I had Christmas down in Africa

Straight No Chaser's "The 12 Days of Christmas"... fun song to listen to, kind of annoying to replay in your head, over and over again, during a run.

What does it take for me to comfortably run six miles in 14° weather? Time to Break. It. Down.

1. Shoes
2. Socks (no need to layer here; my feet never get cold during a run)
3. Underwear
4. Underwear #2
5. Brooks running tight
6. Under Armour running pant (any more layers on the waist and I’d lose circulation in my lower half)
7. Under Armour ColdGear long sleeve shirt (worth its weight in gold)
8. Thermal long sleeve shirt
9. Short sleeve t-shirt
10. Wind breaker vest (nice high collar keeps my neck warm)
11. Mizuno knit gloves (look simple, but the best running gloves ever)
12. Nike tech gloves
13. Jersey hood (stole it from my dad; I think it’s meant to be worn under a hard hat)
14. Mizuno knit ear band (just bought this one, doesn’t slide down at all, matches my gloves, love it)

14 items. I didn’t realize it was that many until now. Ridiculous.

Pros of winter running: I love the crisp air and how easy it is to breath. I love running while the snow is falling. I love the way your muscles feel tight and springy at the onset of a cold run.

Cons of winter running: Layers upon layers and the time required to get them on. I miss throwing on a pair of shorts and a t-shirt and being out the door in seconds.

Last night’s run was a success. As always my hands warmed up quickly and I shed the first pair of gloves, packing them into the front of my pants to further arm myself against penile frostbite. After about four miles I shed the second pair of gloves and my face started feeling too warm, so I pushed the hood up onto my forehead. That was funny because the moisture in the fabric from my breath froze immediately and the hood was stiff the rest of the time.

The route was out and back. My plan was to run semi-comfortably on the out and improve by at least a minute on the back. This is always a struggle when I run into town because I’m running downhill out and uphill back. So when I’m most tired I have to force myself to run faster. I succeeded by running the back side 1:30 faster.

The reason for pushing myself to run faster on the second half? I’ve been reading into a new training philosophy. My old methodology was to do my maintenance runs at a comfortable/moderate pace, long runs at a easy/slow pace, and intersperse speedwork sessions once every week or two. This allows my legs to feel more rested and energetic. The philosophy I’ve been reading stresses frequent hard runs; faster long runs and maintenance runs. The idea is that instead of letting your legs rest and refresh, you train yourself to run on tired legs. Some people are even using this method to train for marathons with a long run of only 16 miles. Instead of training your legs to run 22 or 24 miles, you train yourself to run on tired legs for those last ten miles. I’m not saying I plan to use this method when I train for my first marathon, but I’m intrigued by the concept.

“Cant’cha smell that smell?”

Yes, I did go through a Lynyrd Skynyrd phase in adolescence. I can only stomach a couple of their songs now. Other bands I periodically loved: The Doors (I’m still okay with some songs, but is there a worse voice than Jim Morrison? Besides Ke$ha), KISS (much like their list of decent songs, a very short phase), Phish (not sure how I avoided suicide without the help of marijuana; really? 15 more minutes of that same chord?), and Caedmon’s Call (contemporary Christian band, think Jars of Clay only whinier).

I guess these were all attempts to ‘be different’. But by so attempting I chose to listen to the same bands all the other ‘different’ kids listened to.

Back to smells; I’m reflecting on my seven mile run last night. I can remember a variety of smells; which is impressive if you know how badly my nose functions.

1)       Dryer sheets: I’m always surprised at how strong the smell of laundry can leak out onto the sidewalks in the morning or at night while I’m running by.

2)       Donuts: When I run by a donut shop, my heart skips a beat. I am passionate about donuts. