tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-75232501331542124582024-03-05T11:28:54.192-06:00A Geezer Running AmokUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger169125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7523250133154212458.post-45960891272578752022010-07-18T17:44:00.003-05:002010-07-18T17:53:14.766-05:00A little barefootin'This week was a good running week. I missed my Wednesday run due to a toothache. Well, not just a toothache. I woke up and couldn't open my right eye because that side of my face was so swollen from whatever caused the toothache. I think I see a root canal in my near future. Bring on the sedation dentistry! Toothache aside, I got in 65 miles with a great 20 miler on Saturday. Toward the end, my feet were aching a bit so this morning I drove over to UT IM fields and did 7 miles of barefoot running with strides. It was supposed to by eight but I can't run and count past 5 so I left a mile short. Reviewing my CALI training schedule I have just completed week 12. There are 20 weeks to go. Just 4 weeks until the halfway point. After Saturday's successful run I feel like it is coming together. I am about 3 weeks behind schedule on my build up but I now am certain I made the right decision to take it slower. Getting back into running in the heat was harder than I expected.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7523250133154212458.post-6731224280079832742010-07-04T12:22:00.002-05:002010-07-04T12:37:49.566-05:00Gaining Consistency7 days, 64 miles this week, 58 miles per week average for the past 3 weeks. I am feeling good about my new level of consistency. No injuries except a blister on my left heel from a litle rock that I should have stopped and removed. The metabolic rate has finally kicked in and I feel like I can eat at the levels I like without putting on added weight. Maybe now I can address the 12 pounds I'm carrying over my St. George level.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7523250133154212458.post-30697267129645757922010-06-20T10:22:00.002-05:002010-06-20T10:27:49.138-05:00A Good Week of RunningFinally. This may have been my best week of running since the Portland Marathon last October. Last week I missed several days on the roads and totaled just 30 miles for the week. This week I managed to get 6 days in and 60 miles! Not only did I get in the miles but I made the mental leap to stay with the sub 3 hour guys for on the runs our mileage coincides. Adding 4 or 5 miles per week I will get to my80+ MPW goal in 4 weeks.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7523250133154212458.post-72632414607078508712010-06-18T09:47:00.002-05:002010-06-18T10:00:01.858-05:00A Possible BreakthroughWhoo I feel good... da da da da da da... A little James Brown to start off the day!<br /><br />Yesterday's run with Team Rogue started out pretty much like all of them had for the past 8 months. I didn't really know how far I would go or how fast I would run or who I would run with. I had in mind going 10 and asked around and found folks running 6,8 & 12. I decided to not decide and just see where it all went. I latched on to Larry and Jim who had said they were going 12. I have watched Jim steadily pull away from me over the past year and as Larry loves to point out he is just plain faster than I am or will ever be. :-) We were running my least favorite route of all time (don't want to get in trouble so I won't say any names) but I knew if I got dropped I could find my way back to Rogue. As expected, Jim and Larry began to pull away from me after a couple of miles. To my surprise though, I was able to stay within half a block and never lost contact. Well except that part around the UT Main Building where I ended up in a dead end courtyard for the Student Union. The pace was quicker than anything I have managed for a very long time but it felt GREAT! I wondered if I would suffer later in the day but had no ill effects.<br /><br />This morning, I got a late start but managed to get in 5 miles in the heat and humidity. Tomorrow I am going to see if I can hang with these guys for the long run.<br /><br />CALI <3. CALI <3. CALI <3.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7523250133154212458.post-49498037243356426682010-05-08T09:03:00.002-05:002010-05-08T09:40:36.618-05:00< 3 > Nope, not a broken HTML code.21 miles! For the week! Less than my weekly Saturday runs for the past 2 years. BUT 7 straight days of getting out the door and getting in a 3 mile run. Tomorrow I start building mileage toward my goal of 90-100 miles per week. The best part of it has been the opportunity to think again. For the entire training season leading up to Boston I was so preoccupied with my new venture that it crowded out all other thoughts even on my runs. This week, I have once again discovered how to let my mind wander into other areas and it is amazing how calm my brain feels now compared to just a few weeks ago. So, the brain may be feeling good but that is about it. I weighed myself today and I have put on 15 pounds since Portland. My stride is affected by the extra weight and my hip continues to complain at times. I'm confident that as the mileage builds the weight will drop so I am not going to "diet".