A PR and AG place

I just found the posted results for the Jingle Bell run and yes I PR'd by a second AND I took 2nd place in 45-49 AG. Too bad we left before the awards, would have been nice to add an award to my little collection of 2 awards!

Jingle Bell Weirdness

I waked up several times last night sore from yesterday's hills. I made the decision in the night that I wasn't going to all out race the Jingle Bell 5K this morning but instead use it to loosen up from all of hills yesterday. Eileen was signed up to do the Kid's K and Ruth Anne brought the Chihuahua along to protect us from any Pit Bulls or Rottweilers that might show up. To warm up I ran the course missing a few turns that weren't yet marked getting back just in time for the kid's k. Eileen has this bopping carefree running style and she trotted along in the middle of the crowd of kids and strollers. She was happy to get a candy cane and cruise the "athletes" food line! I lined up a few rows back of the front to avoid getting sucked into "racing" and when the horn sounded set out on what felt like a comfortably fast pace. The mile markers where so far off that I won't record the splits. After a mile or so I began to pass all of the high school kids who invariably go out too fast. Passed a few weekend warriors who still run like high school kids and go out too fast. About 2 miles in, I got passed by a familair looking runner whose name I didn't know. Since I was running easy I just started talking to him as he was passing me and got a couple of grunts in response. Trevor and the Turner gang were a little ways back and we waved at each turn around. Up ahead I heard a really mad chihuahua and figured that had to be Bruno getting after a Bull Mastif or Doberman. Sure enough, Ruth Anne, Eileen and Bruno were on the corner so I waved and tried to look good for a picture. I knew from running the course that we had a short but nasty little hill just before the 3 mile mark. I had two runners within 20 feet so I planned to make my move on the hill assuming I had any move left in my legs. I wasn't breathing hard at this point and when I het the hill I felt like I was shot out of a cannon. I passed botth runners like they were standing still. The guy that had passed me previously tried to go with me but I didn't hear any footsteps after about 30 meters. I was lazy with the watch at the finish and when I finally got around to checking I discovered that I had just PR'd the 5K by 1 second. Then they announced the runner behind me as Chris Guenter. I looked around for Chris so I could introduce myself. I told him that this was the first time I could remember besting him in a race AND that I was on a jury in one of his trials a few years back. We chatted a bit then we all got a bit cold and went to change.

Nap time. Again.

22 miles. Far West. North Hills. Knollwood. Mountain Climb. Mountain Villa. Cat Mountain. Cross Valley Run. Mt Bonnell. Greystone. Ladera Norte. Hidden Hollow. Stoneywood. Woodhollow. Hart La. Ledgestone. Twin Oaks.

Breakfast then Nap. Lunch then Nap. Afternoon snack then Nap.

Test Taking at UT

Last week I was invited to participate in an cardiovascular aging study at UT. The first open date that I could make was today. I tend to ignore the fact that I am now an older runner and was kind of surprised at the reaction I felt when I got to the door labeled "Cardiovascular Aging Research Laboratory - The University of Texas at Austin". I was mainly there to get a "free" VO2 Max test and other fitness level indicators for participating. Anyway, a young girl jumped up when I came in and introduced herself as Allison, as in Allison DeVan, PhD! She looked about as old as my 20 year old daughter to me. Anyway we went over the tests and risks (you can die from the stress of a VO2 Max test you know) and she assured me they had a working AED in the lab. Why is she telling ME this? Anyway, first up was height and weight measurements: 69.5 inches and 146.7 pounds. (The .7 is from my 3oz shoes) Then it was off for a full body scan. I now know for a fact that my percent body fat is lower than the general population. Actually, I am in the 5th percentile of 46 year olds at 14.9% body fat. Interesting side note is that of all the body regions, my legs of all things have the highest percentage of fat at 18%. I'd better up my mileage! This scan also reported bone density. That appeared pretty good as my bone density is 102% of the general YOUNG ADULT population and 105% of the age matched population. I'll have to look into this a bit more to understand what it is really telling me. Interesting factoid: The right side of my skeleton weighs 167 grams more than my left side! Next time I have to knock another runner aside at the finish, I'm leading with the right side! Then it was back to the quiet room for some weird blood pressure test. They placed cuffs on each arm and each leg. Vein imagers were placed on my carotid, radial and femoral arteries then all four cuffs were blown up and left inflated for 2 minutes. That was a bit uncomfortable but bearable. I don't have any printed results but Dr. DeVan assured me that I have flexible veins, good blood pressure and low heart rate. I may have dozed off for some of this portion cause I found sharpie marks on my neck after I got out of the shower later that I don't remember them making. Final test of the day was VO2 Max. GREAT! Only thing is, I had been told not to eat any breakfast or drink any coffee before coming in for the test. Now I need to attempt to beat the treadmill in a race to the death on an empty stomach. Oh well. They inquired about how fast I can run. I asked them how long they wanted the test to last. They said it would be over in less than 12 minutes because they would increase the inclination of the treadmill 2% every 2 minutes starting at 2% and no one made it to 12 minutes. (GOAL) We decided to set the treadmill at 7mph and see how that felt. They stuck a mouthpiece attached to tubes in my mouth, a pin on my nose and told me to just relax and run. RIGHT. I had to focus on not jumping out of my skin more than running during the first 4 minutes. They decided to increase the speed after seeing me run for 1 minute so at 2 minutes they increased the incline to 4% and increased the speed to 7.8mph. Ok, now it requires a bit of effort but no big deal. 4 minutes - 6% no big deal. 6 minutes - 8% feeling good but starting to sweat a bit. 8 minutes - 10% sweating pretty good now but still running relatively easy. 10 minutes - 12% grade NOW that is starting to burn. I could tell right then that it was going to be my legs that went first. I focused on the clock. 10:15, 10:30, 10:45 (they had told me that data points were every 15 seconds) 11 minutes! I felt my form begin to collapse and my legs were getting wonky. I tried to relax but couldn't recover the form. 11:15, 11:30, 11:45 she reaches for the inclination button and dials in 14%. 12 minutes. Legs were completely toasted but I kept pushing. 12:15, 12:30 SHIT. I think I made it to the 12:45 mark before jumping onto the side rails. The tube had to stay in place for another 45 seconds. DON'T PANIC! Finally, "you can take t..." I yanked the mouthpiece OUT, coughing, wheezing, gasping. Allison DeVan, PhD is pleased at the results but informs me that I did not max out my VO2. The preliminary result was 60.8 and she felt that I could have exceeded 62 for sure and maybe hit 64. If I ever do that again, I will set the speed faster so I max out from cardio rather than legs. Anyway, that puts me in the ranks of your average NCAA distance runner. An elite NCAA runner might have a significantly higher result but I'm happy placing alongside your typical 18-20 year old cross country athlete!!! After a couple of minutes I had recovered from the running but my throat was screaming. It is 12 hours later and I am still hoarse and my throat still hurts. I go back in 2 weeks for the second round of testing. I have a special diet for THREE DAYS prior to the test that specifies NO VEGETABLES! You have GOT TO BE KIDDING. Oh well, I'll do my best to survive on the approved meals like Broiled Steak with Steamed Rice or Lemon Pepper Steak on Boiled Linguine. :-) Oh yeah, the biggest no no is wine. No wine with dinner for 3 days! Does AA meet during the holidays?

Running and Running

It was warmer and humidier (I made that up) than expected this morning. I slept a little late then headed out for 8-10 miles. The course I ran ended up being 9.1 miles and for some unknown reason I started the watch as I headed out. That can be a dangerous thing for Geezer as I nearly always turn those runs into a progressive pace run. Sure enough, I was clicking along at a steady 7:30 for the first 4 miles then just let her fly. The final overall average ended up at 7:14 with the final mile in 6:30. It felt great to let it rip and close a run.

Then we headed out to meet up with our Broker. We had agreed to participate in HUD listings if he was approved. Sure enough, we are now one of only 2 brokerages in Central Texas able to list HUD homes. It is a lot of work but we anticipate having 40-50 listings within a couple of weeks. Lots and lots of new rules and special protocol involved with HUD properties but once we get going, we will be closing 2-3 transactions per week. I can't wait to get our investor network built up to take advantage of this opportunity for great deals.

A Few Good Miles

I mapped out a 12 mile hilly route from the house this morning. Raincreek Pkwy from Great Hills to Fireoak, left on Fireoak to Yaupon then home via Oakview and my regular Sadie loop. I didn't wear a watch but Ruth Anne noted the time as I went out the door and when I got back I had run 12.1 miles in under 1:33 for an overall pace of 7:40ish. I felt very strong up the hills and fast on the flat return portion. I may have finally pushed through my running malaise. I have about 62 miles in the bank this week and plan to run 8 barefoot miles tomorrow morning at Zilker.

Thanksgiving

Ruth Anne and I celebrated 25 years this year. Our oldest daughter Anne got married and is having a baby. Elizabeth is in her Junior year at UT and planning to go on to graduate school. Eileen is in 2nd grade and performing well above average. My sister has reconnected with her high school sweet heart, moved to Alaska and plans to get married over New Years. My parents are healthy, Ruth Anne's parents are healthy. Many many things to be thankful for. With all of the hoopla though, this has been a stressful year. Thanksgiving plans were put off as we planned a wedding and the final result was the first family unit Thanksgiving in our 25 years together. What a wonderful day! The weather was perfect, I had a relaxing run through the neighborhood while Ruth Anne prepared the turkey. Once the turkey was in the oven we shared a walk with the Chiahuahua. With only 6 of us at the table, I carved the smallest turkey ever and we all fit at the dining table. The crash halfway through dinner was the cat knocking the Pecan Pie on the floor while going after the turkey carcass. We got to the pie before the dogs but they celebrated thanksgiving by licking up all of the scraps left on the floor. Sorry, no pictures Mike!

I am getting all of my runs in even though I am running much slower than I would like. I am at 40 miles and getting ready to go for 10 more in a few minutes. I think I will settle for 70ish this week. I have been getting a lot of runs in my neighborhood and have been concerned that I have not seen some of my regulars in a while. Jack On The Bike, Grand Canyon Man and Kitchen Timer Tom had not been seen in weeks. Yesterday though I saw Jack and said hi as he pedaled past me. Near the end of my run I caught Grand Canyon Man and stopped to walk with him for a while to get to know him. His Name is Larry (I'm glad this Larry doesn't run!) and he had a great time at the Grand Canyon. I asked what's next and he said Alaska! I told him my sister had just moved there and we talked about some of the great adventures to be had there. I can now call him Grand Canyon Larry.

