| Location: AL,USA Member Since: Jun 14, 2008 Gender: Male Goal Type: Other Running Accomplishments: I've finished a couple of races here and there... Short-Term Running Goals: Maybe one day I'll be enough of a runner to run a race. maybe not...
Long-Term Running Goals: My ultimate long term goal is to die young as late as possible... Personal: Rule #1: Cardio - Zombies lead a very active lifestyle, so should you. Favorite Blogs: |
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| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 1852.70 | 77.10 | 83.80 | 0.00 | 2013.60 |
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| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 8.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 8.00 |
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"Know how to ask. There is nothing more difficult for some people, nor for others, easier." - Baltasar Gracian
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| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 8.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 8.00 |
| "Sometimes, if you stand on the bottom rail of a bridge and lean over to watch the river slipping slowly away beneath you, you will suddenly know everything there is to be known." - Winnie the Pooh |
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 6.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 6.00 |
| "Always acknowledge a fault. This will throw those in authority off their guard and give you an opportunity to commit more." - Mark Twain |
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 6.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 6.00 |
| "Cease to ask what the morrow will bring forth. And set down as gain each day that Fortune grants." - Horace, Odes |
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 8.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 8.00 |
| "Just a word of advice. Whenever you're furious with your parents or you think they're terrible, just remember, you vomited on them and they kept you." - John Green |
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 5.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 5.00 |
| "To find fulfillment.... don't exist with life - embrace it." - Jim Beggs |
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 4.10 | 0.00 | 3.10 | 0.00 | 7.20 |
| "The only way most people recognize their limits is by trespassing on them." - Tom Morris | |
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 7.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 7.00 |
| |
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 8.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 8.00 |
| yep |
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 8.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 8.00 |
| uh huh. |
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 8.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 8.00 |
| you bet
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| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 6.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 6.00 |
| strategery |
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 8.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 8.00 |
| "Learning is not compulsory... neither is survival." - W. Edwards Deming |
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 8.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 8.00 |
| "A good novel tells us the truth about its hero; but a bad novel tells us the truth about its author." - G.K. Chesterton (funny... it seems that Mr. Chesterton is talking about more than books here...)
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| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 3.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 3.00 |
| only had time for a few, but the weather was too nice to pass up... |
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 6.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 6.00 |
| "He is indebted to his memory for his jests and to his imagination for his facts." - Richard Brinsley Sheridan |
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 3.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 3.00 |
| I must say that I noted a bit of irony today. I only ran three miles, and it wasn't the most enjoyable three miles I've ever done. It was by no means the worst, but the best description of this run would be the ever-so-illuminating word of "bleh." My internal response to this was thinking, "man, if this run is going to suck, I wish I had at least gotten a few more miles in to have a respectable distance." I find this ironic because, after my 3-miler on Wednesday, which I thoroughly enjoyed, I was utterly content to be done for the day (time restrictions kept me at low mileage on Wednesday). Contrarily, after today's less than enjoyable run, I wanted more. We runners are strange folk.
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| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 3.20 | 0.00 | 3.10 | 0.00 | 6.30 |
| "Man is so made that he can only find relaxation from one kind of labor by taking up another." - Anatole France ...so i may be scheming up another run again... stay tuned...
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| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 6.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 6.00 |
| "Regret for the things we did can be tempered by time; it is regret for the things we did not do that is inconsolable." - Sidney J. Harris |
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| wussed out of the 40 degree rain and took a nap. | |
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 8.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 8.00 |
| "If you're never scared or embarrassed or hurt, it means you never take any chances." - Julia Sorel |
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 8.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 8.00 |
| "It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his job depends on not understanding it." - Upton Sinclair (applicable to more than just vocation...)
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| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 8.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 8.00 |
| ...because that's what the cool kids do on Friday nights... | |
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 6.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 6.00 |
| "He who lives without folly isn't so wise as he thinks." - Francois de La Rochefoucauld |
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 9.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 9.00 |
| "Man is tormented by no greater anxiety than to find someone quickly to whom he can hand over that great gift of freedom with which the ill-fated creature is born." - Fyodor Dostoevsky |
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 8.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 8.00 |
| It took a second for me to locate the small voice yelling from above... "It's too cold to be running!" I finally spotted the boy, not older than 5 or 6, in an open apartment window at the top of the building to my right. "Naw, man; it's the perfect temperature!" I yelled back, smiling. His response was priceless: "Oh... OK... Well good luck!!!"
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| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 3.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 3.00 |
| "An intellectual snob is someone who can listen to the William Tell Overture and not think of The Lone Ranger." - Dan Rather |
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 8.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 8.00 |
| For some reason, there weren't any other runners out tonight. I, for one, thought the 40 degree, windy rain was fun...
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| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 12.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 12.00 |
| "The only normal people are the ones you don't know very well." - Joe Ancis |
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 10.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 10.00 |
| "If you think something is boring, try doing it for two minutes. If you still thinks it's boring, try it for four. If you still think it's boring, try it for eight, then sixteen, then thirty-two, and so on and so forth. Soon enough you'll find that it's really not boring at all." - John Cage |
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 8.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 8.00 |
| "I was gratified to be able to answer promptly. I said I don't know." - Mark Twain |
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 3.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 3.00 |
| I sent this in to an ultrarunning email group today, so I thought I'd share with y'all: Admittedly, the weather of the last few days has been less than pleasant
for running. Maybe it's just a Southerner's thin skin allowing the 40
degree rain to penetrate a little too deeply, or maybe it's the
accumulation of many days of miserable weather over the last few weeks,
but whatever the cause, the effect is the same: a cold, drenched,
slightly fatigued runner trudging back inside afterward.
To any
sane person, this begs the immediate question of why we do it. Why
would we put ourselves through such experiences? Why risk sickness?
Why go out into the cold? I must admit, when I get off work and am
driving to my running launch point, I often wonder such things. I often
find myself asking, is it worth it?
Sitting at a keyboard, it is
certainly easy to say "of course it
is, you can get X and Y and Z out of it and see benefits A and B and C
and you can do this, and, and, and..." But when it comes time to put
rubber to road, we're all faced with that same question.
Is it worth it?
I
think that when we opt out of our runs, the answer is apparently that
it is not; however, when we, as runners, can get past these questions
that plague us prior to our runs, more often than not, once we get into
the act of running itself, the answer becomes a resounding yes.