<br /><br />One thing that I realized on today's run is how much starting up my real estate business mirrored my decision to train for the marathon. You sign up for real estate classes like you might sign up for a training group. Then you complete the training/classes. Now you find yourself on the marathon/career starting line for the first time. When the horn sounds you forget everything your coach ever told you about pacing yourself at the beginning and off you go. You soon find out that pacing your self early might have been the better decision!<br /><br />So I have made the decision to put in place a long range business plan that fits with my marathon training plan and fits with a quality of life plan. Soon after I received my license, the local Board of Realtors announced the Rookie of the Year award for 2009 and bragged how she had closed $990,000 in her first year. That is actually quite above the average for a first year realtor. Thursday I closed 2 transactions that put me at $1,217,000 in 4 months with another $790,000 in working deals. This does NOT include the HUD transactions that I get credit for even though I am an unpaid contractor.<br /><br />So, in addition to setting a marathon goal of breaking 3 hours I am setting a business goal for 2010: Top $3,000,000 in my first calendar year as an agent. I have chosen to represent my goals graphically as <strong><span style="color:#ff0000;"> < 3 > </span></strong>. Since success is rarely the result of hard work alone, I have to recognize the role that my coaches and teammates play in my running success and recognize the role that my wife, my broker and my clients will play in any business success I may achieve. I have now fully joined the race and am ready for the long haul! Whoo Hooo!Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7523250133154212458.post-551875734316821292010-05-02T10:29:00.002-05:002010-05-02T10:50:41.288-05:00The Beginnings of a new planToday was the day. I woke up, had a cup of coffee and felt like I had to go for a run. First run since Boston. Nothing big but I went for 3 miles just to see if anything hurt. All good. I got back and pulled up the California International Marathon site. December 5. I pulled out the Lydiard Progression that I used for Portland and laid out a plan to go from 0-90 miles per week. It calls for 21 miles this week building to 45 miles in 3 weeks. Then adding 5 miles per week to 90. I have 3 goals at this point. First is to get consistency back by running 6-7 days per week. Second is to log 2,200+/- miles by CALI. Final goal is to make a serious attempt at breaking 3 hours at CALI.<br /><br />Eileen has asked to be home schooled next year and we are excited at the possibilities that opens up for travel. We are looking at incorporating a visit to Ruth Anne's sister in Yuba City and a trip to Yosemite and Sequoia National Parks after the marathon.<br /><br />For all of this to work, I am going to have to get the real estate business on a more stable consistent schedule. I am extremely proud of the business that I have built in such a short time with just about $1M closed and another $1M under contract BUT it was built at the expense of my running. To maintain a balance in life, I need to get the running back on track while building on the momentum I have in real estate. I don't know if I will be able to post daily or if a weekly update will have to do. BUT I do plan to keep this blog updated regularly throughout this training session.<br /><br />I'm glad to be back!Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7523250133154212458.post-79235047296585568752010-04-05T15:08:00.003-05:002010-04-05T15:16:43.233-05:00Has It Really Been That Long?I can't believe that I haven't posted since January 1oth. Yes I have been busy and yes my running has been in the doldrums a bit BUT seriously.<br /><br />So, I am baby sitting one of my listings while we have our pre-listing-inspection done and am going to take a few minutes and bring myself up to date.<br /><br />The Boston Marathon is 2 weeks from today. I am ready to run. I'm not ready to go for 3 hours. I may be ready for a PR but who knows. I will be disappointed if I don't post a Boston PR.<br /><br />My weekly total mileage has slipped from the high 80s to the low 40s since December. I am managing only 3-4 days running per week and even that has been inconsistent. The good news is that I have not hurt myself and am beginning to feel the stirrings of motivation creeping back into my running life. I am entering the lottery for St. George and planning to ramp up the mileage after Boston and 2 weeks of rest. If I can put together a summer of training like last summer, I should have a real shot at going sub 3 in the fall.