Let's see, my regulars now include: Grand Canyon Larry, Jack On The Bike, Kitchen Timer Tom, Max Clean, Jennifer and Skip. I introduced myself to Tom Terkel(?) who was running in a pair of five fingers on Wednesday. Somehow I don't think he will be a regular though.

Well, gotta go RUN!

Let's Roll

Boston is 20 weeks away. I averaged 40-45 miles per week each week but last week since Portland and ran 72 this week. I feel so much better getting in a run every day and 9 or 10 is kind of my daily base run. We run 12-16 on week day Team days and 20+ on Saturdays. I keep looking at the Lydiard Schedule that Steve gave us last year trying to figure out where I should be right now. I think I will just keep my regular routine going.

Mon 10 Tue 12-14 Wed 10 Thu 14-16 Fri 10 Sat 20-24 Sun 8-10. That will result in 85-95 miles per week or about 1,800 training miles for Boston. That will actually never happen because life does manage to get in the way of a few runs. I plan to race 3M so I won't go 22 on that Saturday. Probably.

Anyway, it is comforting in a way to have my plan. Steve will plan out the soul busting workouts. My teammates will push the pace occaisionally. I will run 2:58 at Boston. Let's Roll.

Geezer's Nekkid Run Part 1

Debra and Pragati from my Austin Marathon group joined by Mark from Team Rogue accompanied me on a barefoot run at Zilker Park this morning. It felt GREAT to once again feel the earth beneath my feet and the mud between my toes. I ran 8 miles, the last one with Bruno who has never run with me before. I was surprised that he kept up for the entire mile at my normal easy pace. I've been home for about 1 1/2 hours and he has been sacked out the whole time! I made a short little video of the group below. Mark was finishing up a 8 mile run and wanted to sample the barefoot running deal. Debra and Pragati have both tried it before in dealing with Plantar Faciitis. We talked a grat deal about barefoot running and minimalist shoes. All in all a great day in the park! Whoo Hooo.

I finished up the week at 72 miles. With the exception of Tuesday's fast pace I felt great all week. One small blister yesterday is the only ill effect.

Great Run - Empty House

I ran 20 miles today, I think. The winner of my forum contest to guess how I earned the name Geezer was Bill Durbin. His prize was ME. I offered to carry gu's discarded clothing etcetera figuring some beginner running 9 or 10 minute miles would be the winner. After declaring Bill the winner I started checking on who he was and got a little worried that I might be in for a tough run. Not to worry. Nothing to carry and no extra clothing at the start so I was off the hook there. All I had to do was keep up! We grabbed the 20 mile map but I don't remember seeing him check it. Bruce went with us planning to run 20 so I'm sure we were close. I thoroughly enjoyed our run. Great conversation, a decent pace and 20 miles of mostly Austin Marathon course.

Yesterday was interesting. I ran my 9 mile version of my DK plus Sadie loop. On the same run almost a year ago, I saw a petite, very fast woman running on my route. I sped up trying to catch up but couldn't close on her. About a week later I saw her again crossing my route but again I couldn't catch her. Yesterday, I saw her coming at me. We were both on the sidewalk and this time I flagged her down to introduce myself. She was older than I expected and said her name was Jennifer. She was wearing a 2008 Boston shirt so I asked her what she was training for. She said "nothing, I'm just lazy and fat out for a run". I laughed at that remembering I couldn't catch her the times I had seen her before and I'm telling you she was NOT fat.

Tomorrow, I am hosting the first Run Nekkid With Geezer event at the Zilker Park Great Lawn. I am hoping to introduce some of my athletes and running buddies to the joy of running barefoot in the grass. If you are interested, 7:30am at the east end of the ACL area.

Ruth Anne and Eileen went to Dallas this morning so the house is empty. I get to wash ALL of my clothes today! Whoo Hooo! I'll finish cleaning out the shower from my tile repair and watch the Texas game tonight. After the Nekkid Run tomorrow, Ruth Anne wants me to repair a couple of broken tiles in the other bathrooms so I guess I'll be busy enough.

Groovin'

I am back in the groove! I took the entire week off (except for the Hokahey 5K) as planned. Tuesday was test the hip day so I headed down to Rogue for the 5:30am run. The weather was cool and the youngsters where feeling friskie so we cranked out 12 miles at a ridulous pace in the low 7s. The hip was fine but my legs were shot! Wednesday morning was even colder but I didn't get started until 7:30 and got hot in the beautiful sunshine. I ran 9.2 at an easy recovery pace and felt pretty loose by the end. This morning, the alarm woke me up for the first time in weeks. I had trouble getting out the door but finally got out the door and headed to Barton Springs. 14 miles was the longest option and several runners indicated they were going 14. I ended up with a side stitch in the first 2 miles and had trouble holding the pace. By mile 5 I had caught up to the group just as those running shorter were turning around. By mile 8 Mike and I were running alone and at a comfortable pace. We ended up just short of 14 miles so I am sitting at 34.4 miles after 3 days. This mileage feels GREAT! I will try to get 8-10 tomorrow, 20 on Saturday then 5-8 barefoot miles on Sunday. That will net 68-72 miles for the week in 6 days. I will be getting 70-76 miles per week in until Boston in April. Feels so good, feeling good again!

Hokahey 5K

Our new business is keeping me busier than I ever imagined. For the first time in many years, I am fully engaged from the time I get up until falling into bed. I had forgotten the thrill and energy produced by taking on a new challenge. I have even come up with a new marketing ploy based on my running. I'm thinking of contacting all of the fast guys in my age group and offering to reduce my commissions if they will let me sell their house in Austin and refer them to an agent in say Portland. In a couple of years, I could start walking away with some age group awards!

Speaking of running, I actually haven't done much lately. In the days following the IBM 10K I noticed some tightness in my hip. The location was in the same general area that took me out of the 2007 Boston training and trashed a year of training. I began a concerted effort to address the issue before it become an injury. By Monday of this week it had reached the point of pain during my run so I cut the run short and developed my plan of attack on it. I notified my running buddies that I was taking a week off. I scheduled a massage with Lisa, the Mistress of Pain, and hit it with Aleve on day one then Advil and Tylenol after that. At my massage, Lisa was amazed at the lack of knots in my calves and at the vastly improved range of motion in all of the major joints. She agreed that the barefoot and near barefoot running has transformed my lower body and that it seems to be the right approach to running for me. Then she got busy on my hip. I had been dreading this because I hadn't done a massage in over 8 months BUT we were both surprised at how easily the muscles released. I left with a little bit of soreness that was nearly completely gone by the time I reached the office. No running on Friday. I had no time to really think about the Hokakey 5K that I had entered for Saturday.

The Hokahey 5K was not really a "race" after all. This was an opportunity to come together with the friends of Dan Keitz and raise funds for his battle with ALS. As I got ready for bed, I didn't know if I would race or not. The thought even occur ed to me to try running barefoot. I decided on the drive out to Oak Hill that I would run it barefoot if the pavement looked smooth. When I got there they were handing out chips with the bibs. Hmmm, hadn't thought about attaching a chip without shoes. Ok, lets run some of the course and decide what to do. I jogged out for what I thought was about a mile and found the pavement to be pretty rough so shoes were staying on.

I seeded myself near the front and decided to just see what I had when the gun went off. I knew Kurt M. would go for the win and there were several buff looking high school XC guys with that look in their eyes. When the horn sounded I found myself running in 5th place with Kurt and 3 XC guys out ahead. I was breathing heavy within 20 seconds while these guys seemed to be just cruising. At what I thought should be about the 1st mile I sneaked a peak at my watch and saw 4:20 so I knew I was in trouble. I was feeling like we had run a mile already but we had only run 3/4 mile if that! Then I saw the HILL. Where in the hell did that come from? I dug in and passed one of the XC kids but Kurt and the other two were now pulling away. Going down the backside was no fun because I could see we had to come right back up in short order. From this point on I could hear footsteps right on my heels. I never looked back though. On the return trip up the hill, I got passed by some guy named Larry. Why do they always seemed to be named Larry? He passed me like I was standing still. I figured I would now get passed by 5 or 6 more before we finished as I was beginning to run out of steam. I could hear footsteps getting closer and closer as we neared the final stretch. With about 200 meters to go, I felt someone try to pass me. I dropped whatever hammer I had left knowing it wouldn't be enough if it was one of the young guys. After about 50 meters, I heard them back off and knew that I had broken them. I pushed to the finish vowing to NOT look at my watch crossing the line. I looked up and saw Dan at the finish line so without thinking I jumped and gave Dan my best salute. I had my usual couple of minutes of dry heaving before I realized I hadn't stopped my watch. I don't yet know what my time was BUT I managed to hold onto 5th place overall and 1st masters! Kurt held off the 2 XC guys for the win and Larry must be younger than 40. I spent about an hour visiting with Dan and many of the folks from our Pikes Peak training. It was good to see people that I had not seen in 2 or 3 years. I'll be back to run this race next year!

RESULTS:
Hohahey 5k
Austin, TX
14 Nov 2009

1 0:18:42 Kurt Mohlman M 29
2 0:19:01 John Vogt M 31
3 0:19:27 Larry King M 43
4 0:19:40 Matthew Nyfeler M 17
5 0:19:50 Geezer Collins M 46
6 0:19:50 Cody Castelline M 15
7 0:19:56 Michael Wedel M 34

Essential Lydiard

Thank you Mike for forwarding this article! Anyone who has read my blog for any length of time knows I have struggled with the mental and physical aspects of becoming a marathoner. Not running a marathon, that was actually pretty easy, but becoming a marathoner. Shedding the excesses (shoes, technology, fueling, hair) and learning to simply run by feel has been the hardest thing I have done in my life except perhaps raising kids. So I plan to read this article a few more times. I hope it puts some of my rambling and disjointed blogging into perspective for me as well as you!

