"I always loved running...it was something you could do yourself and under your own power. You could go in any direction, fast or slow as you wanted, fighting the wind if you felt like it, seeking out new sights just on the strength of your feet and the courage of your lungs." - Jesse Owens.
That says a whole lot about what I do… I always loved that quote. I have written about the reasons we run, the kindness that seems to come from a well-trained heart, and the peace we have with the pains in life…. Lately, you heard me bitch about the other parts of the body. The age is still here, but the oil can be injected into the knee, which seems OK. I have been fine after a twinge in the kneGrandma'sdma’s Marathon. Did 19 miles yesterday (albeit I was going slowly – an average of about 13-minute miles); I felt as solid as a 45-year-old overweight guy could feel.
What was funny was that I used the Garmins for my second portion of the run. I set my old Garmin 305 (27 months) to run exactly like the Garmin 405 (6 weeks). I set my 6-month-old Garmin 305 to use auto splits at 1 mile each… See the results below…
305 (old one)
11.06 miles,
5.54/5.52 out/back
Elevation (up/dn) 2095/2045
305 (New one)
10.87 miles,
5.48/5.39 out/back
Elevation (up/dn) 3305/3308 back
405
11.02 miles,
5.53/5.50 out/back
Elevation (up/dn) 2497/2490
I have tested the 305s before, one on each wrist, and found they were off by less than 1% in all calculations. This is the first time I set the 305s up differently. I wonder why the auto-lap feature made such a difference. I will continue playing, but I still say the same thing I have said many times, these watches are great training tools, not precise, but just another tool in the bag. I get the same readings on the same courses (within 20 feet) time after time. But now I think I will test my theory more at Afton…
This weekend, I really wanted to go to the Anderson Center (RTA), where Adam has prepared what I refer to as a mini-superior (minus roots and rocks – but terrain), but 1) I am too slow to hang with those machines, and 2) wanted an easy course for a longer run on the leg.
So, after the 19th yesterday, I did it! I printed, folded, licked the stamp, and sent in the Afton 50 K entry. I will train this week and see what happened on my first hilly, rugged course since the knee pains began. It should be fun… This will be the deciding race to see if I will enter the 100. Last year, I felt unsure if I was ready for the 100, but I learned a lot before pulling the plug. So if my time and exertion are about the same as last year, I will give it another try; even though the training has been less than desired, I am beginning, besides 10 pounds, not far from where I was last year?
So if Afton goes well, I will wait two weeks and start the Wednesday night at the Hills session again. Last year, I went to Buck Hill and did anywhere from 10 to 18 repeats every Wednesday for 5 weeks. I believed this was a vital part of preparation and would not suggest anyone, even the 50 milers, could not significantly benefit from this training exercise. It would be fun to have others… Buck Hill is where I go… I leave Bloomington at 4:45 PM, so it would work if some want to carpool down there.
Anyway, I hope to see many of you at the start and then you back for a few moments, but that is OK. I can live with slowing. I know of too many male egos that could not live with slowing and lost the love for the runs. It's such a shame that people speak of how fast we ran and how well we ran (hey, I did), but when it all comes down to it, Bill Bowerman said it well -- "If someone says, 'Hey, I ran 100 miles this week. How far did you run?' ignore him! What the hell difference does it make?.... The magic is in the man, not the 100 miles."
Carry on!
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Sunday, June 22, 2008
24 DOWN...1 TO GO
Well, I did it! My 24th consecutive Grandma's Marathon is in the books. The lack of suitable training due to the knee had me worried. I left Bloomington at about 7 PM Friday as planned. Once again, I arrived at Duluth just before dark, picked up my packet, and went to bed in the car. I woke without an alarm as the buses arrived at the DEC for the 1/2 marathon. It was an unusually clear day, considering it was supposed to rain. The bus ride was uneventful. I arrived at the start and prepared for the race. After 24 annual visits, it is routine.
The race start was simple. It took over 5 minutes to get across the start line. I was doing just over a 10-minute mile without much worry. My heart rate was about 130. There was not much to worry about. I was surprised when someone called my name, and there was Karen, looking like she was out for a walk. It was nice to see someone I knew; as you would think, in the 23rd year, I should know someone.
Everything was going along fine when, at the halfway mark, I started to feel a pain in the inside side of my right knee. I walked for a while and tried to minimize the pain. Then started to run... The pain... moved to the outside... Just like when I hurt it badly, the pain moved. I was upset and worried. Can I finish? I have to finish.