<br /><br />So, there is a quick update.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7523250133154212458.post-78581489896079868012010-01-10T15:24:00.003-06:002010-01-10T15:45:46.166-06:00Chapped AssI don't wear tights. Not really a fashion thing. Not really a macho thing. Its really about the big nasty holes tights rub in places I really really don't want big nasty holes rubbed. SO, as I contemplated running 20 miles on Saturday with starting temperatures around 14 degrees maybe warming up to 22 I was tempted. But not tempted enough to put on the tights. I wore slightly longer shorts than normal, a heavier than normal technical tee shirt, arm warmers and my lightweight jacket. Gloves and hat of course and the biggest shocker, socks! I didn't feel cold as we got started and after 2 miles I was clicking along at a 7:15 pace trying to reel in the lead group that had gotten a jump on me at the start. At 8 miles, most of the group turned back and it was Jim and I left to finish out the run. Jim wanted to run 22 and I only needed 20. I felt that I could cut off 2 miles later in the run so I stuck with Jim. Turned out to be a mistake. We never slowed beyond a 7:30 pace and at about 16 miles I began to struggle a bit. It was beginning to feel like Cali so I let Jim go and started to make my way back to Rogue by the shortest route possible. I came to Cindy's water stop at 18 miles and had to get in her car to warm up. I fully expected to catch a ride back with the next coach to come along BUT Domingo the Chihuahua jumped in my lap, snuggled with me and licked my neck and chin until I was warm! About then, Jimmy came to the water stop and asked if I was OK. I said I thought I could jog back in if he would stick with me. He agreed and we jogged back to Rogue. I was close to collapsing when we got there but after chugging my protein drink, drinking a large Progress coffee and eating a large fruit cup with yogurt and granola I was starting to recover. When I was finally up to leaving, I had to hustle. I had 2 showings, a listing sign to set and 2 other errands to run. When I finally got home I realized that my ass was really tender. Apparently it had been completely numb after the run and I didn't notice the chaffing until that afternoon. Wow is THAT uncomfortable. Final result was 20.2 miles in 2:36:37 for a 7:45 overall pace. I must have slowed to 9 or 10 minute pace to whipe out 18 miles of steady sub 7:30s.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7523250133154212458.post-23443626006630940422009-12-13T18:49:00.002-06:002009-12-13T18:51:36.123-06:00A PR and AG placeI 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!Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7523250133154212458.post-26595246780342570082009-12-13T12:36:00.002-06:002009-12-13T12:56:00.273-06:00Jingle Bell WeirdnessI 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.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7523250133154212458.post-76621043360643575682009-12-12T15:47:00.002-06:002009-12-12T15:53:21.375-06:00Nap 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.<br /><br />Breakfast then Nap. Lunch then Nap. Afternoon snack then Nap.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7523250133154212458.post-63986892397456640402009-12-09T21:19:00.004-06:002009-12-09T22:27:59.460-06:00Test Taking at UTLast 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?Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7523250133154212458.post-73461067321264731872009-11-29T22:39:00.002-06:002009-11-29T22:58:30.235-06:00Running and RunningIt 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.<br /><br />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.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7523250133154212458.post-23827286147796894542009-11-28T11:56:00.003-06:002009-11-28T12:03:44.647-06:00A Few Good MilesI 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.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7523250133154212458.post-14130015606853462882009-11-27T08:43:00.002-06:002009-11-27T09:07:41.476-06:00ThanksgivingRuth 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!<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />Well, gotta go RUN!Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7523250133154212458.post-72060792387674177852009-11-22T17:12:00.004-06:002009-11-22T17:29:10.895-06:00Let's RollBoston 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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7523250133154212458.post-89332408549415563662009-11-22T10:56:00.004-06:002009-11-22T11:15:15.360-06:00Geezer's Nekkid Run Part 1<p>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.</p><p><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzSKGhr1frFoZ8YXwnuT2blwXADUk9l1xo9cTs3XzwmVC86tPddCkocUMLgvI_ArxVc6dtJz4NzVsMw8QodRw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></p><p>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.