Is
it worth it? This cold, drenched, slightly fatigue runner trudging
back inside afterward would have to give a hearty affirmative. | |
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 10.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 10.00 |
| "If you would be a real seeker after truth, it is necessary that at least once in your life you doubt, as far as possible, all things." - Rene Descartes ...and since i'm so excited about the sequester, i'll throw in another for today... "The best time to plant an oak tree was twenty-five years ago. The second best time is today."
| |
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 6.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 6.00 |
| "A true friend knows your weaknesses but shows you your strengths; feels your fears but fortifies your faith; sees your anxieties but frees your spirit; recognizes your disabilities but emphasizes your possibilities." - William Arthur Ward |
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 4.20 | 0.00 | 2.80 | 0.00 | 7.00 |
| "If you have the opportunity to play this game of life, you need to appreciate every moment. A lot of people don't appreciate the moment until it's passed." - Kanye West | |
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 6.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 6.00 |
| "Politics is supposed to be the second oldest profession. I have come to realize that it bears a very close resemblance to the first." - Ronald Reagan | |
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 6.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 6.00 |
| "In science one tries to tell people, in such a way as to be understood by everyone, something that no one ever knew before. But in poetry, it's the exact opposite." - Paul Dirac | |
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 3.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 3.00 |
| "Refuse to be ill. Never tell people you are ill; never own it to yourself. Illness is one of those things which a man should resist on principle." - Edward Bulwer-Lytton |
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 31.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 31.00 |
| Delano 12, but had to cut it off at 50k (4:27:xx). Waited a couple hours after finishing, then hopped on a plane to Korea for a few days for work... (back as of Thursday noon-ish... bit of a whirlwind trip...) | |
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 4.00 | 0.00 | 3.10 | 0.00 | 7.10 |
| fun little 5k; just fast enough to stay up front. |
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 4.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 4.00 |
| too good of weather to not run... |
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 10.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 10.00 |
| fun run... more about it on tomorrow's entry... |
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 6.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 6.00 |
| Usually rain doesn't justify a change in the running schedule, be it a
delay, cancellation, or otherwise. Such alterations can all too easily
transform into a wholly unjustified excuse, and as a friend's sister
used to say, "Excuses are like bellybuttons; everybody has one, and none
of them taste good."
However, yesterday had the perfect
combination work delays, radar reflections, and available time to make
the gamble of a future mental battle worth it.
A call to try to
calm a very nervous coworker en route to an OCONUS TDY location had me
leaving the office a bit later than normal, which allowed a few
last-minute checks of various weather radars. If my estimations were
remotely accurate, the line of rain and storms looked like they would be
through the area a smidgen over and hour later.
This
guesstimation, combined with the later sunsets of Daylight Savings Time
and one of those rare nights free of other obligations, seemed like
just cause to grab a nap, then hit the road.
Admittedly, the nap
lasted about fifteen or twenty minutes longer than planned, but the
subsequent run made the gamble entirely worth the while.
Birds
chirping playfully in the bright afternoon sun, the cool, humid air
rushing by, and a general sense of post-storm revival permeated the
streets.
In spite of being slow and sluggish, the environment in
which I found myself and the inherently calming effect of watching the
slow fade of sunset into night made it one of the more enjoyable
ten-milers in recent memory.
We run, walk, trot, jog, bound,
sprint, trek, and otherwise ambulate in so many conditions, both
internal and external, that we sometimes lose sight of the wonder to be
found in our seemingly mundane routines.
...and then
sometimes we get to have a rain delay...
| |
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 3.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 3.00 |
| "Everything is in a state of flux, including the status quo." - Robert Byrne |
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 6.40 | 3.60 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 10.00 |
| 6.4 for my Illustrious Father's 64th (plus a few to round out the mileage...)
|
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 8.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 8.00 |
| "When you are not practicing, remember, someone somewhere is practicing, and when you meet him he will win." - Ed Macauley (...a good thing to remember whilst running past the restaurants and bars on another Friday night run...)
|
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 6.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 6.00 |
| not entire sure about the distance on this one... was helping mark a course for a trail race, running the back half before the lead runners caught up... fun stuff. |
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 6.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 6.00 |
| "Enjoyment is not a goal, it is a feeling that accompanies important ongoing activity." - Paul Goodman |
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 10.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 10.00 |
| running in the snow in late march in alabama. something's wrong with this picture. |
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| wuss |
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 10.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 10.00 |
| "I don't necessarily agree with everything I say." - Marshall McLuhan |
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 8.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 8.00 |
| "You can live to be a hundred if you give up all the things that make you want to live to be a hundred." - Woody Allen (...challenge accepted, woody...) |
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 10.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 10.00 |
| "Live in the sunshine, swim the sea, drink the wild air." - Ralph Waldo Emerson |
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 8.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 8.00 |
| "People find life entirely too time-consuming." - Stanislaw J. Lec |
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 10.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 10.00 |
| In case anyone forgot, for those who cared to listen, birds along the route were announcing the significance of the day. Happy Easter, Y'all!
| |
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 10.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 10.00 |
| "Nothing contributes so much to tranquilizing the mind as a steady purpose - a point on which the soul may fix its intellectual eye." - Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley |
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 10.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 10.00 |
| "A desk is a dangerous place from which to watch the world." - John le Carre | |
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 3.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 3.00 |
| "I know a lot about cars. I can look at a car's headllights and tell you exactly which way it's coming." - Mitch Hedberg |
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 8.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 8.00 |
| definitely didn't know there was any chaffing going on until after i got done... maybe that's why some of the drivers-by were giving me funny looks... | |
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 6.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 6.00 |
| "The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in the mind at the same time, and still retain the ability to function." - F. Scott Fitzgerald |
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 4.00 | 0.00 | 6.20 | 0.00 | 10.20 |
| "Our bodies communicate to us clearly and specifically, if we are willing to listen to them." - Shakti Gawain | |
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| wuss | |
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 10.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 10.00 |
| "Try to learn something about everything and everything about something." - Thomas H. Huxley |
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 10.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 10.00 |
| how much wood would a wood chuck chuck if a wood chuck could chuck wood? |
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 10.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 10.00 |
|
3 after work, before youth. hoping to get in a few more after youth.. we shall see...
...and 7 after...
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| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 6.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 6.00 |
| "Even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there." - Will Rogers |
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 10.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 10.00 |
| praying for boston. |
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 10.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 10.00 |
| "Give me the splendid silent sun with all his beams full-dazzling." - Walt Whitman |
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 6.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 6.00 |
|
seems relevant... http://www.cnn.com/2013/04/17/politics/boston-runners-heart-essay-foreman/index.html?hpt=hp_t2
|
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 6.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 6.00 |
| why isn't there a special name for the tops of your feet? | |
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 6.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 6.00 |
| "Learning is not compulsory... neither is survival." - W. Edwards Deming |
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 10.20 | 0.00 | 3.10 | 0.00 | 13.30 |
| "It's a rare person who wants to hear what he doesn't want to hear." - Dick Cavett |
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 8.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 8.00 |
| if billy is four years older than sally, and sally is two years younger than bob, who is twice as old as jill, then what color is roger's new shirt? | |
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 10.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 10.00 |
|
meh...