A moment of Pizza and TRUTH

Last night was our Post Workout Pizza Party at Mangia Pizza! A great time was had by all, including yours truly who tried valiantly to clear the table of pizza before abandoning the cause with 2 or 3 slices left. On my very slow pizza residual laden 8 mile run this morning, I was reflecting on recent conversations with several runners from my group.

The First Ten-A-Tive Steps to Boston

I really was excited to get the training started. So excited I woke up at 3:30am. I managed to lay in bed till 4 then got up. I have a training plan that has worked for me for a year now. I run 10 miles each day that I run on my own. Then I run whatever the longest route offered on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday workouts. That typically starts out getting me about 70 miles per week and builds to 85 or 90 by the peak of training. I also will skip any day that I am hurt or sick (not many lately) and don't feel the need to make them up. Anyway, the longest anyone seemed to be interested in going this morning was 10 miles. Mus, Chris and I were the longfellows this morning. So I have now logged 10 miles toward sub 3 hours at Boston!

Of note this morning: Chris E is back with our group. He is training for an Ironman and Rogue will be his running training. Glad to have him back as we ran many miles together last Boston season. Jim F is back and leaning toward an assault on 3 hours. He will be hard to keep up with on days he feels good so I'm looking forward to the challenge. Tausha is back!!!!! Julie is back in black!!! A couple of new faces that Steve didn't introduce yet. Missing some of the core people still, Ken, Mike, Bruce, Jason. I think Mike and Bruce will be joining up later. Larry is still too damned fast for me to chase and Kamran will likely go for sub 2:50. Mus and Damon are chasing 2:55. So I will have some bodies to try to keep in sight on tempo runs and some to run with. Its gonna be epic!

18 Beautiful Miles

Team Rogue starts up on Tuesday. I wanted to get in a long run with my Austin Marathon group before we get geared up again so I headed down to Rogue this morning for the 7am run. As has become the norm, I didn't look up the mileage and just planned to run whatever distance it turned out to be. A handful of Team Roguers showed up planning to run 10. We waited on Jason who drove up just as the groups were heading out and were the last ones to leave the store. That was fine as it meant I would come up on each of my runners and could see how they felt and run with them if they needed/wanted company. That worked out great as we worked our way through the pack. I slowed and ran for a minute or two with each of the runners that I recognized. Everyone seemed to be having a great run on a beautiful day. Of course it was early in the run so it may not have been so great for all of them 10 miles later. ;-)

I came up on the last runner, meaning the one out in front, and decided to join up with him. I have pushed him a little harder than I think he was ready for at the start of the program and wanted to offer him some support today. I guess I ran about 8 miles with him, over Mt. Bonnell, letting him set the pace. He finally let me know that even though I was letting him set the pace, he felt he was pushing too hard having me there. I had hoped to be with him toward the end to help him close the run. He had a great pace going and I hoped it would build his confidence that the goal we've discussed is within his reach. I left him and pushed on ahead to let him finish up. I ended up talking to Peri at her water stop and Jimmy caught up to me. He was grinning ear to ear and going on about how great a run he was having. I decided to run in with him. We had a great conversation heading in Lake Austin Blvd and I mentioned how in Team Rogue we often "closed" our runs to improve how we felt about picking up the effort at the end of the marathon. I couldn't tell if he was serious or joking but he said lets do it! So with about 2 miles to go we started picking up the pace. 7:30 7:15 7:00 6:50 6:45 6:30. I was about out of gears and he was right with me. And still yapping! I finally pulled away with about 100m to go and I tried not to puke as I pulled up to the store. 2 minutes later he was grinning ear to ear and telling me how great that felt. I love this sh*t! I have been telling him for years that he was faster than he gave himself credit and after his recent break from running he is feeling great. I hope he has a great marathon in February!

Several of my runners were there too and they all seemed to have had good runs. My last runner came in and seemed to be pleased with his overall time. He damned well should be as it was several seconds per mile FASTER than his marathon goal time. I also saw Kevin from Team and he said he had a great run but wished it had been his marathon instead of just a long run. I tried to offer some support and perspective by pointing out that I have run just as many 4 hour marathons as sub 3:30 and the list of things that CAN go wrong is nearly infinite. I think we will see him BLAST his PR at the next one! Overall I had a great day at Rogue, great weather, great running, great conversation. I hope all of my runners had great days too!

Getting Started Again

Team Rogue training officially starts in one week. I will be going for a sub 3 hour time at Boston. This morning I decided to try out the paces I will need to run at Boston. Historically, I find the marathon goal pace to feel very uncomfortable at the beginning of a training session. I elected to run my usual 10 mile route, warm up for 2 miles then start dropping to a 6:45-6:50 range. I got out the dor a bit late but the weather was great with sunshine and 54 degrees.

I passed mile 1 in 7:20, 2 in 7:15 then began pushing the pace a bit. By mile 4 I was running 6:52 and feeling good. When I turned around I kept the effort level the same but because my route is slightly downhill coming back I averaged 6:39 for the 5 mile return portion. The 6:45 pace felt the best of all of the paces I ran this morning. 6:45 = 2:58 marathon and I think that will be my official TRAINING target. I will look up the paces that McMillan predicts for a 3:58 marathon and also what Glenda's RaceCalc app for the iPhone suggests. I like that RaceCalc lets you make adjustments based on your natural ability for either speed or distance. Using RaceCalc and my settings for slightly faster a longer distances, my recent 10K time predicts a 2:58 marathon. McMillan predicts a 3:02 marathon. Both are close to the goal.

How high is an elephant's eye?

I offered to walk Eileen to school again this morning. She agreed but reminded me that she had a pumpkin for the teacher that I would have to carry. I'm picturing one of those little pumpkins that you draw a face on with a sharpie and set on the window sill so I said sure. When I saw the darned thing it was huge! And heavy. So I lugged the dang thing the 1/2 mile to the school and then Eileen takes it up to the teacher like she carried it the whole way! I know, I know, I'm a great dad!

I left the school for my run and decided that should probably stick to a known route since I could tell the mind would be wandering due to the MARVELOUS - FANTASTIC - STUPENDOUS - UNBELIEVABLE weather! Sure enough, about a mile in I started singing Oh What A Beautiful Morning from Oklahoma then began trying to determine exactly how high IS an elephant's eye anyway. Before I knew it I was on the final mile of a 9 mile run just clicking along.

I just read Keith's post about his battle with what I call PMS (Post Marathon Syndrome). Lack of a real desire to run and even less to talk about in a blog that has focused mainly on running are the main syptoms he mentions. My only advice to runners suffering from this malady is this: Go for a run. Don't map out a route. Don't take a watch. Just put on your favorite shoes and go run. Tomorrow if you feel like going for a run, go for a run. If not, don't worry about it. If I can get myself out the door for at least 3 runs in 5 days I find that I begine to gain perpective on the root cause of my own PMS. It may be the result of a disappointing result. It may be the result of a great race where I actually made my goal and can't figure out what to do next. Surprisingly, I have found that I carry around a lot of guilt after a marathon. Run poorly and I feel guilty that I let my coach and teammates down. Run great and I feel guilty that I had a good race when some of my best friends in the world did not. Once I figured out it was guilt, I was able to put that aside and get back to what I truly love: the quest for that one GREAT RUN!

Lost Episode #1

Eileen was up for tempting the rain gods this morning so she I walked to school. It was lightly raining when I left the school and not too hot so I just decided to run my standard out and back for 5 or 6 miles. A couple of miles in and it started raining steady and really felt cool. As I got to my turn around point, I realized that I had not ever run through the little pocket of houses in that area so I took a left intending to do a 2 block square and head home. Instead of coming out on Oak Knoll I ended up on Spicewood Springs nearly 1 mile away from where I intended to be. I was so turned around I had to ask another runner how to get back to a known spot. Really embarrassing considering I have run the same route 3 days a week for 2 years. So I had a nice 8 mile run in the rain this morning.

Puttin the Hurt On

I broke one of my own cardinal rules and did NOT run yesterday, the day after racing the IBM 10K. I paid for that dearly today with calf/hip/quad stiffness and almost pain. I kept the run short (3.5 miles) so as not to cause compensation injury.

Got home and checked email and found "Dear Charles Collins,This is to notify you that your entry into the 114th Boston Marathon on Monday, April 19, 2010 has been accepted, provided that the information you submitted is accurate." Well Boston Athletic Association, that entry is NOT correct. I will not be using my qualifying time of 3:18:31 but rather my brand spanking new PR of 3:06:05 thank you very much. I'm excited to see how close to the front this will get me. I've never seen the elites before the race and hope that I will be close enough to see these guys this year.

Dear Mr. Geezer

Inspiration comes from unexpected places sometimes. Yesterday was the Texas-OU game which as usual was a edge of your seat game, not from a scoring standpoint but from a what will the defense do this series. Then I joined Ruth Anne cleaning out the carport and surprisingly even parked in the carport again for the first time in over a year! I ran out for take out and after dinner checked my email and found the following email in my inbox:

Dear Mr. Geezer: This is the only email I could find to contact you, but I just wanted to let you know that this 55 year old runner on his 25th comeback has really enjoyed reading your Running Amok blog. Congrats on your recent marathon accomplishment! I got into running 30 years ago, never quite qualified for Boston but still have the dream. I wouldn't want to be chasing anything else!

I still enjoy the training, and the challenges, and I love to read good passionate writing about the sport, which is how I categorize your posts. Love 'em! I live with my wife Jane in the scenic Hudson Valley in upstate NY. We go down to Washington DC next weekend where Jane will run her first marathon in 13 years. This is just a "get your feet wet" run for her ... finishing in one piece is the main goal. I hope to follow suit sometime next year.

Thanks for the inspiration ... you have an audience outside of the Lone Star State. Keep up the good work and good luck on the roads.

Best,
Brad

I know some of my runners read my blog and a few of my running buddies but I sometimes forget this is the WORLD WIDE WEB and you never know who you might reach out and touch with a few words. So Brad, thanks for taking the time to track me down and sending your wishes. Good luck in DC and keep chasing Boston. After being there when my great buddy Ed finally punched his ticket I can tell you that the harder the struggle the sweeter the victory!