</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7523250133154212458.post-90355704003345702122009-11-21T11:54:00.003-06:002009-11-21T12:12:25.871-06:00Great Run - Empty HouseI 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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7523250133154212458.post-2438929716848366322009-11-19T21:45:00.003-06:002009-11-19T21:59:40.912-06:00Groovin'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!Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7523250133154212458.post-58799675108426347732009-11-15T07:18:00.003-06:002009-11-15T11:49:37.982-06:00Hokahey 5KOur new <a href="http://www.greenhorserealty.com/">business </a>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!<br /><br />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 <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">Aleve</span> 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 <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-error">Hokakey</span> 5K that I had <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">entered</span> for Saturday.<br /><br />The <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" class="blsp-spelling-error">Hokahey</span> 5K was not really a "race" after all. This was an opportunity to come together with the friends of Dan <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_4" class="blsp-spelling-error">Keitz</span> and raise funds for his battle with <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_5" class="blsp-spelling-error">ALS</span>. As I got ready for bed, I didn't know if I would race or not. The thought even <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_6" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">occur ed</span> 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. <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_7" class="blsp-spelling-error">Hmmm</span>, hadn't thought about attaching a chip without shoes. <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_8" class="blsp-spelling-error">Ok</span>, 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.<br /><br />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 <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_9" class="blsp-spelling-error">XC</span> guys with that look in their eyes. When the horn sounded I found myself running in 5<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_10" class="blsp-spelling-error">th</span> place with Kurt and 3 <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_11" class="blsp-spelling-error">XC</span> 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 <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_12" class="blsp-spelling-error">XC</span> 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 5<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_13" class="blsp-spelling-error">th</span> place overall and 1st masters! Kurt held off the 2 <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_14" class="blsp-spelling-error">XC</span> 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!<br /><br />RESULTS:<br />Hohahey 5k<br />Austin, TX<br />14 Nov 2009<br /><br />1 0:18:42 Kurt Mohlman M 29<br />2 0:19:01 John Vogt M 31<br />3 0:19:27 Larry King M 43<br />4 0:19:40 Matthew Nyfeler M 17<br />5 0:19:50 Geezer Collins M 46<br />6 0:19:50 Cody Castelline M 15<br />7 0:19:56 Michael Wedel M 34Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7523250133154212458.post-781817847819437662009-11-13T14:03:00.002-06:002009-11-13T14:09:49.273-06:00Essential LydiardThank you Mike for forwarding <a href="http://runningtimes.com/Print.aspx?articleID=18121">this article</a>! 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!Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7523250133154212458.post-61891178098324540212009-11-04T15:16:00.004-06:002009-11-05T20:43:18.382-06:00A moment of Pizza and TRUTHLast 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.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7523250133154212458.post-82353797562213482552009-11-03T14:29:00.004-06:002009-11-03T14:46:37.838-06:00The First Ten-A-Tive Steps to BostonI 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!<br /><br />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!Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7523250133154212458.post-62240641645561857662009-10-31T17:35:00.003-05:002009-10-31T18:12:29.337-05:0018 Beautiful MilesTeam 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. ;-)<br /><br />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!<br /><br />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!Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7523250133154212458.post-66104668728973991952009-10-27T14:57:00.003-05:002009-10-27T15:10:00.469-05:00Getting Started AgainTeam 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.<br /><br />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.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com