...in other, more exciting news: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Running-Home-to-Sumatanga/238624499611817?skip_nax_wizard=true
| |
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 10.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 10.00 |
| "A strong positive mental attitude will create more miracles than any wonder drug." - Patricia Neal |
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 4.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 4.00 |
| that awkward temperature rain in which you don't know whether to wear the rain shell or go with just a shirt... |
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 6.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 6.00 |
| ...in case you're feeling a little spiteful at times, you'll get a chuckle out of this... "Words ought to be a little wild for they are the assaults of thought on the unthinking." - John Maynard Keynes
|
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 8.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 8.00 |
| training philosophy wrapped up in a quote: "That which we persist in doing becomes easier, not that the task itself has become easier, but that our ability to perform it has improved." - Ralph Waldo Emerson |
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 14.50 | 0.00 | 3.10 | 0.00 | 17.60 |
| hard to believe that it's been 2 years since the tornadoes that made such an impact... that said, i can't help but reminisce about this: https://www.facebook.com/AlabamaReliefRun
|
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 9.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 9.00 |
|
i'd like to be under the sea in an octopus's garden in the shade. | |
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 10.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 10.00 |
|
lots of runners
lots of traffic
lots of walkers
lots of lots |
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 14.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 14.00 |
| behold, my weekly shameless plug for my next big (fundraiser) running event... (cue the dramatic music...)
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Running-Home-to-Sumatanga/238624499611817
|
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 7.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 7.00 |
| "Muffin likes her squeaky chicken." - My Darling Little Sister (makes perfect sense, right...?)
|
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 6.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 6.00 |
| ...so this was the first time that a fish of any appreciable size has had to swim out of my way while i've been running on one of my usually dry routes... | |
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 6.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 6.00 |
| "Almost all absurdity of conduct arises from the imitation of those whom we cannot resemble." - Samuel Johnson |
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 7.00 | 0.00 | 5.00 | 0.00 | 12.00 |
|
am: 1 mile warmup + steeple chase (not what you're thinking) 8k in a cold rain. yay cold rain.
pm: 6 more in markedly improved weather conditions.
|
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
|
sick + rain = no run
|
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| still sick + no rain = still no run |
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| a little less sick + rain = no run |
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 8.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 8.00 |
| a few before, a few after youth... |
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 3.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 3.00 |
| still kicking back at the last remnants of my ill-advised run in the 40 degree rain on saturday... |
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 6.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 6.00 |
| new shoes, and i feel obliged to brag about paying $2.20 for them when they are regularly $115. Got to love race award gift cards... |
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 3.20 | 0.00 | 3.10 | 0.00 | 6.30 |
| ...and a fun time was had by all.... |
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 6.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 6.00 |
| 6 along the beach to kick off a long travel week of work... yay.... (i guess i'll just claim this is all part of the taper...)
|
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 4.00 | 6.20 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 10.20 |
| one last fun little tempo before slowing down for this: https://www.facebook.com/RunningHomeToSumatanga http://www.runninghometosumatanga.com/
|
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 6.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 6.00 |
|
...and back to the fun (read: awkward) pre-run videos... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6jyN3_cLZIk&feature=youtu.be <iframe width="640" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/6jyN3_cLZIk?feature=player_detailpage" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
|
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 5.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 5.00 |
| so i might be milking this whole tapering thing... ...only 6 days til the start of: https://www.facebook.com/RunningHomeToSumatanga
|
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 3.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 3.00 |
|
just a few.....more......days...... http://www.runninghometosumatanga.com/ https://www.facebook.com/RunningHomeToSumatanga
|
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 6.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 6.00 |
| ...what i said yesterday... http://www.runninghometosumatanga.com/ https://www.facebook.com/RunningHomeToSumatanga |
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 6.20 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 6.20 |
| cruisin through Cotton Row 10k with my ever Inimitable Mother... ...start tomorrow... https://www.facebook.com/RunningHomeToSumatanga http://www.runninghometosumatanga.com/
|
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 37.60 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 37.60 |
| Day 1 of: http://www.runninghometosumatanga.com/
https://www.facebook.com/RunningHomeToSumatanga
|
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 36.20 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 36.20 |
| Day 2 of: http://www.runninghometosumatanga.com/
https://www.facebook.com/RunningHomeToSumatanga
|
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 36.80 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 36.80 |
| Day 3 of: http://www.runninghometosumatanga.com/
https://www.facebook.com/RunningHomeToSumatanga
| |
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 34.50 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 34.50 |
| Day 4 of: http://www.runninghometosumatanga.com/
https://www.facebook.com/RunningHomeToSumatanga
|
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 21.90 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 21.90 |
| Day 5 of: http://www.runninghometosumatanga.com/
https://www.facebook.com/RunningHomeToSumatanga
| |
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 3.00 | 3.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 6.00 |
| testing out the ol' legs to make sure they still worked... still kinda did... |
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 5.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 5.00 |
| helped out with the mt. mania 15k in the morning, then went out for a leisurely 5 this afternoon to turn over the engine a few times...
|
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 5.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 5.00 |
| "Nothing is a waste of time if you use the experience wisely." - Rodin |
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 7.00 | 3.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 10.00 |
| "The mint makes it first, it is up to you to make it last." - Evan Esar |
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 6.00 | 0.00 | 3.00 | 0.00 | 9.00 |
| What if this weren't a hypothetical question? |
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 1.00 | 0.00 | 3.10 | 0.00 | 4.10 |
| Sometimes it's fun to step out there and show the new(er) runners that there's still a little fire left the furnace.
That
fire doesn't necessarily burn in any one particular hue. Sometimes
it's the color of a fast run; sometimes it's the color of long run;
sometimes it's just the color of accrued running wit and wisdom. Every
time it's the color of hard fought shades earned over the course of
miles and miles and miles.
We've all had these little flashes.
Sometimes they are more noticeable than others, and sometimes they only
serve to remind us that perhaps we should stoke up the flames again.
The
ways in which we burn are specific to each one of us, but all of us put
forth a radiant energy. Sometimes it's noticed, sometimes it's
absorbed, and sometimes it's even reflected by
others.
Sometimes we just need a reminder of the fires that burn within... |
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 6.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 6.00 |
| "The world is wide, and I will not waste my life in friction when it could be turned into momentum." - Frances Willard |
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 9.00 | 3.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 12.00 |
| "Experience is a good teacher, but she sends in terrific bills." - Minna Thomas Antrim |
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 6.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 6.00 |
| "The middle of the road is where the white line is - and that's the worst place to drive." - Robert Frost |
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 6.00 | 0.00 | 3.00 | 0.00 | 9.00 |
| [*note* this was describing yesterday's run] It was a beautiful, sunny day.
