Recovering from CECS

U-G-L-Y. 11 miles, 1:36:44, 8:47/mi, 151BPM.

Holy cow!  It’s December 28 in Vermont and the temp is 50 degrees!  The bad news is the wind is blowing in excess of 25mph.  Not a fun running day.  I’m still a little tired from yesterday and the gradual boost of mileage.  I pretty much suffered through it without any enjoyment.  In fact, I can’t remember a more difficult run in a long time. 

It reminded me of a passage from Frank Shorter’s book.  I met him in 1995 at a local race in Tucson.  I had a young friend with me (who did not know who Shorter was), and I introduced him to Frank.  I remember saying something like, “Hey Tom, this is Frank Shorter.  He is the Gold Medalist of the 1972 Olympic Marathon.”  Frank looked at me and said with a little attitude, “By the way, I did win the Silver in 1976 too.”  I felt about 6 inches tall, but still had the gumption to ask him to sign my early edition copy of Once a Runner.  We talked for a few minutes about training.  I was trying to mimic his methods at the time.  13 sessions a week, around 100 to 120 miles.  He took the time to talk with me and sign the book.  I still treasure the book and take it out during tough spells.

Frank’s book, “Olympic Gold, A Runner’s Life and Times,” is underrated.  He was one tough dude who would get out the door to run no matter what the conditions were.  So, here is the snippet:

In February 1975, three months before Pre’s death, we were skiing together in Taos, NM.  We were also running, and the harsh winter weather made for rather rough going.  I recall one day in particular when we were out for a 10-mile run in the mountain trails where the altitude reached 10,000 feet.  There was a blizzard raging, and the snow was blowing so hard across our faces we could barely see.  Being familiar with such conditions, they came as less of a shock to me than to Steve, who lived in western Oregon away from the mountains.  He was jabbering away, complaining.  Steve was a great complainer, which masked his courage and belied his success as a runner.  He’d even complain about a nice sunny day.  It was part of his routine.

In the middle of that workout, at the height of his objection, I turned to Pre and said, “You know, nobody in the world is training harder than we are right now.”  Pre put his head down and didn’t say a word for the rest of the workout.

Thinking about guys like Pre and Shorter gets me though tough days like today.  Maybe I’ll get back to my PR’s of 10 years ago.  Getting out the door on days like today is a big part.