The Greatest 5k Ever - yes, that's the name of the race

This race had been brought to my attention by the manager of the New Balance store (she’s the partner of one of T’s colleagues) and it looked like it would fit perfectly in my schedule: three weeks out from my half-marathon and it happened to fall on a Saturday when I didn’t have any events to cover at work (I did end up having to work but everything worked out in the end).

This was the first race I’ve run that had a 10 a.m. start. It was a nice change of pace but was part of the problem of me having to hurry to work afterwards – I had to skip the hot meal they were providing! The race was held in a park along the Grand River that is used for cross country races by some local high school and the college I work for, and when I found out the location I was wondering if it would be on the paved paths or not. The course map on the website wasn’t the most helpful – it was hand drawn and then scanned looked like. When we got there you could see the course was set up as an out-back/out-back type on the paved paths.

T ran this race as well and we were both running this for our own time so as we were standing at the start waiting for the horn/gun I think we both were a little nervous – ok, I know I was nervous. See the thing is the last race I ran, a 10k in July, I wasn’t pleased with my performance. This race though I had hopes of setting a new PR prior to finishing up the training for the HM in three weeks. After a few words of encouragement the horn sounded and we were off.

I started out near the back so the first quarter mile or so I was getting into a rhythm and passing some people. It wasn’t until about a half mile into the race that I looked down at my garmin: 7:45 pace. WTF? – that’s what I thought to myself. I kept going, passed the one mile marker: 7:56 for mile one. NO way can I keep this up.

Just after the first mile we turned around and headed back to the start/finish – I was still passing people, and I started to find a pace that I thought I could maintain. I could start to feel the heat (why is it above 80F in October?) taking a toll on me as I neared the two mile marker: 8:27 for mile two. Ok, this is the pace I had as a goal, or close enough.

I passed the start finish line and headed out for the other out/back just as kid maybe 12-13 was finishing. Always nice to see the younger kids taking part in this absurd pastime. Here is where I started to struggle. Less than a mile to go, I just want to hold on to the pace as best as I can and finish. Make the last turn and head to the finish with about a half mile to go. Just as I’m approaching the finish I see T – she looks like she’s going strong. I push to the finish and can see the race clock. Even though I know my chip time will be less the clock shows that this is a PR for me. Cross the line, stop my garmin.

Finish time by my garmin: 25:47
Chiptime: 25:48

I took 63 seconds off of my PR. I feel pretty good going into the HM in three weeks. T (she has her own story to tell) and I celebrated with some good beer after the soccer game. All in all a good day.

Here we go again...

Life. Busy. More later.

Well...

The tattoo on my leg is almost finished. Just small details to fill in two weeks from now.

After it heals a bit and the colors look like they are supposed to, sometime this weekend, I will post a picture.

Review, What's Ahead

Last week completed all scheduled runs on my training schedule. Only caveat is that Saturday's run instead of being 5 miles was only 3.6 miles because T and I ran on the trails in a local park that pretty much wore us out.

Week Ahead:
Monday 4 miles easy
Tuesday OFF
Wednesday 4 miles easy
Thursday 8 miles (one hour easy + 3x5 min tempo + 15 min easy) *may switch Wed/Thurs since I finish my tattoo on Wed
Friday OFF
Saturday 5 miles (most likely with T)
Sunday 15 miles (2 miles E + 2x5 min tempo + 10 min easy + 2x5 mint tempo + 2 miles easy - good thing I can program that into my garmin)

I'm still feeling pretty good about how my training is going this time around, just hope things continue to go well.

Typical Sunday

Alarm goes off at 7 a.m.

Out the door at 7:57 a.m. for your 14 mile long run - which by the way felt incredible. Great morning for a run, temp was still in the 40s when I started. Never seemed to struggle like I have in the past trying to go that type of distance.

This afternoon: grading, visiting Open Houses - yep, we're starting that process and it has me scared shitless.

Good Stuff...Good Stuff

Tonight’s run might have been the best run I’ve had in months. Felt completely effortless. At one point I looked down at my garmin and saw I was running at a 9:55/mile pace. Did a double take because that number surprised me so much! Last week I was struggling to maintain 10:30/minle pace. Heart rate was right where it is supposed to be. Effortless, that’s the only way I can describe it.

It wasn’t only great in that aspect but whether it was the time of day, or I had a better day at work, or what, but it was just one of those runs that felt good mentally.

A few weeks back we did a CD exchange amongst the 30s on Kickrunners. One of the group took it upon herself to organize a blind exchange. I spent quite a bit of time working on the CD I sent, and received a very positive response from the person I sent it to. I listened to it tonight as a playlist on my iPod. The songs have specific meaning to me and as I was listening to them random good thoughts kept popping in/out of my mind such as:

I’m glad Beaker enjoyed the CD.
I wonder what song she liked the most.
I wonder what song she didn’t like.
This song reminds me of T and our wedding - matron of honor quoted the lyrics in her toast.
Ooooh, this song brings back junior year of college.
Listened to this CD on the way to New Orleans in grad school.
Is that a dead animal on the sidewalk? Yes it is, and not freshly dead.
I see a white mailbox and it reminds me of something McTortle posted.
Little kids playing in the yard – remember what that was like.
Beautiful sunset.

The five miles went by in a blink. I almost went an extra mile just because it felt that good to be out there doing tonight. Tonight was one of those runs that reminds me why I do this…I’m sure that will be beaten out of me tomorrow with the tempo workout.

You’re not going to start chanting are you?

One of my favorite movies is "Point Break". I saw it in the theater at least 2-3 times when it came out (I was still in high school), watched it countless times in college thanks to one of my fellow Evans Scholars also enjoying the movie as much as I do. I know it’s cheesy as hell, but get a few beers in ya…

There is a scene where Bodhi (Patrick Swayze) the surf-guru-zen-master-bank-robber is discussing surfing with the impressionable young FBI agent Utah (Keanu Reeves) after a fight on the beach that Bodhi intervened on Utah’s behalf. In this scene the two are discussing the group the altercation was with and surfing:

Utah
What's their program?

Bodhi
Brains are wired wrong, they're into bad shit.

Utah
Like what? Illegal shit?

Bodhi
Maybe, I don't know. That's not what I'm talking about. They only live to get radical. They don't understand the sea, so they'll never get the spiritual side of it.

Utah
You're not gonna start chanting or anything, are ya?!

Bodhi
(laughs) I might!

Utah
This is me.

Bodhi
So, uh, you still haven't figured out what riding waves is all about, have you? It's a state of mind. It's that place where you lose yourself and find yourself. You don't know it yet, but you've got it.

That’s what running is for me, that place where I lose myself and I find myself.

I’ve tried to break myself of the habit of always taking my iPod with me on runs to give myself some time to think and I’ve actually enjoyed that time to myself. It’s given me time to think of things to post here on this blog, time to mull over problems/issues in my life, and time to just zone out as if my run was a meditative exercise.

Do I expect everyone to feel this way? No. I know that some people will never feel that way about running. To some it will always be a dreaded activity that they must do in order to maintain weight, to some it will always be about beating the person next to them in the race, and to some it will be an activity to be avoided at all costs.

From “Without Limits” one of the movies about the life of Steve Prefontaine, part of a speech Bill Bowerman gives the track team:

Running, one might say...is basically an absurd pastime upon which to be exhausting ourselves. But if you can find meaning in the kind of running you have to do to stay on this team chances are you can find meaning in another absurd pastime: Life.

So maybe I’m just trying to find meaning in this absurd pastime…and maybe I’m hoping someone else will as well. It is nice when someone does share the viewpoint I do on this absurd pastime. You know who you are.

And yeah, I just might start chanting.

The Week Ahead

Wow, am I glad this past week is gone. Worst week of running I've had in months. All week I just felt unmotivated, tired, and struggled to get myself out the door to get my runs in. Only ran 21 miles last week.

Thing is I think I know what the issues are:
not getting consistent good sleep
not eating properly and hydrating well throughout the day

Go back a month ago when I was cruising through workouts I was taking care of both of those, last week not so much.

So here it is, the upcoming week's training schedule. I'm hoping that by posting it here all three of you who read this will help keep me honest if you don't see that days run shown over in the right hand column.