So I just went with the pain and did what I could. I finished just over 5:30 and was happy; that was only 15 minutes off my time last year. Of course, this is over 80 minutes slower than in 2006. Oh, well.
The knee hurt today. When I woke, it was painful to bend, although as the day wore on, I had more general muscle pain than knee pain. I will take a few days rest and run. If the knee is low pain only, Afton is next.
As a side note, my Garmin 405 hit 18 of the 26 miles at 1.0 miles and the others at 1.01. Was the elevation just over 4,000 up and down? I need help finding information to verify the actual elevation change for this race. If anyone knows for sure, let me know. The 405 is much more accurate as to elevation than my 305. I would wear both if I remembered the 305 at home.
Oh well, there will be many more opportunities to compare them!
Carry on...
Thursday, June 19, 2008
What a difference a day makes?
I went out for my last run yesterday (Wednesday) before Grandma’s Marathon. According to Garmin, I struggle to do an 11-minute mile on Tuesday. I felt more like a weeble (sp) – if you recall, weebles wobble, but they don’t fall down - than a runner, really out of sync. Then yesterday, on the same course, I did the first 2 miles in 18:40, more than 1:30 a mile faster, and I felt fine. The return was 18:47. I took over 6 minutes off the same 4-mile run overnight. I thought hard of what it could be but concluded that some days we are on and others, well…
This is the 24th effort at Grandma’s Marathon, and I am a little nervous. I am not anxious about my ability, just superstitious. I started 24 years ago, planning to run 655 miles on the same course over 25 years… I know 655 miles may not seem like much for all you ultra runners, but to think I am so close… 92% there… Like making 92 miles in the 100… Well, not the same, but if something strange happened after 90 miles in the 100, what a bummer…
I am committed to going with the heart rate only. 125 to 130 or less, no matter what. I just want to ensure I finish. The knee is feeling OK, and this will be a big test. I will either sign up for Afton on Tuesday or call for an MRI. I really want to make Afton. The past two weeks of training have been very nice. Starting to feel better, and I am once again below 250 pounds. When I attempted the 100 last year, I was at 236. I hope that over the next 10 weeks, I can drop 20 pounds and be below 230 for this year’s attempt. It would be better if I was lower, but one step at a time.
I have another night meeting (the third night this week), and tomorrow, I may take a short day and head up to Duluth at about 7 PM. I sleep in the car with my running gear on, sleepwalk to the bus, and get set to run. Afterward, I slip into the lake, dry off, and drive home. I have been doing this habit for 10 years… I hope all that is up in Dulith are well and have success…
Carry on…
This is the 24th effort at Grandma’s Marathon, and I am a little nervous. I am not anxious about my ability, just superstitious. I started 24 years ago, planning to run 655 miles on the same course over 25 years… I know 655 miles may not seem like much for all you ultra runners, but to think I am so close… 92% there… Like making 92 miles in the 100… Well, not the same, but if something strange happened after 90 miles in the 100, what a bummer…
I am committed to going with the heart rate only. 125 to 130 or less, no matter what. I just want to ensure I finish. The knee is feeling OK, and this will be a big test. I will either sign up for Afton on Tuesday or call for an MRI. I really want to make Afton. The past two weeks of training have been very nice. Starting to feel better, and I am once again below 250 pounds. When I attempted the 100 last year, I was at 236. I hope that over the next 10 weeks, I can drop 20 pounds and be below 230 for this year’s attempt. It would be better if I was lower, but one step at a time.
I have another night meeting (the third night this week), and tomorrow, I may take a short day and head up to Duluth at about 7 PM. I sleep in the car with my running gear on, sleepwalk to the bus, and get set to run. Afterward, I slip into the lake, dry off, and drive home. I have been doing this habit for 10 years… I hope all that is up in Dulith are well and have success…
Carry on…
Sunday, June 15, 2008
What day is it?
Today is Father's Day. As I had a very abusive father, I never really had a relationship with him. I can easily recall those days of violence but never recall kindness. I always hated my mother for staying with the man who beat her bloody many times… It was only after the birth of my son that my father and I actually started talking once I left (escaped) his abuse after high school. We were barely getting acquainted when, on Thanksgiving Day, 1994, my son was visiting at his farm where my son had his right hand amputated when out in the barn with his grandfather. It was ruled an accident, but an already frail relationship just eroded to nothing. I have spoken little with him since. I tried to reconnect in the spring of 2006 when a dear friend convinced me it was the right thing to do. But that was short-lived. I have not spoken to him in over a year. So today is a bitter, sad day.