So I had been very ambivalent about racing the IBM 10K this morning until that email. I had set my IBM goal during the final 2 miles of Portland and knew that 2 weeks after running the marathon it would be a big unknown. The goal: place in my age group. I figured I would need to run a 6:10 pace to even have a chance. I have never held that pace for longer than 2 miles before but I was ready to give it a try. At the starting line I looked around at the 45-49 running GODS and immediately felt intimidated. Larry Bright, Scott Birke, Scott McIntyre, Marvin Hope..... If you run in Austin you know that these guys are serious fast and have been placing or winning whatever age group they have run in for years. After the first mile I knew I couldn't hold the 6:07 pace and just kept repeating my new mantra: RUNNING FAST IS HARD - RUNNING EASY IS FAST. I finished in 38:58 for a 1 minute PR and 5th in my age group. I am not upset at all with the result. I am on the edge of the conversation at least.

After grabbing some water, I went back out on the course to cheer in all my my runners who raced today. I think everyone raced well. They all looked good at the finish and most had smiles on their faces.

Laid Back 5

We walked Eileen to school this morning and stopped in the office to get an explanation of the nasty letter from AISD threatening to take us to court for allowing our daughter to miss 3 days of school. We had sent a note explaining we were taking her out so she could go to her big sisters wedding. We got a nice shoulder shrug along with, "if she isn't home sick with a doctor's note it will be counted as unexcused" for a response. NOW I remember why we started Chaparral Star Academy!

Left the school and got in a 5ish mile run while Ruth Anne walked home. Tried to pick up the pace a bit today just to limit the shock to the system when I run IBM Sunday. I have a plan for Sunday but I am not going to share it just yet. I'll see how it goes on Sunday and post about it when I'm back home. Maybe.

Hockey Night In Texas

Our movie has been selected to premier during the Austin Film Festival!

5 Over Easy

Overcast, warm and humid. Ruth Anne and I walked Eileen to school this moring. Ruth Anne was planning to go for her first run since Portland and I wanted to get 5 miles in. I didn't wear a watch and had no route in mind so I just zig zagged my way through and around our little subdivision until it felt like 5 miles. After mapping it out on gmap it came up 4.879. I am not keeping a log at this time since I am NOT training yet. I don't feel the need to run more than 5 right now but 5 feels a whole lot better than the 3 milers I was doing. Planning to race IBM this Sunday with no idea how that will turn out. I haven't done any speed work for over a month now.

5 Miles and Portland Pictures

Ran 5 miles this morning. That distance feels a lot better than the 3 miles I have been running. I have time to get settled in a bit before I'm finishing up. After a little mixup, I received the correct links to my Portland pictures this morning. I am pleased that the pictures pretty much confirm how I felt during the race: running easy and comfortable through 24 miles then working to the finish. Picture #1 is approximately 17.1 miles after crossing the St. Johns Bridge. This is just after I looked around and said "see ya" to the runners around me! Picture #2 is at 19.1 miles as we passed the University of Portland campus. Picture #3 is mile 21.1. The runner in Purple ended up finishing nearly 7 minutes behind me! Picture #4 is on the Broadway Bridge at about mile 24.1. I had just begon to contemplate closing so the effort level was incrasing about here. The last picture is pretty typical. I'm always looking at my watch as I cross the finish line. I never remember to look for the camera or celebrate finishing.

OK, now I have relived the race one last time. Time to get ready for bed!

One last thing: I love telling a bunch of runners to go run 7-10 miles and they DO IT! I keep getting more excited about what my runners are going to do in February!

Egg-selent day so far

Wake up - make coffee - get Eileen up - get Eileen breakfast - feed dogs - walk Eileen to school - run 4 miles home - feed horse - collect eggs - fix eggs - eat eggs - start day!

Boston - 192 days

Today was the beginning. No formal training until November 3 but I hooked up with Damon/Kamran/Jason and went for a 5.6 mile run at a 7:35 pace today and began visualizing the Boston course. I booked airfare on JetBlue, non-stop on Saturday. I booked hotel reservations at the Marriott in Cambridge. I looked up the CSU charter bus info from Duke last year. I am going for a sub 3 at Boston. After the fantastic experience at Portland, I am willing to go for an intermediate goal if the training does not fall into place but I plan to make every effort to get there. That means cutting 6 minutes and 6 seconds off my Portland time. That means cutting my pace from 7:06 per mile at Portland to 6:52 per mile. I plan to train at the 100 mile per week level this time around. That should net about 2,200 miles between now and Boston. That will burn through 5 pairs of shoes plus 1 for race day. I will eat and burn about 672,000 calories.

Geezer's Perfect Marathon?!

Portland Marathon Race Report

Geezer’s Perfect Marathon

That is a loaded word to use when describing a marathon. Things never go perfectly as planned and the marathon has a way of insuring that nothing is ever perfect. Even so, I plan to run faster times but I seriously doubt if I will ever run another marathon as well as I just ran the 2009 Portland.

I am leaving out the pre-race stuff other than to say I had a small cup of coffee (4oz) and my now standard 2 scoops of Carbo-Pro with 2oz of water about 1.5 hours before the start.

The goal was to run a sub 3:10 marathon. My plan was to bank 30-45 seconds over the first 16 miles, give back whatever I needed to insure I topped out the hill on 16 with gas in the tank then begin a gradual closing effort to the finish aiming for a 3:08ish time. I new the pace was 7:15 per mile and I wrote the 10 and 20 mile splits on my arm for later reference. I seeded myself just in front of the 3:10 pace group but planned to run just behind them for a few miles before putting a little time in the bank.

I knew by the ½ mile point that we were running fast. I was 10 seconds behind the pace leader at the 1 mile point and I was 12 seconds fast. By mile 2 I was 32 seconds fast and still running behind the pacer. He must have realized how fast he was and suddenly he slowed dramatically. I gave up on the pace group at that point and decided to take responsibility for the race myself. I don’t remember seeing the track at mile 3 but it was about this time that I knew I was going to have a great race. I gave myself permission to run based on effort and not worry about the mile splits as long as they stayed between 7:00 and 7:20. Kamran the human metronome will laugh at my spread but that how I run.

There are 3 distinct memories from the section from mile 3 to 6. First, cammo shorts guy comes out of a porta potty right in front of me and SPRINTS to catch up to his group now 100 meters up ahead. I made a note to myself to say hi to him later because I knew I would catch him. After he sprinted away, I looked at the number of runners ahead of me and how many were passing me and I said to the guy next to me that there were at least 100 runners ahead of us who weren’t going to be there at the end. That’s when I noticed that he was already struggling with the pace. On the big downhill I let myself flow downhill relaxed and easy. Silly runners were racing all out down the hill passing me like I was standing still but I just kept plugging away.

Miles 6 – 11 were the boring out and back miles along Front Street. I was anxious to see if Erik and Jacob were with the leaders and how Steve would look running his first hard effort. It seemed like forever before I saw the leaders then Erik and Jacob in 4/5 or 5/6 place. I gave them a huge cheer and a wave. Then Steve and Tim. I waved and hollered eliciting a scolding from Steve about running smooth. I already knew I was rocking the joint so I just kept hollering as Kamran, Larry, Damon and Andrew went by. I made my turn and saw Jim with the 3:10 group and made a note to keep an eye out for him later. I missed Niccole but I think I saw everyone else. Chad looked good running with the 3:15 group at that point. Ruth Anne was right near the 4:00 group. The miles in this flat section varied from 6:52 to 7:14. At mile 10 I looked at the split on my arm and saw I had nearly 2 minutes in the bank. It occurred to me that I might pay later but I really felt good and didn’t worry about it.

I came to the bar where Tonya Harding plotted to have Nancy Kerrigan clubbed and knew that we had a fairly good 2 mile climb coming up through a residential area. There were spectators out but it seemed fairly subdued. I saw Julia and John just before we topped the climb.

I didn’t see the half mark in time to check my split (1:32:44 on results page) and set my sights on reserving effort for the hill from 16-17. The high point of the course was the mid-point of the St. Johns bridge and I was determined to top it and rock the rest of the course. I ended up running next to “Jeff” during this section and he said he was 23 and running his first marathon. I asked him if he thought he was going to hold up and just smiled and said yes. He dropped me about 2/3 up the bridge approach and I never saw him again. I looked him up later and he ran a 3:02! At the mid-point of the bridge I looked around at the runners near me and said “see ya!” I did not want to get passed from that point to the finish.

We left the bridge and I had my first “Oh Shit” moment of the day. We dropped quickly then made a hard left turn on a steep slope into a big uphill that we missed on the drive through. I was concerned that I might have broken my stride but the next mile clicked off at 7:00 and I felt no lingering effects.

Miles 18-23: This was the BEST part of the race. I knew that I had 3:10 in the bag. I also knew that no effort would get me a sub 3 hour so I relaxed and had fun. I was talking to anyone who could match my pace, pumping up the crowd and generally hamming it up. A couple of runners passed me but I reeled every single one of them back in. I see know that my pace dropped off my 3 or 4 seconds per mile but I wasn’t pushing at all and didn’t really worry about it.

I knew there was a pretty good climb coming at 24 as we approached the Broadway Bridge but clocked a 7:03 (passed cammo shorts guy flailing up the hill) that I probably paid for with a 7:21 on mile 25. We were now back on Front Street and I knew we had 2 miles left. I waited to start the final push until I was over the train tracks then I picked up the effort. Steve had teased me the day before when I said we wouldn’t notice the .2 mile uphill to the finish and I was determined to be at a full sprint (in the context of having run 26 miles) when I hit the hill.

Then the final “Oh Shit” moment. I was passing EVERYONE at this point. These were the guys who went for 3 and didn’t make it and I was flying by them at a 6:50 or better pace. At the last underpass they had set up the final aid station with tables of water on either side of the road. Why a water stop with ½ a mile to go? Why set up tables only 12 feet apart leaving only 3 or 4 feet clear between the volunteers handing out cups? Anyway, the guy right in front of me took a water and stopped dead in the middle of the gap. Without time to think, I lifted my arm, shoved him aside and continued my sprint to the finish. There was a huge crash behind me but I never looked back.

I saw the turn and really dialed up the effort. 50 meters into the hill and Steve was right, I nearly puked trying to hold it to the finish. Crossed the line, checked for runners behind and stopped to catch my breath. Looked at my watch 3:06:06. Official time 3:06:05. Yeah! The perfect marathon!