Temperatures
were in the upper 80's, a few wisps of clouds hovered high in their
ever-temporal fashion, and an oh-so-slight breeze danced through the
city streets.
The
pace was pretty relaxed; a friend had sent a message earlier asking
about the possibility of a run after work, and such an idea sounded
marvelous, even after a tiring day. Truth be told, the lack of speed
was an unexpected blessing, allowing the true nature of the day to soak
in and replace the wearisome tenor that various circumstances and
revelations of the day had caused it to assume.
Sometimes
we need such a slow down to get us back into a disposition that allows
us to take in the marvels of the world around us, to seek refuge from
the
brooding outlook that is all too often forced upon us. Often times it
proves difficult to reign in the speed of our runs, much less our lives
and our world, even when we nominally make the effort; our slow runs
paradoxically turn out to be yet another chore through which we rush in
an effort to get to the next item on the list. Our overly-filled,
scheduled, planned, and regulated days have all too often caused us to
miss the true benefits and beauty of the slow down.
A
few easy miles on a warm, clear day can work wonders that are beyond
the understanding of an air-conditioned mind working at 100 gigabytes
per second.
Lessons of the slow down are easy to pick up, if we'll only take the time to try.
| |
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 3.00 | 0.00 | 3.10 | 0.00 | 6.10 |
| "The grass is not, in fact, always greener on the other side of the fence. Fences have nothing to do with it. The grass is greenest where it is watered. When crossing over fences, carry water with you and tend the grass wherever you may be." - Robert Fulghum |
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 6.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 6.00 |
|
A friend of mine emailed me this question the other day, and when I
got done with my reply, I had written far more than I intended. I know
it's a topic that has been tossed around in various forms time and time
again, but I figured I'd put it out there for others to mull over.
The question is that of talent. If you are so inclined, take a look at the
original question and response and chime in with your own thoughts...
**************************************************
Sent: 6/20/2013 22:43
To: John Nevels
Subject: Question.
How much of
running is talent. I hear this word thrown around. How much "talent" is
there in placing one foot in front of the other? How much of it is
training and dedication. "consistency is key," right? How much of
running (from the 5k and on up to ultras) is really dependent on
"talent". Just curious. What is stopping me from being a sub 2:30
marathoner besides an extra 150 lbs and Bruce Denton? Feel free to ask
around haha....
**************************************************
From: John Nevels <jrn47again@gmail.com>
Date: Sat, Jun 22, 2013 at 4:57 PM
Subject: Re: Question.
Generally, by and large, "talent" is a copout word used by people who don't want to put in the work.
That said, there are definitely some anatomical and
physiological advantages to be had when it comes to running, some of
which are determined by genetics, and some by environmental factors
outside of your control.
To be sure, and I can't emphasize this enough, 85-90% of
running aptitude and success is up to the runner and can be affected by
your aforementioned habits of training, dedication, consistency, etc.
It's that 10-15% that makes amazing running feats possible and separates
the Olympians of today from the rest of us. I fully believe that, if I
trained like Galen Rupp, I could push my 5k down from my current PR
(16:36) to around 14:30-15:00, maybe even faster; I just don't know.
However, I fully believe that just the right ratio of dimensions of legs
and body, just the right functionality of lungs, just the right
muscular response to training and baseline vascularity (all genetic
predispositions that cannot be altered through training), coupled with
just the right environment growing up, like, say, spending the first 18
years of life living at 7000 feet (environmental factor out of runner's
control), that amazing things are possible. With an influx of interest,
money, and attention to running (like what Rupp, Ritz, Webb, etc. have
gotten), then such phenoms that have all the right puzzle pieces will be
found. Also, when an aptitude is seen as a way out of poverty and
desolation, such as what the Kenyans have found, incentive will be
present as well. They've all got just a tiny percentage better
functionality in a very small subset of their anatomy and physiology,
that, when multiplied by 1000 steps or 1000 heartbeats or 1000 breaths
can actually add up to something.
That said, I think that the farther you go, the more
training takes precedent over "talent." An aptitude to be in the
Olympic 100m dash is determined at birth, and the rest of us just have
to suck it. I'll never be able to do what Usain Bolt does, and I
couldn't even come close, regardless of how much I tried. On the other
hand, I fully believe I could be in the same ballpark and competitive
with, say, Anton, if I were willing to put in the work he has. I'm not,
and most people aren't. Obviously, Bolt and Anton are the extreme ends
of the spectrum, and I think there is a full continuum of training vs
talent in between, but I really think that the vast, vast majority of it
all is training.
As some anecdotal evidence, I weighed the same at age 11
as I did at age 20 (a rather substantial height difference, though).
For being over 6 feet tall, I've got relatively short legs, and I'll
never be as lean as the Kenyans. I started as the slowest person on my
XC team (like, girls and all) and have finished DFL more than once. My
freshman year, my 5k's started around 27 minutes (which was much faster
than when I was in middle school, when I was thrilled beyond measure to
hit a 28:xx, and the slowest 5k I remember being a 45 as a kid). I
would have been a prime candidate to play the "no talent" card and give
up. With this as a background, it almost personally offends me when
people claim no talent, and it DOES personally offend me when most
people tell me that they would love to do the running I do, but that I'm
clearly far more talented than they are, so they're not going to beat
me; I've put in too much work to attribute this to a simple natural
gift. I worked my butt off over the rest of high school to end up with a
high school PR of 16:57 and be on the still-standing school record
4x800m team, then keep on going to do this ultra nonsense. I understand
that a 400-pounder is probably not going to beat me in a 5k, but a
large part of this is due to previous choices that have lead to the
current condition, as well as the mental state that is generally present
in such instances. I understand that some people have huge frames and
don't respond as well to training, but this discrepancy in purely
natural aptitude gets smaller as the distances get larger. As a point
of note, I should probably state the fact that I'm NOT a fast
ultrarunner; based on relative results, I'm a far better 5k-er and
10k-er than ultrarunner; the simple fact that I've finished certain
events and distances (read: been willing to complete) makes some people
*think* I'm a good ultrarunner.
Talent in the (distance) running world is
USUALLY used the same way that luck is used in the rest of life. A
copout. People don't want to recognize that they can do these things,
run these times, cover these distances, accomplish these cool feats,
because once they recognize the capability, it's entirely on them. They
can't blame it on talent or parents or luck. They have to own up that
they aren't willing to put in the work. I take full responsibility for
not being like Anton or Meltzer or Roes. I think most people would
rather blame their knees.
