered for last week's Akron Marathon had I known that our planned out-west trip would be canceled due to concern about a possible government shutdown. You know. The one that didn't happen after all. So there I was, all dressed up and not registered to run. Of course, a few weeks past my August Marathon, I wasn't in what you'd call tip-top shape anyway. What to do? Get a run from home early, then drive to Akron to watch all my friends finish. I would at least be able to help them celebrate and share their joy!

The road closures got me. Two (2) freeway closures, and I was in Akron proper. But then I had to get past all the roads that were closed due to the race. And this number was legion. My Google Maps app kept warning me that such and such road may be closed, but then took me that way anyway, just (I guess) so that I could confirm that it was closed. So of course, I did. After an awful lot of evasive maneuvering to get around people, traffic, barriers, etc. I finally found myself not too awfully far from the finish area. 

But then, I would still need to find a place to park. By this time, I was so tired and frustrated, that I turned around and went home, sorry to have missed the experience altogether.

Spectating for today's Canal Corridor 100-mile run was a little better. I found my way to Canal Fulton, mile 35 on the course, where Towpath goes right on through. I was able to find my friends who were running and to cheer them on. It was a beautiful, cool, cloudy and sunny, sharp fall day. Who would have thought that spectating for a 100-mile run would be smoother than doing so for a marathon? Not me. I may even go and watch the finish early tomorrow morning. 

Who knows? Maybe I'll get inspired to run another 100.

Nope. I'm being reminded that a lot can happen during a day's worth of running. And only a small few of those are good.