I took no water or fuel on this marathon. The Carbo-Pro breakfast has worked out well and I loved having no digestion issues. I did feel hungry during the middle miles but that subsided. I had a minor side stitch around mile 19 but with a little relaxed breathing it too went away.

Recovery is hard to do

I want to run! I have committed to running only limited miles for the next 3 weeks. I didn't think it would be this hard though. I feel like I am going to explode! Eileen wanted to scooter to school so I got to run the 1/2 mile up there with her. Arghhhh.

Victory Lap

I just got back from a 3 mile victory lap through the neighborhood. Since I have had no pain or soreness walking around I wanted to see if running revealed any lingering issues from the race. Aside from a slight bit of tightness in the first mile and a slight twinge in my hip toward the end, nothing. I will stick to my plan of NO training until November 3rd. I will let myself run 3-5 easy miles a couple of times a week but no more than 25 miles in a week until then.

I spent a bit of time looking at the RunPix graphical race results and it confirmed what I already stated in yesterday's post. From the halfway point, 2 runners passed me and I passed 100. I knew a 23 year old named Jeff passed me on the approach to the St. Johns bridge and I never saw him again (3:02:01!) but I didn't start keeping track of passed runners until mile 17.5 when NOT ONE managed to pass me and make it stick. I particularly remember Heather. She got pissed when I passed her the first time and pushed to get back ahead of me. I kept a steady effort and passed her again and she once again pushed to get ahead of me. She was a crowd favorite so I kept hearing people cheering her name. We probably traded places 5 times between 18 and 23 before I dropped her for good (3:07:01 and 9th woman overall!) and by the time I reached the home stretch on Front/Natio Street I wasn't hearing her name any more.

I am trying to reassemble a full recollection of the race. I already have the title for it: "Geezer's Perfect Marathon" as I don't think I am capable of running one any better than this. I still hope to run faster, but I doubt I will ever run one better.

Time for PR update!

Today was the Portland Marathon. Had a weird trip out. I always plan my marathon travel bag down to the last detail and check it 6 times before leaving. So how do I end up here with no phone and no underwear? And I left the hotel information on the plane. Anyway, I managed to get the race essentials packed in my carry on bag so I had what I needed to race. I will admit now that I knew I was prepared for this race. In fact, my concern was that I would get greedy and go for that shimmering 3 hour mirage that shows up in my dreams. In fact, as I left the room this morning, I had to force myself to leave the 3 hour pace band that I grabbed at the race expo on the room desk. I'm glad I did. I wrote the 10 mile and 20 mile splits for 3:10:00 on my arm and reminded myself of the 3:10:00 pace of 7:15/mile. The start was confusing to say the least. I was 3 feet behind the tape with maybe 200 runners. The Portland Mayor did his countdown and yelled GO and off went the elites. I was leaning into my start when they yelled at us to wait our turn. WTF? They gave the elites a 1 minute head start then let us go. I don't know how many "waves" they staggered but I heard it was the same thing for Ruth Anne at the 4 hour pace group. I stuck to my plan and ran BEHIND the 3:10:00 group through 2 miles where we were already 30 seconds ahead of pace. When the pace group leader slowed WAY down to get back on pace I ditched him and tried to get on my own "steady" pace. Anyone who has followed my blos for any time will laugh when I use steady and pace in the same sentence and you would be right again today. On the first big hill at mile 4 I clocked a 7:06 and wondered if I had just cooked my goose. I saw Erik and Jacob in 5 and 6 place on the out and back. Then Steve and Tim. Steve scolded me to run smooth. Are you kidding me? I was in the groove today and yelling at everyone I saw. I made the turn around and saw nearly everyone from Rogue go by. By mile 10 I had 2 minutes in the bank but instead of feeling scared, I felt like it was going to be my day. I made up my mind to run as steady as I could to the center of the big bridge and see what I had left. That was the 17.5 mile point of the race and I looked at the guy next to me and litterally said "see ya" and took off. From mile 17.5 to the finish line I did not let one person pass me. A few managed to pass me but I caught every one of them. I was hamming it up for the crowds when they went quiet and fed off of the cheers I could solicit. I guess I passed 80 runners in the final 8 miles. I noticed my breathing became labored at about 23 but I knew it was my day and I just kept pushing. At mile 25.something they had a water stop set up under an overpass. The tables were only 10 feet apart and with peaple handing out water it was very narrow. I was in full kick mode and the idiot in front of me took a water and stopped dead in the center of the gap maybe 6 feet in front of me. No time to think, I brought up my arm and shoved him out of the way. I heard a table crash and 800 water cups hit the ground but I never looked back. In the final 1/2 mile I passed at least 20 runners like they were standing still. I was hoping for a 3:05 at that point but heard 3:05 flat announced as I hit the 26 mile mark. 1:05 for the .2 miles and I was done. Cooked. Hungry. Thirsty. And getting cold. I had promised Ruth Anne I would wait no matter how long it took her to finish so I found my drop bag and headed out to the course. She was behind the 4:30 group and really looking bad when I found her but Julia and John (THANKS GUYS) where holding her hand and passed her off to me. I ran the final mile in with her and held her up through the medal/pin/drink/food/flower line and got her back to the room. Here are my splits. You can look up the course profile if you want to correlate them to ups and downs.

1 7:03
2 6:55
3 7:19
4 7:06
5 7:04
6 6:52
7 7:02
8 7:01
9 7:33 missed the marker so not accurate
10 6:54 short because of previous remark
11 6:54
12 7:14
13 6:59
14 7:00
15 6:58
16 7:12
17 7:47
18 7:00
19 7:04
20 6:58
21 7:05
22 7:01
23 7:13
24 7:02
25 7:21 No idea why this was slow, I felt like I had picked up the pace
26.2 8:14 Didn't split at 26.

P-3

3 miles this morning. I have a sinus thing building and a run usually loosens things up. 3 miles barely got things moving but I will keep at it today. Hydration plan is working pretty well. I am just about packed. Busy day dropping dogs and cat off, ordering some skate blades, and all of the usual last minute leaving town crap.

I have been pleased with the response to the potato chip run that I had my runners do on Tuesday. Thanks Bruce for telling me about it 2 years ago! Next week I am going to show them how to self torture (I mean treat) with the foam roller, the stick and the TP Roller system. Good times!

I may be posting from the iPhone so please excuse typos and brevity for the next few days.

See you on the roads!

P-5

Ran 10 this morning with 7 steady at 7:30 pace. I couldn't keep my brain focused on anything so I just let it wander. Lots to do today. Gotta go.

P-6

Race day is fast approaching. Today was a slow easy 5 miles. Running 8:30 pace I never really loosened up but I am trying to get fully recovered from the hard runs of the past 3 weeks. I have started my race week hydration plan that calls for 4-5 700ml water bottles per day + meal time drinks. I have my chip and race shoes in my carry on. I am washing my running clothes so I can pack my race clothes today. I haven't yet picked my throw aways. By tonight, I plan to have all of my race essentials packed and ready to go. Then I will check it every day until I leave on Friday.

Portland in 7 days!

Since I couldn't get my long run in yesterday, I received my alternate instructions from Steve: "12-14 but not too hilly. Keep it easy then close the final 10-15 minutes." I laid out a gently rolling 14 mile route and headed out with every intention of following Steve's instructions to the letter. My course was laid out with 2 mile segments so I kept track of my 2 mile splits. The pace for each 2 mile split worked out to: 7:45 7:30 7:15 7:10 7:00 6:29 6:23. Overall pace for 14 miles 7:05. I really really tried to maintain an even effort once I reached the 7:30 pace but there were just too many other runners out there this morning and as I blew past each one of them I just kept smiling, saying good morning and squishing them into the pavement. Figuratively of course. So it ended up being a progressive pace run without an all out finish. I will run about 35 miles this week then take the battle to the streets of Portland next Sunday. The goal is <3:10. I am going to try to run even 7:15/mile for 20 then see if I can shave a minute or two off the final time. After the last 3 weeks of mostly great runs, I feel that this is the best I have ever felt going into ANY marathon I've ever run. The goal does not seem as big a stretch as many of my previous attempts. Ruth Anne promised me that she will go to Boston with me whether she qualifies at Portland or not. That will be great. If I can put together a winter training season that ends up as well as this one I will be ready to go for 3 hours at Boston. Whoo Hoo.

P-8

I had water stop duty this morning so couldn't figure out an easy way to get my 16 miler in. Ran for 40 minutes which should have been 5 miles or a little more. I've asked Steve to advise me on what I should run tomorrow. I only saw a few of the Austin Marathon runners as I was at the 10 mile turn around and most of the group was maxing out at 8. Did see quite a few folks out doing other runs, Abe, Maria, Chad, Jimmy who else? I have a skate fitting at noon then we are going to a Kayak demonstration and try out at 2.

On the real world side of life: It's official, we are now Green Horse Realty and a member of Beyond The Move Realty. Our web site www.GreenHorseRealty.com is up and almost where we want it. Our office space will be available on the day we get back from Portland so we will be in business! Can't wait to get started.

P-9

59 degrees, sunshine and a girl on her scooter! What a great way to start your day. After dropping Eileen off at school I headed out with no route and no watch for an easy run of 5 miles or so. I was a little tight at the start but loosened up about a mile in and ran what I thought was an 8 min pace winding through the neighborhood streets. I was thinking about the Portland Marathon pace calculator that Jim found on line yesterday. It claims to take in to account the course profile and produce mile by mile splits for your goal time. It also asks for a recent race of any length and produces a predicted finish time for Portland. For my goal time, I plugged in 3:10:00. Then I plugged in several race times. The one I thought was most appropriate was the Zooma 1/2 marathon that I ran last February. It was on a hilly course near Bastrop not the blazing fast 3M course. Using my time of 1:29:04, the Portland Marathon predictor predicted a 3:07:17 and produced mile by mile splits for that time. I then used my IBM 10K time of 39:52 from last year and got a prediction of 3:06:58. All of that adds to my confidence level that my goal is within reach.

