Recovery done... Afton next

"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!