Monday - 5 miles easy
Tuesday - off
Wednesday - 5 miles easy
Thursday - 9 miles quality workout: 2x(10 min easy + 15 min tempo pace)+ 2 miles easy
Friday - off
Saturday - 5 miles easy, most likely with T
Sunday - 2.5 hour long run which will be about 14 miles or so

I'm starting the last six weeks of my training plan, the amount of miles per week is decreasing and I'm cutting some of the workouts down to keep myself in line with the amount of miles I'm supposed to be running (note: I'm using a marathon schedule so I'm decreasing the quality workouts in this last six week phase).

Now I just need to eat better and actually drink some water throughout the day.

Can You Tell Me How To Get...

T had this on her blog...did the "test" about 3 weeks ago or so and I'm just now getting around to posting it. It lets you know what Sesame Street character you are:

You scored 89% Organization, 53% abstract, and 76% extroverted!

This test measured 3 variables.

First, this test measured how organized you are. Some muppets like Cookie Monster make big messes, while others like Bert are quite anal about things being clean.

Second, this test measured if you prefer a concrete or an abstract viewpoint. For the purposes of this test, concrete people are considered to gravitate more to mathematical and logical approaches, whereas abstract people are more the dreamers and artistic type.

Third, this test measured if you are more of an introvert or an extrovert. By definition, an introvert concentrates more on herself and an extrovert focuses more on others. In this test an introvert was somebody that either tends to spend more time alone or thinks more about herself.

You are very organized, both concrete and abstract, and more extroverted.

Here is why are you Big Bird.

You are both very organized. You almost always know where your belongings are and you prefer things neat. You may even enjoy cleaning and find it therapeutic. Big Bird is never sloppy and always under control... pretty good for a 6 year old bird living without a family.

You both are sometimes concrete and sometimes abstract thinkers. Big Bird can be quite dreamy at times and has no problem using his imagination. At the same time he is also practical and can be methodical in his search for answers to questions. You have a good balance in your life. You know when to be logical at times, but you also aren't afraid to explore your dreams and desires... within limits of course.

You are both extroverts. Big Bird gets along with everyone. He makes friends easily and always has a positive attitude. You definitely enjoy the company of others, and you don't have problems meeting new people... in fact you probably look forward to it. You are willing to take charge when necessary or work as part of a team.

Interesting Question...

T and I were walking out of Costco today on our normal Sunday grocery run when I noticed a disply for cabinets, carpet, tires, and caskets. Yes, you read that right, caskets.

My only question is this: do you have to buy caskets in packs of 4 or 5 like everything else in the store?

Accomplishment

They come in all shapes and sizes. They happen at work and in our personal life. They can be something as simple as being told "nice dinner" after fixing a meal for a loved one, or as major as a promotion at work (and the accompanying raise).

I think the ones that matter most are the accomplishments that are personal in nature - dropping that clothing size, starting an exercise program, finishing that race you signed up for, completing that project around the house.

I've had some in my life recently...some were mine, some were T's, some were friends'.

Just wanted to say a hearty "Well Done" to all of them.

Mug Club

No, it's not some sort of Harry Potter fan club.

T and I spent Saturday doing some shopping in Holland, MI. Some time at the outlet mall and then in downtown Holland before setting up shop at the New Holland Brewing Company.




Enjoyed a nice IPA, one of the ones that is brewed on-site and in small batches. Very tasty.



New Holland has a Mug Club. $40 per person to join, one year membership. Get some great discounts on beer, some great discounts on growlers, discounted admission to some of their events, and they have events that are for the Mug Club members only. We inquired about joining. Bartender tells us there is a waiting list of 34 people and memberships expire at the end of the month and if they aren't renewed then the membership is available and that most likely we're looking at a 3-4 month wait and would we want to go ahead and get on the waiting list. We tell him yes...a guy next to us at the bar (Mug Club member himself) says, "you can always say no later!"

Bartender disappears...comes back about 1 minute later and tells us that if we want to join/pay today there are availalbe slots. Hell Yeah! Sign us up!

T is member #304
I'm member #310

We get our own personalized mug.

September 2nd

Important date for T and I. September 2, 2000, was our first date. It was a Saturday night, I was in Nashville with a friend to see Miami beat Vanderbilt.