As with many fathers I speak with, we are polar opposites of what we had as a father unless we had a great father. (And I love that quote from Parenthood "We need a license to drive a car, to get married, but any shit can be a father.") While my father was controlling with anger and demanded perfection, I expressed to my son his individual spirit and ability to stand alone and always be happy when he knew in his heart he did the best he could. I did a great job; he is doing well in Germany now. I wonder if I will hear from him today.
I did get out for a long run yesterday—11 miles. It was not fast, 12-minute miles through the woods, but the knee was stable. I also went for a 26-mile bike ride. It was a nice day, although there were those frustrating moments knowing that it was the day before Father's Day.
During the run, I had some quality time to reminisce… I thought hard about how I was lost before 2006 and felt lost, just making it through raising a son, generally unhappy with my life individually. I thought of Dana. I met Dana in February of 2006. She had just lost her husband in an accident the year before. We were both long past lonely and, well, really lost. She was 10 years younger than me, and we were just friends. She had a goal to remarry someday and have children. I was done being a father. But we clicked… Better than anyone in a short span… Together, we started running to do an ultra. We pushed each other, we laughed, we cried, and we became great friends. There are few times one can honestly say we had a great friend. But with Dana, I was just happy. In the words of Forest Gump, "We were peas and carrots." Then, in July of 2006, Dana was killed in an accident. I never really cried, I never really understood, I never believed it. We knew each other briefly, but I never felt anyone knew my hopes and fears as she did. She was special, and I sure miss her.
Anyway, where is all this leading? Running, relationships, happiness, and being a good father have much in common. No matter how hard you try to do everything perfectly, it never will be perfect. We can not control the emotions of others, the elements, the injuries, and the social impact of this world we live in. We can only control how we react. In the past months, since I failed the first attempt at 100 miles, I lost my ability to react without regret regarding my running. I have second thoughts about whether I really needed to quit. I have those thoughts about my relationship with my father… What could I have done differently…? With my friends, how could I have been different? What is ironic is I fall into relationships with people like my father, except for the violent part. These are hard to accept.
I realized that sometimes, no answer is the best answer. I just need to learn to accept that answer and move on… Just like the knee stopped me from running for some time, I am still bouncing back. That is what we need to do: keep pushing on with what God gave us or took away…
Carry on…
As with many fathers I speak with, we are polar opposites of what we had as a father unless we had a great father. (And I love that quote from Parenthood "We need a license to drive a car, to get married, but any shit can be a father.") While my father was controlling with anger and demanded perfection, I expressed to my son his individual spirit and ability to stand alone and always be happy when he knew in his heart he did the best he could. I did a great job; he is doing well in Germany now. I wonder if I will hear from him today.
I did get out for a long run yesterday—11 miles. It was not fast, 12-minute miles through the woods, but the knee was stable. I also went for a 26-mile bike ride. It was a nice day, although there were those frustrating moments knowing that it was the day before Father's Day.
During the run, I had some quality time to reminisce… I thought hard about how I was lost before 2006 and felt lost, just making it through raising a son, generally unhappy with my life individually. I thought of Dana. I met Dana in February of 2006. She had just lost her husband in an accident the year before. We were both long past lonely and, well, really lost. She was 10 years younger than me, and we were just friends. She had a goal to remarry someday and have children. I was done being a father. But we clicked… Better than anyone in a short span… Together, we started running to do an ultra. We pushed each other, we laughed, we cried, and we became great friends. There are few times one can honestly say we had a great friend. But with Dana, I was just happy. In the words of Forest Gump, "We were peas and carrots." Then, in July of 2006, Dana was killed in an accident. I never really cried, I never really understood, I never believed it. We knew each other briefly, but I never felt anyone knew my hopes and fears as she did. She was special, and I sure miss her.