P-10

4:15am alarm goes off, turn off alarm, roll over, go back to sleep. 4:20am give up going back to sleep, get up, get ready for workout. Discombobulated all morning, checked forum, miss post about change of location. Head to Rogue, no one around. Checked forum on iPhone found workout moved to Barton Springs. Selected route has 16 stop lights, all red. Arrive just as group heads for track. Can't remember workout description or paces. Ask Steve for workout when we arrive at track, he asks me if I'm feeling OK. I guess I usually have my shit together and now he's concerned. Workout is 6x1 mile with alternating 400s at 10K - 1/2 marathon. Don't know what those paces are so I just run fast and less fast. Paces ranged from 5:52 to 6:52 and averaged 6:20 for the 6 miles. Paces should have been 6:44 and 7:00 and should have averaged 6:52. Should have known I was fast when Lightning Larry is bitching at me for pulling him too fast on a couple of laps. Well, don't know whether to call this a great workout or an act of great stupidity. 10 days to Portland.

P-11

Yesterday's run was one of my worst ever. The only good thing was the short walk home. I'm going to put it in a box and leave it alone now.

Today I ran an easy 6 after walking Eileen to school. I didn't run the watch but I needed to get a feel for the pace so I looked at the time at my final mile mark and clocked a 7:00. I needed confirmation that I was on a pace that fit with the effort level and it was just right. The world of running is looking good these days. The weather is cool, I have a great group of runners training for the Austin Marathon and I look forward to our Tuesday's together. This Saturday I have drawn coaching duty so I am working on a plan to get my 16 miler in. I may have to run Sunday if I can't come up with a workable plan.

P-12

For only the second time I can remember, a Team Rogue workout has been canceled do to weather. I didn't get the word until I arrived at Rogue so I had to decide on how to revise my plans. Ruth Anne had an early meeting so I decided to head home and run after taking Eileen to school. Our message says that we will do today's workout on Thursday so I plan to do the Thursday workout on my own this morning. It looks like 2 x 2 miles at half marathon pace. That will be easy on my regular running route. I'm looking forward to running in the rain but I will look for some reflective clothes before heading out.

P-13

Easy 5 miles today after walking Eileen to school. It was hot and humid. I am hoping the weathermen are not just teasing about the cold front coming tomorrow. The weather underground says it will likely be 50-55 at the start in Portland and 60-65 at the finish with a 40% chance of rain. Historically speaking. It will be another week before any kind of accurate forecast will be available. I wouldn't mind 50 degrees and light rain. Or 45 degrees and sunny. Hold the wind please. Beer and fries at the finish if you don't mind. Just found this YouTube video and thought you might enjoy.

P-14

The final countdown to Portland has begun. I am growing more and more confident that my 3:10 goal is reasonable and obtainable. I have some concerns about the course that I will not be able to put to rest until I see them in person on Friday before the race. Before heading out on my run today, I read some Portland race reports other runners have posted online. The concensus of the ones I read is: run conservatively until AFTER the tall bridge at mile 18 try to close in the final 4 miles. Today's 5 miler was a breeze. I waited a little too long to head out and it was hot and humid but I knew it was just 5 miles and paid no attention really. I was ever so slightly stiff for about 1 mile but was running smooth and fast by mile 2. I'm looking forward to the final 2 weeks of workouts.

Last big run before Portland

This is getting even scarier. I feel great. Keith pointed out after our run that I have that look like I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop. There may be a bit of truth in that observation. Today was 23.5 miles with 20 miles at MGP+20sec/mile. What that means is: I want to run a 3:10:00 marathon which works out to 7:15/mile. So today I was supposed to run at a 7:35 pace. That did not exactly happen. In fact I was all over the map as I had no one running my exact pace but 5 or 6 runners running near my pace so I was constantly trying to judge who was where while trying not to get lost in the dark with directions printed in fine print. Slowest mile was mile 2 at a 7:40. Fastest mile was 20 at 6:51. Overall average pace for the 20 was 7:20. Overall pace for the entire 23.5 was 7:27 or a 3:15 marathon pace. That is a great confidence builder BUT I need to be careful this week to get full recovery before the marathon.

Just a note about the "new" Las Vegas. You may remember a few years back when Las Vegas tried to cultivate a family friendly image? Well, those days are GONE! The Treasure Island Pirate attack is now a lame ass pole dancing routine with show girl and Chippendale rejects. The M&M store is stocked with men's boxers with "Melts in your mouth not in your hands" printed on the fly. We had a great time but Eileen will not be making any more trips to LV with us for a VERY LONG TIME! Parents you are warned.

Temp Down - Up Tempo

Man, lower the daily temp 10 degrees and I start to feel like a rock star. Since I am leaving town in the morning, I got my tempo run in today. My breathing was a little ragged on the first mile but I was pleasantly surprised by the 7:27 pace for the 3 mile warm up. When I got to the mailbox marking the start of the tempo section I tried to drop the hammer but it was more like melting the butter and I just kind of oozed into it. 6:58 for the first mile. I may not have stopped my watch while I waited to cross Oak Knoll because mile 2 clocked at 6:15. Of course I had another runner up ahead and I did have to catch him before turning around. When I went by he just said WOW! When I turned around and went past him again he asked me what pace I was running so I just shrugged and said about 6:15. I really didn't want to puke while he was in sight! Mile 3 6:25 and mile 4 6:32 (crossing Oak Knoll again). What really pumped me up was after the tempo section I slowed way down and just cruised home. When I retrieved the paces from my watch the 3 mile cool down was a 6:57 pace! And I wasn't even breathing hard!

I will be running tomorrow in Las Vegas after a 3 hour plane ride. That'll be fun, NOT. If there is time, maybe I'll drive up to red rocks and run at 6,000 feet. Saturday's run is the last Race Prep run for Team Rogue Portland. We are warming up for 2 miles then running 2 x 10 miles at 15 seconds slower than MGP and 2 miles back. So 24 miles with 20 at 7:30 pace. Assuming I behave in Vegas, this run should be a piece of cake.

Of Shoes and Fish

Yesterday was the first time I have run on the roads in the rain in my current shoes. I was anxious to find out how they would perform since there is always a good chance of rain in Portland in the Fall. Within a block, we came to water standing in the road that was at least 2 inches deep so I ran right through it. Others in my group were weaving, jumping and high stepping to avoid getting their shoes wet. I will admit I HATE wet shoes and have performed all of the same futile gymnastics on many a wet run in the past. The result: my shoes completely filled with water then completely drained within 2 strides. I could feel the water rushing out of the shoes and there was absolutely no squishing. Of course the shoes have no insole, I don't wear socks and the whole upper is mesh. This morning as I was putting on my shoes for a quick 5 miles, it occurred to my that of course my shoes would work great in the rain, they are Piranhas after all!

Since it was not raining this morning, I elected to put a few more miles on the pair I have picked for race day. I relaced them in the Arthur Lydiard preferred method, got everything adjusted just right and headed out. Man I LOVE these shoes. Each pair has subtle differences and this pair is the most comfortable pair of shoes I think I have ever run in. They will go back in the closet today. I will run no more than 2 medium long runs in them before race day so they will have about 60-70 miles on them. Perfect!

Rain, miles and smiles

The countdown has begun. We race in 3 weeks. Today it rained. I elected to run with the big dogs today. At 3 miles I determined that I would not get dropped today and focused on running easy and relaxed. I've mapped out the route we ran at 16.4 miles in 2:00:40 working out to a 7:20 average pace. We hit the turn around at 1:03:40 or 7:42 pace making the return trip in 57 minutes flat or 6:54 pace. Race pace for Portland is 7:15 so I feel I'm in good shape for race day.

Again To Carthage

Big things happening in Geezer's little world these days. I took and passed the Texas Real Estate Sales exam last Monday. Waiting now on the license and making a decision on broker affiliation. I'm going today to get fingerprinted and photographed for the license. Tonight is the first group coaching for the Austin Marathon training season. It looks like we will have about 20 runners again and a mix of advanced, intermediate and beginner runners. I'm getting excited about it!

Saturday was the first long run for the Austin Marathon groups and the coaches were expected to be there. I needed to get my 24 miler in so I mapped out a 17 mile route from my house to Rogue and started out at 4:28am. I averaged a 7:20 pace down to Rogue then stood around for 25 minutes and got stiff as a board. The final 7 miles were run with Jimmy and several others at a more reasonable 8 minute pace. After the workout Sean loaned me his copy of "Again To Carthage" by John L. Parker Jr. It's the sequel to "Once A Runner" that I read last year in Sacramento. Even though the main character is a sub 4 miler and Olympic medalist, I absolutely identify with the single minded pursuit of goals and the punishing training that he endures. While I can't physically go live in the woods for a year to train for one race, my family will confirm that I am quite capable of disappearing for a couple of weeks leading up to an important marathon. During our track workout this morning, I was playing scenes from the two books in my head and completely into a zone. Except for the lap that I first passed Sadie. I think she picked up her pace just slightly as I went by and I automatically picked mine up and blew my rhythm all to hell. It took me took more laps to get back on track! Anyway, with the exception of those 3 laps, I nailed the pace on the 16x400 at 10k pace.

Mixed Bag Soul Buster

Yesterday was the MAIN EVENT of our Portland Marathon training. With just 5 weeks to go, we took on what Steve calls the toughest workout he has ever devised for a Rogue group. The 27 mile workout was planned to trash the legs early, run marathon pace for an extended period, further trash the legs with hills then attempt a 10K on the track at marathon pace and faster. I was nervous about the workout but not really intimidated by it. My feeling was that anyone who could close the workout at anything close to 10K pace was not running the marathon at their true potential. This was also going to be the final real world test of my race nutrition/hydration plan which is in fact my biggest concern going into Portland and Boston. My pre-run meal was a small cup of strong coffee and a concentrated Carbo-Pro mixture with 336 calories. I was not planning to have any calories during the run itself. I planned to sip 1-3oz water at each stop.

Run Re-Cap:
1.8 mile warmup to the track at 7:59 pace.
1 mile on the track in 5:56
2.26 miles easy at 8:02 pace
5 miles MGP 7:04 pace (*7:15 was target)
4 miles MGP 7:03 pace (*7:15 was target)
6.2 miles of HILLS 8:23 pace (*9:00 was target)
7:09, 7:15, 7:03, 7:23, 7:28 5 miles on track (targets: 2 at 7:15, 2 at 7:00, 2 at 6:50)
Then 1.3 mile jog over to Barton Springs at 9:42 pace.