Met T for drinks in downtown Nashville afterwards.

Rest is history.

August Recap

Here are the numbers:

For each week of August (including the two partial weeks) the number of miles I ran -
39
18
35
39
43

For the month I ran 148 miles. New record. Old record was July 2007 when I ran 103 miles.

Consistency is paying off.

My Path...

This post was first put to paper back in the first days of July when T and I were in Taiwan. Had plenty of time to think…almost 27 hours total on an airplane and 5 days in a foreign city can provide ample time for things to come and go in your mind.

The idea for this artwork just hit me out of the blue before we left on our trip. T and I were watching something on PBS, a program about Sting and lute music – don’t ask. The musician performing with him had a lute that had a labyrinth on it…it stuck with me. The idea of a labyrinth resonated with me as a statement on our journey through life…so I googled it. Came up with some images. Decided on one as a tattoo. My statement. But we were leaving for Taiwan in less than 4-5 days. T wouldn’t let me get it done before we left. So we traveled to Taiwan…

My posts “Standards” and “Friends” were frequently bouncing in/out of my thoughts then and “Friends Part 2” I actually sat down and wrote while we were there as a result. I’ve rewritten/revised the following many times. I hope it makes sense:

We travel through life as if we are on a path. We can’t really see where it is leading and we can only really look back where we’ve been.

We can choose some of the companions with us on our path.

Some companions choose us.

Friends may be on a similar path for awhile…our paths may converge or they may eventually diverge and leave us to our path.

Paths of friends and family may overlap, but no two paths are the same.

I am fortunate to share my path with a wonderful person. I’ve been fortunate to be guided along my path by wise people when choices of direction were required. Without their guidance who knows where I’d be. I hope to repay their kindness by guiding others when needed on their path.

From my path I can see certain friends…some friends have drifted further and further away with each passing year. And with each passing year new friends’ paths seem to draw nearer to mine.

So to honor my path, I’ve placed a symbol of it on me…a symbol that resonates with me. Not a map. Who has a map for their life’s journey? No, not a map…but a representation of the twists, turns, dead ends, and the open reward. My path.

What a Difference a Year Makes

Things are going pretty well all things considered. First week of classes under my belt, fall sports in full swing, and my training for the Grand Rapids Half Marathon is going better than I could ever expect.

This time last year I was getting used to a new state, new job, and trying to train for my first half marathon. Looking back at the amount, and quality, of miles I put in leading up to the event I probably was overreaching a bit in even attempting that distance. Probably lucky I didn't injure myself.

May - 75 miles
June - 57 miles
July - 14 miles (ok, so there was the move across the country which should be factored in but still)
August - 45 miles

Not exactly the best mileage base.

Segue to this year. Since the Flying Pig in May I've been doing soooo much better. Starting in May I've really been consistent.

May - 100 miles
June - 97 miles
July - 103 miles
August - 121 miles (with 5 days left in the month and 27 miles on my schedule for those 5 days)

In all of 2006 I ran 679 miles. In 2007, through today 8/26 I've run 697 miles.

Four out of the last seven weeks I've been over 30 miles per week. Those other three I ran 24, 27, and 18. I've been running at faster paces with an easier effort (not only my perception but at a lower heart rate - gotta love gadgets).

Today I completed a workout that last year might have killed me: 2 miles of warm up then 100 minutes at marathon pace - between 9:45 and 10:00 min/mile. I ran 10.7 miles in 100 minutes and my average heart rate for that time was 159 beats per minute. Not too shabby.

Consistency has paid off. Now I just need to keep it up for the next 9 weeks.

Feeling much better, more confident about October 28th.

Back to the Grindstone

Classes start today. Which means in addition to all the stuff that has been going on the last two weeks, all hell will break loose. All the winter and spring sports will want to start "workouts" this week, which means we have to scramble and get some of the administrative things done so that can happen (paperwork, newbie physicals, etc), plus our soccer field is undergoing a major renovation: installing turf and due to some snafus it has been delayed being completed. So we add another degree of difficulty to things by the soccer teams practicing off-site and playing their first home game Wednesday somewhere else in town. Yeah.

Managed to get up and get my run in this morning...not too bad except for the monsoon that is currently parked over us. Got some great looks from people today.