Anyway, where is all this leading? Running, relationships, happiness, and being a good father have much in common. No matter how hard you try to do everything perfectly, it never will be perfect. We can not control the emotions of others, the elements, the injuries, and the social impact of this world we live in. We can only control how we react. In the past months, since I failed the first attempt at 100 miles, I lost my ability to react without regret regarding my running. I have second thoughts about whether I really needed to quit. I have those thoughts about my relationship with my father… What could I have done differently…? With my friends, how could I have been different? What is ironic is I fall into relationships with people like my father, except for the violent part. These are hard to accept.
I realized that sometimes, no answer is the best answer. I just need to learn to accept that answer and move on… Just like the knee stopped me from running for some time, I am still bouncing back. That is what we need to do: keep pushing on with what God gave us or took away…
Carry on…
Friday, June 13, 2008
Too nervous to try?
It's been a while since I expressed my thoughts on this site. I have been busy, as have we all, as the warmer weather arrives. It's hard to believe Grandma's is just days away… and Afton is less than a month… 12 weeks to superior! Don't I need to start training sometime?
I have been riding a bike but have been running a little. I am frightened that the knee will hurt. I have run a few times with pain here and there, but nothing terrible… yet. Why do I have those doubts? I have been logging 15 to 20 miles a week for a few weeks and biking over 125 miles a week this month.
These past five weeks have been filled with tennis. I officiated the NCAA Regions, then a whole week of the NCAA Championships, then a junior event all weekend, and then off to Hilton Head, where I had my first chance to chair officiate a professional event. This was a treat. Some of the best players and officials in the world to officiate and learn from as I improve my abilities. Besides that real job, I have logged about 70 hours a week doing official tennis stuff and my real job.
Hilton Head was so hot. I did get a few runs in, but the 95-degree days were not that enjoyable, even on the beach. I was so surprised to see so many jellyfish washed to shore! I came home to 60 degrees and looked forward to it! I just finished tennis for a month and have time to train…
I still have the thought in my head that I will try the 100 again, but I feel so unprepared. I do have 12 weeks, but will it be enough? Injury is the reason, and hopefully not, why I failed a second time. Several have been excited about their first, and I think it would be fun to do it with them… Support on that day is important (both in remote parts of the woods and at stations.) We may be planning trips to the north to run the course as we near this date. I have a tennis schedule for those weekends, but I hope to get up there a few times to run that 55-77 mile stretch. (I recall this was the most challenging part for me last year; it could be from unfamiliarity.)
Tomorrow, I am going to do my first run over 12 miles since February. I will be at Grandma's next weekend. As I say at work, I have to go… This would be the 24th year in a row I finished Grandma's, and I can not stop. I figure it will take five-plus hours, but I can say I have been there and done that… Over the 23 years I finished, I ranged from just over three hours to just over six hours….
Carry on!
I have been riding a bike but have been running a little. I am frightened that the knee will hurt. I have run a few times with pain here and there, but nothing terrible… yet. Why do I have those doubts? I have been logging 15 to 20 miles a week for a few weeks and biking over 125 miles a week this month.
These past five weeks have been filled with tennis. I officiated the NCAA Regions, then a whole week of the NCAA Championships, then a junior event all weekend, and then off to Hilton Head, where I had my first chance to chair officiate a professional event. This was a treat. Some of the best players and officials in the world to officiate and learn from as I improve my abilities. Besides that real job, I have logged about 70 hours a week doing official tennis stuff and my real job.
Hilton Head was so hot. I did get a few runs in, but the 95-degree days were not that enjoyable, even on the beach. I was so surprised to see so many jellyfish washed to shore! I came home to 60 degrees and looked forward to it! I just finished tennis for a month and have time to train…
I still have the thought in my head that I will try the 100 again, but I feel so unprepared. I do have 12 weeks, but will it be enough? Injury is the reason, and hopefully not, why I failed a second time. Several have been excited about their first, and I think it would be fun to do it with them… Support on that day is important (both in remote parts of the woods and at stations.) We may be planning trips to the north to run the course as we near this date. I have a tennis schedule for those weekends, but I hope to get up there a few times to run that 55-77 mile stretch. (I recall this was the most challenging part for me last year; it could be from unfamiliarity.)
Tomorrow, I am going to do my first run over 12 miles since February. I will be at Grandma's next weekend. As I say at work, I have to go… This would be the 24th year in a row I finished Grandma's, and I can not stop. I figure it will take five-plus hours, but I can say I have been there and done that… Over the 23 years I finished, I ranged from just over three hours to just over six hours….
Carry on!
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