So what's the good and the bad? This workout is one that will absolutely PUNISH you for ANY mistakes. Now that I have put it all in writing, I see the mistakes. The MGP section should have all been run at 3:10:00 marathon pace of 7:15 per mile. I ran paces for a 3:05:00 marathon. Felt GREAT at the time but I clearly paid later. Mistake number 2 was the pace in the hills. I know from experience that to have any chance of completing the target paces on the track that I would need to run the hills at a 9:00 pace. From the workout description, I thought we had 5 miles of hills so I was looking for a time in the hills of about 45-48 minutes. As my watch kept going past 50 minutes I began pressing. After mapping out what we actually ran it turned out to be 6.2 miles of hills and that mistake on my part was the final nail in the coffin. On the track, I completed the first 3 miles successfully. On mile 4 I lost it and after 5 miles I began dry heaving. Had this been a race and I was under 2 miles to go I would have pushed through it somehow some way. Once I heaved though, my abs were on fire and I skipped the final mile on the track. Normally this would have been mentally devastating for me but I left the track absolutely convinced that I had completed a successful workout and gotten what I needed from it. With this review, I still feel good about the results and can see where I made the mistakes. After totaling up the miles run and the total time, I posted a 3:20:08 marathon on a brutal training run. I can live with that.

Conclusions: I can run a 3:10 marathon in 5 weeks. My nutrition/hydration plan is solid. I cannot afford ANY mistakes though. If I let myself go faster than pace OR press up the two hills on the Portland course I will destroy my chances. I am healthy, I am fit and between now and October 4 I will focus on making this goal a reality.

Soul Buster Mental Prep

I walked Eileen to school this morning then set out for a Soul Buster Mental Preperation run. I didn't have a route in mind I just wanted 5 miles so I started a meandering route through our little neighborhood. Mapped it out when I got home as 4.9894 miles. Close enough? I tried to use each mile of the run to mentally prepare for a section of tomorrow's Soul Buster. I would say I'm 85% ready mentally. I really think physically I'm at 100% which is something I've not felt for nearly 2 years. We'll see how it goes!

Routine back in my life

School started this week. Yes its always crazy, stressful, sad, exciting and I must say welcome. Suddenly, there is a clock back in our life. A regulator of time, energy and resources. In the past few weeks as my enthusiasm wilted in the staggering 100+ heat of Austin I wondered what little event would come along to kick me in the a** and get me back on track. Turns out I didn't need a freezing cold front or a personal air conditioner. Nope, just the regulating influence of the AISD school day for Eileen. In just 4 short days, I have picked up where I left off in July with great runs and a better attitude. I am back with the AM group of Team Rogue. I even forgot to set my alarm BOTH days this week but woke up unaided at exactly 4:15 as planned (how sick is that?).

We are preparing for Saturday's Soul Buster with reduced mileage and high turnover workouts. Tuesday was 6x1 mile repeats, 800 at 1/2MGP and 800 at 10K paces. Chris and I nailed it at the paces based on a 3:08 marathon. Today was 12x200 at 5K pace and once again, Chris and I worked together to nail the paces. 1st repeat fast, 2nd repeat slow then 10 repeats within 1/2 second of target. About that Soul Buster. We will warm up 1.5 miles to Anderson HS where we will run a progressively faster mile on the track ending with an all out 400. We will immediately head back out for a 2 mile recovery run before running 9 miles at our marathon goal pace. Then we will run 5 miles of the Run From Hell in Westlake Hills including a return down Stratford to Austin HS. At the Austin HS track, we will then run 2 miles at MGP, 2 miles at 1/2MGP and 2 miles at 10K. Then its 2.5 miles over to Barton Springs where I hope I can soak out the damage while basking in the glow of a hard as nails 27 mile workout nailed hard.

I had a great LAB Soul Buster 2 weeks ago. Nailing this weekend's workout will go a long way toward setting me up mentally for a good race at Portland.

Hot - Humid repeat until September

With nightly lows of 83 degrees and daily highs of 103 degrees since June, running has been a chore not a joy. I've gradually reduced my running from the 80 miles per week I was running in June to 50-55 miles per week currently. With the introduction of hills and speed work, the afternoon workouts have taken 2 days recovery and morning workouts leave me wasted for the rest of the day. This Saturday we had one of our Soul Buster workouts. 2 mile warm up, 3 miles at marathon pace (7:15), 1/2 mile recovery, 3 miles at half marathon pace (7:00), 1/2 mile recovery, repeat with a final 3 miles at MGP then cool down. I've not had much success this summer hitting paces and wasn't sure how this workout would go. At the last minute, I decided to ditch most of the nutrition/hydration efforts I've worked on this summer (thanks Kent) and go with what has worked for me for 2 years. I drank a highly concentrated Carbo Pro mix prior to the run and drank only 1oz of water every 3.5 miles of the workout. I had a GREAT workout. I averaged a 7:04 pace for the MGP sections (3:05:16 marathon) and 6:43 pace for the half marathon sections (1:28:03 1/2 marathon). I did dry heave for a minute or so at the final marker and the subsequent tender abs caused me to cut the cool down miles short. Total workout was 20.5 miles instead of the 23 I'd planned.

Unfortunately, the next 3-4 weeks will be ruled by the real world. I have to be in Fort Worth tomorrow to evaluate the equipment still in place for salvage. We have a trial date in Fort Worth for next Monday that could last 3-5 days. My daughter Anne is getting married sometime in the next 2 months. Eileen starts 2nd grade. We are preparing the house for going on the market by November. Construction will start for real at Star. I'm getting tired just thinking about it.

Hot Times in Austin

So we went to the Grand Canyon a few weeks ago. My running must have fallen in when I wasn't looking. The heat, kids out of school and work commitments all contributed to a general running malaise that I am just now coming out of. Today's 16 miler was the first run since we got home that felt good. Is it coincidence that much of the BSS gang was back for the first time since Boston? Maybe, maybe not. I will be looking at my goals for Portland today and tomorrow to prepare for our Thursday workout. I will not be going for 3 at Portland. I can't settle for anything short of 3:10 so the range of discussion is set. I think 3:08:30 sounds about right.

Quick update

Last week ended at 92 miles. I forgot to add the 3 x 1/2 mile warmup runs when I calculated the mileage needed on Sunday. I'm tired. The highest weekly mileage I've ever logged. Monday was spent in all day Certified Negotiator Training so I ran with the afternoon group. My legs cramped before we'd gone a mile and I cut the run to 9 miles. Tuesday was another full day of training and I just skipped running. Wednesday I wasn't very optimistic when we arrived for the afternoon group run BUT I was pleased to run 12.5 miles at a respectable 7:15 pace. Even better when you note that it was 100 degrees at the start. Thankfully Ruth had a GREAT shady and slightly hilly route planned for us. So tomorrow we leave for the Grand Canyon. Predicted highs are in the low 70s so I am actually planning to get a few runs in. I'm thinking 5-8 miles every other day.

Old Friends Run Marathons!

Yesterday I came across a name from my ancient past. Jay Menna and I met at UT, hung out together for several years. There was one trip to the beach that shall not be discussed on a public blog. There was an original blues composition titled "I've Got Flat Tires" but I can't remember the words. He was in our wedding party (25 years ago Tuesday!). Anyway I found him on Facebook and promptly sent a friend request, not certain he would remember me. Well he did and one of his first comments was he plans to run Grandma's Marathon in Diluth in 2 weeks! We're going to get together tomorrow for lunch a catch up on the last 24 years.

Yesterday was school board night and we went kind of late. Family matters delayed me getting to bed until after midnight and with school out for the summer, there was no mandatory alarm set this morning. I slept 'till 8:30 and didn't head out for my run until 9:30. Ran a loop from our house out D-K Ranch, Raincreek, Lost Horizen, Raincreek, Great Hills, Jollyville and back for 15.6 miles at a 7:37 pace. I'm sitting at 50.5 miles for the week with 3 days left. The new lacing pattern on my shoes has made a big difference.

Improved lace up

Ran 10.5 this morning on my usual route plus the Sadie loop. I added a loop over at the top of my laces before heading out to tighten up the heel cup and it worked better than expected. I think I will be able to get some additional mileage out of the current shoes. I feel confident that if I lace them this way from the start, I'll get at least 300 miles out of the next few pairs. Am on track for my first 90+ mile week. Next week is 2 days of Certified Negotiator Training and our trip to the Grand Canyon so mileage will drop to 40 or so for the next 2 weeks. When we get back, I'll build back up to 80 or so and get synched with the Team Rogue plan until October.

Shoe Distress

Yesterday was the 14 mile version of Sadie's run with Team Rogue. I like that the mileage is back up to the "usual" level but I personally don't like to follow a map in the dark on runs with 50 or more turns. I guess one way to look at it is I will appreciate our other runs that much more. The run went OK with two exceptions. I developed a slight side stitch around mile 12 that slowed me down a bit. I ran through it and am beginning to feel that even if I get a stitch in my next race I can work through it. The bigger concern was my shoes. It was hot and very humid so I soaked through my shoes pretty quick. About halfway through the run, I noticed that my feet were hurting a bit and my shoes felt sloppy. The laces were tight and I didn't want to stop and mess with them during the run. When I got home though, I checked them over and found that the heel cup has completely failed allowing my heel to literally slip off the sole. I was not running in these shoes last summer and this week has been the first week of full on sweat soaked runs. I am going to have to figure something out because this pair only lasted 150 miles which is less than 2 weeks. I had been getting 250-300 miles out of each pair this past winter. I'm going to change the lacing pattern and attempt to tighten up the heel cup but I'm not too optimistic that that will help.

Running Fast Is Hard – Running Easy Is Fast

A Plug for Rogue Training System’s Austin Marathon Training Program

I will once again be coaching an Austin Marathon group for Rogue Training Systems this fall. The exact day and time remains to be set and I will update this entry when I know the details. I have had an amazing year running with Team Rogue and I look forward to bringing many of the lessons learned to my coaching this fall. My coaching philosophy this season will be based on the premise: Running Fast Is Hard – Running Easy Is Fast. If you are looking to run your first marathon or your best marathon at the 2010 Austin Marathon I encourage you to sign up for Rogue Training System’s program. You can read about my running ups and downs on my blog: A Geezer Running Amok.