All that said, running, like you said, is a simple act.
One foot in front of the other; how bad could it be? The paradox is
part of the beauty of the challenge. It's something so simple, but so
difficult.
Dang... I didn't mean to write a dissertation or a sermon
there. My bad.... (...it was at this point that I realized I shouldda
just said, 'yeah'...)
| |
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 9.00 | 3.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 12.00 |
| The first few miles had gone as
well as could be expected for a Tuesday afternoon this time of year. A
mile or so had been spent shaking out the cobwebs that had developed
through another day at work, and the Southern humidity had been true to
form having all those daring to be out of doors wringing wet within a
very few minutes.
Left foot, right foot....
No surprises
to be found on the course that so many know so well. Up the first
little rise, dance through the first series of rocks, make the next
turn... Even the consistently ordered series of smells found along the
course, ranging from the cut grass of the adjacent golf course to the
sun-baked organics of the nearby landfill, came and went in predictable
fashion.
Left foot, right foot...
Just another run on another steamy day, until, of course, the horsefly made its presence known....
Coming
through the last little bit of the course, the buzzing of flies seemed a
bit more cacophonous than usual. At first, this did little more than
create a brief note in the already stalling internal monologue.
Soon
enough, however, the quick back of the arm sting of one of Creation's
miserable creatures snapped me out of my near stupor back into the
reality of the present. A quick swat easily dislodged the beast, which
proceeded to harass me until I had vacated his territory, which extended
far beyond what one would expect for such an animal. He returned to
his guard post by the bush should I have the audacity to return...
As
everyone knows, a horsefly bite isn't life-altering; it's not even
really noteworthy most of the time; it's more of just a general
annoyance.
But to a runner falling victim to the doldrums of the
routine, a horsefly can be an ironic source of enlivenment. For the
next 8 or 9 miles, I was awake, present, in the moment. The thought of
the horsefly had vanished within minutes, but the effect was
long-lasting. It was quite refreshing to be back engaged in the
activity.
In a seemingly odd way, this annoyance of nature had
reminded me of the joy inherent in running. It can be so monotonous at
times, but the occasional jolt of sensation can remind us of the wonders
around us and bring us back to experiencing the run of the moment
rather than the mental tire-spinning of a so-called "boring" run.
I just hope I can remember this without finding any more horseflies...
|
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 3.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 3.00 |
| easy does it... |
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 8.00 | 3.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 11.00 |
| a bit warmish out.... |
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 5.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 5.00 |
| ...and humid, too... |
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 1.00 | 0.00 | 5.00 | 0.00 | 6.00 |
|
"The secret of happiness is to make others believe they are the cause of it." - Al Batt ...oh yeah, and there's this today: http://www.ultralive.net/ws100/webcast.php
|
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 6.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 6.00 |
| "Truly great madness cannot be achieved without significant intelligence." - Henrik Tikkanen |
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 6.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 6.00 |
| two for tuesday... "If indeed you must be candid, be candid beautifully." - Kahlil Gibran ...and... "We must always change, renew, rejuvenate ourselves; otherwise we harden." - Johann Wolfgang von Goethe |
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 3.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 3.00 |
| just a few easy out to the woods pasture and back... |
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 4.00 | 0.00 | 3.10 | 0.00 | 7.10 |
| watermelon 5k before the festivities began in belzoni.... |
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 8.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 8.00 |
| hot and humid, but bunches of people out and about... |
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 12.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 12.00 |
| "Have more than thou showest; speak less than thou knowest." - Billy Shakespeare |
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 2.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 2.00 |
| squeezing a couple in before whisking away to youth stuff |
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 7.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 7.00 |
| fun variation of the standard thursday night runs. the TN river is up due to all the rain, so we had to re-route to skip the trails, but even the out-and-backs on the road were covered in high-shin deep water. fun stuff... |
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 6.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 6.00 |
| One of the little wonders of life is that seemingly identical situations
can have an almost infinite number of outcomes. This is illustrated
well with the limitless experiences that are possible on a single route
run day after day after day.
Perhaps such an observation is obvious, but Monday's run brought this presumably self-evident concept to the fore.
It was the same standard route around town, a variant of which is generally run three or four times per week.
It
was the same standard weather for this time of year, which around here
means hot and humid enough to have your forearms dripping within minutes
of starting the run.
It was the same standard time of day, usually meaning a slowly waning volume of traffic.
The
specifics of the run aren't important; it could be any
route to which you've grown almost monotonously accustomed on any given
day, the "everyman" of runs. (I suppose the achievement of such an
"everyman" of runs is a deep and hard-earned concept, but that's an
entirely different post...)
Regardless of when or where it all
occurred, it was the seemingly standard variances that paradoxically
made it noteworthy: a careless right on red, a couple out walking the
dog, some friends out for an afternoon walk. These are the things that
force ever-so-slight changes in an otherwise average run and thus
transform the standard into the deviation.
A wide swing or a
tight turn can provide vantage points and observations counter to the
norm; who knew this stretch of yard was incongruously overgrown or that
the small hanging branch that was such an annoyance during the winter
could have such beautiful buds in the summer?
An ornery ankle or
dead legs might be grounds for assuming it just wasn't a
good day, but how gratifying is it to know that you toughed it out, and
isn't there value in having the not-as-easy days as a basis of
comparison...?
The wandering thoughts are endless and inevitably
lead to a challenge of the definition or assignment of the term
"standard." What is a standard run? Who sets said standard? When did
I/he/she/they/we define this elusive standard?
Alas, before all
the answers to these questions, along with the countless others that
arose, could be adequately answered, the run was over, leaving the
mysteries of the universe to be pondered on another "standard" run.
...and if all this is from just one run, the extrapolation out to the rest of life is all the more entrancing...
|
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 8.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 8.00 |
| "Abnormal is so common, it's practically normal." - Cory Doctorow |
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 9.00 | 1.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 10.00 |
| ...it just seemed like the cool thing to do on a tuesday... |
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 9.00 | 3.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 12.00 |
| the rain in spain stays mainly on the plain. |
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 5.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 5.00 |
| hot, humid, hungry, happy, hilly, head, hal, hedgehogs, hard, hondas, huron, hook, humbug, herbivore, hectometer, hindenburg, hercules... | |
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 4.00 | 0.00 | 1.00 | 0.00 | 5.00 |
| um... | |
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 8.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 8.00 |
| "Everyone has talent. What is rare is the courage to follow the talent to the dark place where it leads." - Erica Jong |
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 8.00 | 3.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 11.00 |
| Many people don't understand why we run, and, more often than not, we
are at a loss when it comes to articulating a response. This is even
more true when those asking decide to cling to their predetermined
loathing of our sport. We simply cannot provide a comprehensive and
lucid reason without delving into euphemisms and the ethereal, and
astute antagonists will often point this out with their own anecdotal
evidence to support such contrarian views.