The End...

Of preseason practices that is!

Classes start tomorrow. I've agreed to teach three classes this fall - two of them in the athletic training education program, and one class titled "Exercise, Nutrition, and Stress". Probably best described as your basic wellness class for college kids.

I'm sort of torn though. Yes, it means extra $$, but it's also the extra time prepping, etc. Not much I can do now though. I'm locked in. Yeah, the fall will be busy but not even close the level of hectic that is the spring. That's probably my one iron-clad rule - I'm not willing to teach classes in the spring because of baseball, etc, and the constant state of flux schedules are in because of the weather.

Since I've been seriously slacking on the blog...In other news:
T and I have made a decision...in the next few months we're starting the process to look for a permanent residence here in Michigan. Yes, that means what you think it means. We're looking to buy a house, and not anywhere near where we live now. Looking to move closer to, or in, Grand Rapids proper. No, neither one of as any clue how to go about doing this. Should be fun.

T's mom came for visit...had a great time. Her and T spent some quality time together. All three of us had a great brunch on Sunday (before I had to go to work - LOVE my job) and we spent one day in Kalamazoo walking around and had lunch/beers (ok T and I had beers, her mom had wine) at the Bell's Brewery.

**aside on Bell's: slowly starting to miss Oregon a little less as time goes on, and the fact that I've found one of the ales Bell's makes that rivals Mirror Pond by Deschutes doesn't hurt. Even though Kalamazoo is 45 mins or so south of GR, pretty much can count on T and I spending some time there. Especially if people come to visit - hint. hint.

Completely ontrack for my half marathon in October. Mileage is up, effort level is easier, running is good. It's given me a chance to work through some stuff...work and personal. If things continue like they have I'm looking forward to a great day on 10/28.

Tattoo...not trying to sound pissy here, but when you leave a comment leave your name. Yes, I can with hold the design until I'm ready. It's my body and artwork that I'm adding to my body. The process starts on Aug 29, at 6 p.m. There is a good chance that a pic of what is done that night will be posted shortly after.

All I can think of now...need to figure out if the rain is going to let up enough for me to get my long run in today or if I need to readjust my schedule (and no it's not an Oregon/PNW rain...it is coming down out there!)

August Already?

Wow, the summer sort of just up and vanished! Seems just like yesterday I was complaining what to do with all my free time this summer, and as of yesterday it was back to work. Yep. Classes start August 20th, and fall sports get cranking this weekend. Ahhhhh, love those early mornings and long days of preseason!

This year though just looking at the schedule it seems a bit easier – only one week of men’s soccer (not denigrating the women’s program, they just aren’t my day-to-day responsibility) before school starts and the volleyball team is only practice two times a day and will be done by 3:30 p.m.!

Where it gets interesting is that I’ve taken on two classes to teach this fall – so I have just over two weeks to get at leas the first week of those classes planned/prepped. Plus I have to shoe horn my running plans into all of this craziness.

In regards to the running plan – I’ve got T keeping me honest this year, and I’m suspecting she may be a bit of a drill sergeant and stay on my ass about getting my runs in, so I’m going to have to be diligent.

Oh, and I’ve figured out something to add to my existing tattoo, and I’m just waiting to hear back from the artist before I start on my second. Yes, they are addictive.

As previously noted on this blog the last week of June and the first week of July were a bit busy, you might say. So I’m only one month behind updating how my running is going for 2007 compared to 2006. Without further delay here it is:

	# of Runs 2006	# of Runs 2007	Miles 2006	Miles 2007
April	15	15	76	62
May	17	22	75	100
June	12	21	57	97
Total	44	58	208	259

I am running the Grand Rapids Half Marathon (again) this October so I’m way ahead of where I was last year at this time, even factoring in the Anaheim (ran twice) and Taiwan (ran twice) trips. To further add to difficulty to my training I came down with a cold – two Julys in a row! – it limited what I was able to do for a few days, I just didn’t feel like running. I ran my highest amount of miles in July (103) and I’m now back on pace to make my mileage goal for 2007: 1000 miles.

All in all I think I’m doing ok. The miles I’ve run this year, equal about ½ of all the miles I ran in 2004, 2005, and 2006 put together.