So He's Human After All

This morning could have gone either way. This was a drop down week for mileage and I slept pretty late so just getting out the door was a challenge. Once I was going it turned into a great 10.5 mile run. Lots of people out running, biking and walking. I didn't wear a watch and I added my Sadie loop to add a couple of modest hills. Yesterday was 15.6 on the Lady Bird Lake Trail. I ended the week with 56.7 miles, my lowest mileage since the week before Boston.

After my run yesterday, I looked up the Stockholm Marathon site to track Mike's day. He has continued to say he was going for a sub 3 hour attempt. I have had a hard time training with Mike since he announced his plan to go for 3 at Stockholm. As much as I would like to support his effort, I felt that he was setting himself up for a major disappointment or injury going hard again so soon after Boston. That said, he amazed me with his run at Boston and I know for a fact that he will own a sub 3 marathon time. So, for the past several weeks, I have held my thoughts while others on the team joined him for long runs and special workouts to prepare. I've remained silent while others offered support and encouragement. At times, I even thought I should simply tell him he was ready and could take it. So, Mike, if you read this, I appologize for not being able to get behind you 100% in this endeavor. I'm very happy that you found a way to make it a positive experience. I'm very glad you are going to take a well deserved break. I look forward to having you back for workouts later this summer. I'm also glad to learn that you are in fact human because I was having a hard time trying to keep up with Super Man.

Seconds Anyone?

I felt much better through the day yesterday after my morning run. I knew that I wouldn't get a run in today or tomorrow so I joined Ruth Anne and the evening group for an 11 mile run last night. I have wanted to know how two a days would feel for some time. I started out thimking I might bag it but after 2 miles I felt good and had a great run. I ran with Kent and Jim averaging a 7:35 pace. Headed to all day training today and to Ft. Worth tomorrow.

Running with the Green Monster

Yesterday morning started with a pounding headache and painful stomach cramps. I deceided to skip the team workout and run later. Well, later never happened. I was feeling puny all day. As I headed to bed last night, it occured to me that this was the start of my semi annual sinus infection. I did a sinus irrigation before going to bed and managed to get some sleep. The main thing that did was reduce the drainage so my stomach didn't hurt this morning. I decided to see if I could run through the Green Monster (snot) and figured it might actually help. Eileen wanted to rinde her scooter to school so I accompanied her and started my run from the school. It took 3 miles to get things loosenend up but it turned into a decent run of 9.5 miles.

Did I tell you the one about...

I forgot to mention the highlight of yesterday's run. I was headed east on 34th St about to cross over the little Shoal Creek bridge and needed to get off the street to avoid a line of cars. What happened next all occurred during one stride:

I left the ground pushing off with my left foot from the street jumping the curb. As I scanned for a landing spot, I saw SNAKE! I have this Homer Simpson squeal that I reserve exclusively for SNAKES that escaped about that time. Once the squeal was out of the way, I noted that the SNAKE was about 6 feet long and I was going to land about 2 inches from it's head. The first evasive action was to tuck my legs up underneath me to gain hang time. Then I executed a very nice straddle split but realized that I couldn't land with my legs out to the side. So, I retracted the legs and went for a maximum forward stretch with my right foot. While I was about 4 inches away from landing, I noted that the SNAKE had not moved. I had not seen any visible injuries but I was in the process of concluding that Mr. SNAKE was in fact dead as I landed.

I next executed the fastest rebound stride of my life and began to try to restart my heart. It restarted and revved up to about 680 bpm for 2 or 3 seconds before returning to "normal". Did I mention that I have a thing about SNAKES?

Today was 10 miles easy. We are headed out to the farm to ride the trail horses and hang out a bit. Happy Memorial Day 2009!

Got it going

I have a busy week coming up so I planned for this week to be a hard week and the upcoming week to be a recovery week. To finish off this week, I decided to run from my house to Whole Foods downtown and meet Ruth Anne. She was meeting with a nutritionist about some issues and they planned to be done by noon. I wanted to get there, have brunch and do some shopping and be ready to leave at noon. So I plotted my course on gmap-pedometer coming up with 13.9 miles door to door. I estimated I would run a 7:30 pace which worked out to 1 hour 44 minutes running time. I needed to leave at 9:30 to get there by 11:15 leaving 45 minutes to eat and shop. I through some pants, shirt and sandals in Ruth Anne's car along with my phone and wallet. I carried a car key, $2.00 and my 5oz flask of Carbo-Pro. I walked out the door at 9:30 and stopped my watch at the Whole Foods door in 1:43:27 at 11:15 on the dot. I didn't wear a Garmin and there are no mile markers along the way so I ran a 7:27 pace by feel for 14 miles. That is a huge thing for me since pace awareness has been one of the hardest things for me to find. The week total was 76.4 miles on 6 days of running. So since Boston, I've posted weekly totals of 25, 63, 81, 70, 76. I will likely miss 2 days this week and total less than 50 miles for the week. I am beginning to gain some confidence in my new hydration/nutrition plan. If the runs continue to go well and the nutrition gives me what I need to close on race day, I am setting up for a great race year. Goals: <3:10 at Portland in October and <3:00 at Boston next April. All I can say right now is: I got it going!

Got Something Right

After my gastric distress last week, I knew I needed change something. I decided to try 2 things (I know, not very scientific) different today. I mixed the Carbo-Pro mixture a little stronger and ended up with 10 oz instead of the 16 oz I drank last week. Then I took only a small sip before the run started and waited until I had run the first 6 miles before I started taking sips from the bottle. I also took smaller sips more frequently today than last week. I won't know for a few weeks if this is the complete answer but as for today's run, it was GREAT. I met up with Damon at 4:50am (that hurts just writing it). We did the prescribed stretching and set out to log 6 miles. We didn't map out a route and just started running. We kept an easy 7:50 pace and had just enough time to find the rest of the BSSW crew and head out for the group 14 miler. We started out easy enough, 7:30 pace, but after the 3 mile water stop, the "big boys" as they like to refer to themselves began seriously pushing the pace. At about mile 7 Sean and I were running a sub 7 minute pace and the lead group was quickly pulling away. Steve caught us about this time and said he was going to put a stop to the runaway train. At the next water stop we regrouped and ran the remainder of the run as a group of nearly 20. The pace was comfortably quick, the conversation fairly clean and the 40 blocks of Duval downhill! At the last water stop I decided that when the group leaders started to close the final 2 or 3 miles I was going to go with them and see if I could stick. The push started 2.5 miles out and got serious when we hit the San Jacinto hill. I was right in the middle of the pack as it began to string out and lost only 100 meters on the lead group over the last mile! I was easily clocking a 6:20 pace and felt good. I'm going to stick with the same Carbo-Pro strength for a few weeks and repeat the consumption strategy. Overall pace for the 20 today was 7:11 so the 14 mile pace works out to a 6:56!

After the run, I delivered a "First Aid" care package for Russ. Mike is going to meet up with Russ while he is in Sweden for the Stockholm Marathon. I'm excited to see how much of a lift it will be for Russ to have Mike hook up during a leg of his incredible journey.

After the post run stretching, 78 pushups and 78 crunches, I began to wonder where Ruth Anne was. She had planned to run 10 or 12 miles and I expected to see by this time. I finally aksed Carolyn if she had seen her on the course. Carolyn remembered then that Ruth Anne had told her to pass on that she was going to run the full 14! That really got me excited. Ruth Anne's comeback took a hit last week with a sinus infection and I wasn't sure if she would be able to get back to full mileage that quick. I'm getting excited about her prospects for a BQ at Portland.

Coach Geezer

I find it interesting what your brain will decide to think about on a long run. I've got about a billion different things I'm working on right now that I would expect to be on the front of my brain, but today I was thinking about how I'm going to coach the upcoming Austin Marathon group for Rogue. The running part is easy, Steve, Ruth and Carolyn plan out the workouts and long runs for the whole 24 weeks. What I'm talking about is the motivational componant. Last season a couple of runners dropped or changed groups within a week or two of the start of the program. Everyone else started and finished the Austin Marathon. Of those several had PRs and several BQ'd. So, how can I build on that? No definite answers yet but I've got some ideas that I'll be thinking about.

Ran my 10 mile D K Ranch route today. No watch. Didn't see any of my regulars but I did pass a couple out running. I passed them from behind and said Hi as I went by. As I was rounding the corner, I heard her say "did you see how fast he passed us?" That's what I call an ego boost!

De Train, De Train!

Trains train and training. Today was another cool (did I really see gloves out there today?) running morning. I arrived too late to leave with the 14 miler group so I headed out with the 10 miler group planning to complete the 12 mile version of St. Eds on my own. Kamran, Jason and I cruised easy up to St. Eds campus and cut over to 5th street where we parted. Jason was waffling on the distance but ended up opting for 10. I figured I could run 7 on my own and continued out on the course. In the 40 times I've run the S. Austin Ramble or St. Eds loops I've never been stopped by a train on Banister Dr but as I turned the corner a LONG freight train was heading inbound. About a block from the tracks, I noticed the 14 mile group had been caught and picked up the pace to try to catch them. I was about 100m back when the gates lifted so it took me another mile or so to catch up. Where I caught them was about 1/2 mile from the 12/14 mile route split. I was feeling really good, appeared to have plenty of time and thought I would prefer the company so I decided to run in with the 14ers. The sun was just coming up, the sky was clear, the air was crisp and the conversation was mostly clean. It was pretty much a perfect group run. The Garminators where tracking the mileage and informed the rest of us that we were going to come up short (do ya think? Even the Garminless can tell we weren't doing 6:30s) so we added a half mile further on the trail before heading back toward Rogue. As we turned north onto Waller, I could hear the light rail train horn and projected that we might get stopped by yet another train. There was a CapMetro crew waiting at the crossing as we approached, I could hear the train coming but the gates didn't lower. However, as we turned the corner, the gates went down at I-35 while the train was still 1/2 mile out. I never actually saw the gates go down on Waller. This light rail is turning into a huge disaster. Not only that, but have you heard the horn on these things? Its loud. The urban dwellers are going to quickly tire of the noise. Assuming it actually goes into service before the urban dwellers move back to California where real estate is cheap.