Their loss.
Euphemisms aside, the minutia of our daily runs make them worth the while.
Noticing
the flora and fauna, greeting the mail carriers, feeling the changes of
the seasons; these are all such integral parts of life, and yet they
tend to go unnoticed without something like a monotonous daily run to
force them into view.
Big races, PR's, and physical milestones
seem to warrant all the attention, but yesterday's run illustrated that
the daily grind might just have some of the most important, if not the
most subtle benefits.
| |
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 6.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 6.00 |
| "The secret of life is to appreciate the pleasure of being terribly, terribly deceived." - Oscar Wilde |
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 7.00 | 0.00 | 3.00 | 0.00 | 10.00 |
| "Virtue is its own punishment." - Aneurin Bevan |
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 5.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 5.00 |
| "Live up to you potential instead of imitating someone else's." - Martha Burgess |
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 1.00 | 0.00 | 3.10 | 0.00 | 4.10 |
| "Even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there." - Will Rogers |
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 3.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 3.00 |
| the weather was simply too good not to... | |
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 8.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 8.00 |
| everyone give a huge happy birthday to my ever Inimitable Mother! true to form she is celebrating being twenty-something for twenty-something years...
| |
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 12.50 | 0.00 | 1.50 | 0.00 | 14.00 |
| ...and one of the most fascinating splat patterns i've ever seen from a bug graced my windshield on the way home... | |
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 3.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 3.00 |
| here's hoping tonight's youth stuff warrants such an abbreviated run... |
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 3.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 3.00 |
| "Regimen is superior to medicine." - Voltaire |
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 4.20 | 0.00 | 3.10 | 0.00 | 7.30 |
| ...and a fun time was had by all...
|
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 6.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 6.00 |
| sho' 'nuff. | |
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 8.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 8.00 |
| (1!)(2!) + (3!) | |
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 9.00 | 3.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 12.00 |
|
one of the more humid, muddy, thick runs i've been on in quite a while. gross. fun, but gross. (1!)(2!)(3!)
|
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 8.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 8.00 |
| "The self is not something ready-made, but something in continuous formation through choice of action." - John Dewey |
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 4.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 4.00 |
| meant to do more, but let good sense get the better of me with an approaching thunderstorm (emphasis on the thunder) |
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 3.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 3.00 |
| just getting a few in before helping move little bro's girlfriend to GA to start her new job... |
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 3.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 3.00 |
| a few around little bro's gf's new town of residence. nice place. |
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 6.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 6.00 |
| a horse is a horse, of course, of course... | |
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 8.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 8.00 |
| getting caught in the rain in august isn't nearly so bothersome as getting caught in the rain in february... |
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 7.00 | 5.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 12.00 |
| "Things are more like they are now than they ever were before." - Ike Eisenhower |
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 3.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 3.00 |
| zippity doo dah, zippity ay.... |
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 9.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 9.00 |
| samuel clemens. a quotable guy...
|
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 6.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 6.00 |
| "Dwell not upon thy weariness, thy strength shall be according to the measure of thy desire." - Arab Proverb |
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 8.10 | 0.00 | 3.10 | 0.00 | 11.20 |
| 60 degrees, overcast, misty... i thought it was august in alabama; clearly i was mistaken... |
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 8.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 8.00 |
| "The true mystery of the world is the visible, not the invisible." - Oscar Wilde |
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 8.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 8.00 |
| Back in the full swing again, truly aiming for a race for the first time
in years, I can't help but be struck by the difference of perspective I
seem to have this time.
I'm training, I think...
Previous
iterations of this exercise of training have been marked with a rather
mundane mileage buildup, occasionally complemented by an injection of
speed to keep monotony at bay. The current incarnation has the same
mileage ramp, but the monotony has proven to be an ally rather than an
enemy, and the speed sessions are simply added bonuses as opposed to
mental necessities.
Perhaps the past few years' worth of
experiences running the full gamut of life's quite eclectic facets have
provided a more objective outlook, or maybe a few added responsibilities
have simply put the world of running on its proper tier of
priority.
Either way, the simple, almost cliche act of "putting
in the time" has taken on a renewed sense of enjoyment rather than
apprehension, of anticipation rather than anxiety. The miles and miles
and miles are a leisure, not a chore.
I might be late to the
party on this one; I hope you've all beaten me to the punch here and are
wondering how I'm just figuring this out...
...but while you wonder, I'm going to keep training, I think...
|
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 8.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 8.00 |
| "Food is an important part of a balanced diet." - Fran Lebowitz |
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 8.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 8.00 |
| i never knew LinkedIn was so in tune with our extra-curricular propensities...
|
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 11.00 | 1.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 12.00 |
| ha... awesome: http://theoatmeal.com/comics/running | |
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 6.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 6.00 |
| i told myself before the run that i didn't care how slow i went.
good decision...
|
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 10.00 | 0.00 | 4.30 | 0.00 | 14.30 |
| indeed. | |
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 6.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 6.00 |
| should have done more afterward... oh well..
|
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 10.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 10.00 |
| left foot, right foot, repeat...
|
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 10.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 10.00 |
| ...
|
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 10.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 10.00 |
| up a hill... (well, ok.. only 7 miles of it was up a hill...)
|
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 7.00 | 0.00 | 3.10 | 0.00 | 10.10 |
| yay old folks' open races at XC meets...
|
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 6.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 6.00 |
| shaking out before saddling up a car for 5.5 hours...
|
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 3.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 3.00 |
| you'd think a hotel exercise room would have air conditioning...
|
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 11.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 11.00 |
| first time i've done the 4:30am run in a while... made the pm run a little easier, but....
|
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 10.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 10.00 |
| yep... 4:30's still early...
(just in case you were wondering...)
|
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 10.30 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 10.30 |
| gonna go ahead and chalk that one up as a "mental training day"
|
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 3.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 3.00 |
| If you've never read John Parker's Once A Runner or it's late coming sequel Again To Carthage, I would highly recommend doing so for a variety of reasons, assuming you have at least a token interest in either running or personal struggle, as both are included in the books, and both seem to be analogs to the other therein.
At some point in Again To Carthage, the protagonist's mentor Bruce Denton offers a bit of sage wisdom gleaned over the years and through the miles: running is fun, but training is decidedly less enjoyable.
I would disagree.
Granted, I've never trained, run, competed, or in any other way existed at the elite level of Denton or his protege Cassidy, the stories' main protagonist, but I have run, I have trained, and I have competed. Hard.
I agree that running is fun. I enjoy doing so. My disagreement comes with the assertion that training is less enjoyable.
Training is hard.
Training can suck.
Training can hurt.
Training can beat you up and leave you doubled over, panting, wondering why you chose to embark upon such a journey, with a ludicrous goal in a silly activity for an absurd distance.
...but that's what makes it so marvelous...
It truly is a marvel what you can do, both in terms of what you can achieve and how you can shape and mold you physical, mental, and emotional self through this outrageous act of training.
Others don't and won't understand it and will, more often than not, try to convince you to relent, but you can't. We can't. And what's more, we can't explain why.
Yesterday's run, for whatever reason, was hard. It sucked. It hurt. It beat me up and left me doubled over, panting, wondering why I chose to embark upon such a journey, with a ludicrous goal in a silly activity for an absurd distance.
...and it was marvelous.
Running is fun. Training is fun, too, but it can truly suck.
Here's hoping you're training for something...
|
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 20.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 20.00 |
| it's been a while since i've found the first hints of "the wall"
it's still there...
|
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 7.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 7.00 |
| "A man travels the world over in search of what he needs and returns home to find it." - George Moore
|
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 8.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 8.00 |
| "It is only by following your deepest instict that you can lead a rich life, and if you let your fear of consequences prevent you from following your deepest instinct, then your life will be safe, expedient, and thin." - Katharine Butler Hathaway
|
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 11.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 11.00 |
| oompa loompa, doompady doo,
i have another puzzle for you...
oompa loompa, doompady dee,
if you are wise you'll listen to me...
(well....)
|
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 5.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 5.00 |
| Unless I'm mistaken, it's been said that something like 90% of the information your brain perceives is visual. It would logically follow, then, that an environment in which vision was reduced would yield significantly less perceived information.
I suppose it should come as no surprise that, yet again, a pre-dawn run seemed to fly in the face of logic.
Stepping out into the darkness around 4:30, I'd be lying if I said that I was happy to be out of bed, but, also true to form, within a very few minutes, the loathsome facade had fallen away, and I was struck by the wonder all around me.
...that I couldn't see...
Sure, the stars were gorgeous as usual, and yes, the faint overcast of city lights radiated beautifully upward in the distance, but the things unseen were the true marvel of the morning.
With the sun still far from threatening its arrival, and with the groggy blur slowly shaking out of still-sleepy eyes, the other senses bolted to life.
Smelling the damp trees and grass all around, hearing the chirping insects and occasional hissing sprinkler, feeling the cool, humid air rushing past while road slowly passed underfoot; it seemed like even the sensations inherent with perennially tight ankles and achy arches were enhanced and, somehow, more pleasant.
Could it be that through the deprivation of a primary sense, we can actually gather more sensation via the empowerment of the others? Is it possible that the dark, calm solitude of an early morning run can teach us more about the world around us than the cacophony of perception that comes with the daylight?
This morning's run seemed to indicate so, but this afternoon's might challenge the notion...
| |
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 1.20 | 9.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 10.20 |
| at the request of their coach, i got to regale a few high school cross country runners with stories of running ludicrous distances.
...then take the top few on a bit of a tempo run...
|
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 6.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 6.00 |
| overtime on a sunny friday should be illegal...
|
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 14.10 | 3.10 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 17.20 |
| "People seldom become famous for what they say until after they are famous for what they've done." - Cullen Hightower
| |
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| none
zilch
nada
zero
ought
lack
zip
| |
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 6.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 6.00 |
| the humble beginnings of a faux taper week (?)
|
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 10.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 10.00 |
| started out with the intent to do 6.
i'd say it turned out well.
|
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 6.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 6.00 |
| Cruising along, blissfully disconnected from the world, with only the occasional lucid thought bubbling to the surface of a vast and churning ocean of subliminal thought, the semi came as something of a shock to the system.
In and of itself, the semi wasn't particularly noteworthy.
In and of itself, the run wasn't particularly noteworthy.
In and of itself, the intersection wasn't particularly noteworthy.
The confluence was.
...or at least seemed to be...
Objectively, the semi was simply going through the daily grind of doing the job for which it was intended, and in similar fashion, the run was simply another part of the daily grind of training.
But subjectively, the semi was as out of place in my little world of running as I assume I was in its little world of work.
Barreling down a hill, turning a corner, and relishing in the ease and flow of the run, the semi waiting at the intersection simply served to snap me back into reality. The minor trajectory adjustment that resulted in a slight break in stride threw me out of rhythm for the remainder of the run.
It seems almost petty to allow such a passive aspect of the route have such a profound effect, but in another sense, perhaps this particular aspect of running is quite profound and, too often, only has passive effects.
So many aspects of our daily runs escape us due to our being lost in thought, lost out of thought, or simply lost. Sometimes the semi of reality can bring us crashing back into the real world and thereby allow us to experience the world through which we run in a more active way.
|
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 6.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 6.00 |
| a wee bit buggy out...
|
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 3.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 3.00 |
| do your ears hang low?
(do the wobble to and fro?)
|
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 34.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 34.00 |
| the ease of the course was greatly exaggerated...
(but fun, nonetheless...)
|
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 0.00 | 10.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 10.00 |
| haven't done the monte sano 10 in quite a while.
still has some hills...
|
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 6.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 6.00 |
| so... a month from today, i will have completed my shot at: http://24thehardway.com/
| |
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 6.20 | 0.00 | 3.10 | 0.00 | 9.30 |
| "There is a great deal of difference between an eager man who wants to read a bood and a tired man who wants a book to read." - G.K. Chesterton
|
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 12.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 12.00 |
| a little distraction to focus...
|
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 6.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 6.00 |
| somebody wake green day up
|
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 6.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 6.00 |
| squeezing a few miles in before hopping in a car to go help crew and pace the arkansas traveller 100...
|
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 36.50 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 36.50 |
| technically, i suppose only about 23 of those miles were on saturday, as the last few were early sunday morning, but none the less, had a blast pacing and crewing for a friend in his first 100 in which he finished in a blazing 20:45 for 4th place.
|
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 8.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 8.00 |
| had to laugh at this:
http://www.letsrun.com/forum/flat_read.php?thread=5426016
|
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 8.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 8.00 |
| why not....
|
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 9.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 9.00 |
| cool early morning run before helping out with a XC meet in town.
fun stuff...
|
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 11.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 11.00 |
| dos unos.
|
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 11.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 11.00 |
| its the 4:30am runs that define your days more than most...
|
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 3.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 3.00 |
| it's funny to see the various "auto-suggest" mileages that pop up when i simply enter a 3
(3, 3.2, 34, 34.5, 36.2, 36.5, 36.8, 37.6)
|
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 8.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 8.00 |
| The light rain hitting my face was more of a simple observation than an annoyance.
Truth be told, a single iota's worth of planning could have prevented it by simply looking at the forecast and packing a hat to wear. Oh well...
All other aspects of yesterday's run proved quite pleasant; a slow-moving cold front provided light rain for most of the day, which cooled things to an almost ideal temperature for an easy run after work, and, as occasionally noted with early-morning runs, such conditions effectively greyed-out the world around me, which in turn provided a feast for the other reactively-heightened senses.
Wandering thoughts were occasionally punctuated by momentarily noticing a fat drop from a tree amongst the nearly mist-like rain, or taking in the smell of the perfectly cool-not-cold rain.
Soon enough, those same thoughts would meander away from the external, only to be brought back by another minor incident of note, the cycle repeating time and time again.
The current faux-taper for an upcoming race ensured that standard achiness, stiffness, and concern for pace were at least somewhat abated, and therefore allowed an even greater freedom to enjoy the moment.
These are some of the most fleeting and most enjoyable runs we get, if we simply allow them to be.
|
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 6.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 6.00 |
| yay new shoes...
(think they'll be broken in enough in a week to use in a race???)
|
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 6.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 6.00 |
| so this happens in a week...
http://24thehardway.com/
(gulp)
| |
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 3.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 3.00 |
| "When we walk to the edge of all the light we have and take the step into the darkness of the unknown, we must believe that one of two things will happen. There will be something solid for us to stand on, or we will be taught to fly."-Patrick Overton
| |
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 4.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 4.00 |
| "It's your road and yours alone. Others may walk it with you, but no one can walk it for you." - Unknown
|
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 6.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 6.00 |
| "Pushing your body past what you thought it was capable of is easy; the hard part is pushing yourself even further... past what your mind wants to let you. That’s what ultrarunning is all about; introducing you to a self you’ve never known" - Rex Pace
getting a bit antsy waiting on this: http://24thehardway.com/
|
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 3.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 3.00 |
| "The people that I have met are not foolish; they are aware of how tired and cold and hungry and frightened and hurting and discouraged and disoriented and how possibly injured they will become. They know they will face great physical, mental, emotional, and possibly spiritual challenges as they make their way to the finish. This is what they are racing against. This is their challenge. This is what I admire." - Carolyn Erdman
2 days...
| |
| | Race: |
24 The Hard Way (63 Miles) 16:00:00 | | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 63.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 63.00 |
| more thorough race report in a few days.
for now, suffice it to say that although it was a good, educational experience, it was a rough day.
one of the most enjoyable failures i've had in a while...
|
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 3.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 3.00 |
| just stretching out... nice and easy...
(as i mentioned to a friend, frustratingly NOT sore...)
|
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 3.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 3.00 |
| easy few in the rain.
|
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 6.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 6.00 |
| interesting email from the ultralist. might give it a go...
***********************************************
From:
Date: Fri, Nov 1, 2013 at 11:02 AM
Subject: RED FAM
To: ultra List <ultra@listserv.dartmouth.edu>
Run Every Day For A Month
You've been thinking it for weeks, months, years!
"I've got to get back in shape"
In my experience the best way to do it is to R.E.D.
Join me for November.
Commit to running every day this month.
Pick your minimum mileage (4 miles/day?)
When you commit, respond to this thread.
We'll update every week.
December 1st we'll be feeling good, and motivation will be easier to come
by for the winter.
Because we have big goals in 2014, right?
Join me.
|
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 1.00 | 4.20 | 2.00 | 0.00 | 7.20 |
| ill-advised 10k so soon, but fun to get out there, anyway...
|
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 3.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 3.00 |
| was supposed to be more, but duty called, so i didn't get to start until late...
excuses excuses excuses... i know, but i'm a wuss, and it was cold...
|
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 3.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 3.00 |
| squeezing a few in after a long day of travel and meetings... yay hotel gyms...
|
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 6.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 6.00 |
| another long day of travel, site visits, and meetings... and another exciting hotel treadmill!
|
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 1.50 | 1.00 | 0.50 | 0.00 | 3.00 |
| had to spice things up by kicking up the incline...
|
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 8.10 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 8.10 |
| one of those counterintuitively relaxing runs
(getting waaaaaaaaaay too comfortable on this treadmill thingy....)
|
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 5.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 5.00 |
| back out on the open roads.
coolish, but nice to be off of the rat wheel...
|
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 7.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 7.00 |
| getting my trail legs back underneath me... apparently i might be running this next saturday: http://dizzyfifties.com/
|
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 0.00 | 3.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 3.00 |
| squeezing a few in before youth...
|
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 0.00 | 6.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 6.00 |
| out at pt mallard enjoying the weather....
|
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 3.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 3.00 |
| ...and back to a hotel treadmill...
yay...
|
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 4.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 4.00 |
| yup
|
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 3.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 3.00 |
| it should come as no surprise to anyone following along that my ever Inimitable Mother outran me today by a whopping 67% !
| |
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 3.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 3.00 |
| stretching out after the rain
|
| | Race: |
Dizzy Fifties (31 Miles) 04:46:48, Place overall: 3 | | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 31.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 31.00 |
| Fun race. Went out a bit fast, but hung on for 3rd.
Not bad for a race kind of on a whim...
(I'll try to put up a real race report soon...)
| |
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 3.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 3.00 |
| i've got a lovely bunch of coconuts
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| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 3.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 3.00 |
| they are all standing in a row
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| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 3.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 3.00 |
| big ones
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| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 3.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 3.00 |
| small ones
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| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 3.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 3.00 |
| some as big as your head...
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| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 5.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 5.00 |
| "Common sense is the collection of prejudices acquired by age eighteen." - Albert Einstein
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| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 7.00 | 0.00 | 3.10 | 0.00 | 10.10 |
| "The very first law in advertising is to avoid the concrete promise and cultivate the delightfully vague." - Bill Cosby
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| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 4.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 4.00 |
| enjoying the good weather... might get a bit, shall we say, less than ideal for a few days...
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| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 4.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 4.00 |
| cold rain is fun, right?
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| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 3.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 3.00 |
| snagging a few miles before hopping in the car for a few hours...
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| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 3.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 3.00 |
| ...and back on a treadmill...
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| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 3.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 3.00 |
| How bout them dawgs? www.msstate.edu | |
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 3.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 3.00 |
| at least there were no angry dogs this time...
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| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 3.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 3.00 |
| "Chance is always powerful. Let your hook be always cast; in the pool where you least expect it, there will be a fish." - Ovid
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| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 19.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 19.00 |
| i'll pretend to be a runner again, i suppose...
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| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 1852.70 | 77.10 | 83.80 | 0.00 | 2013.60 |
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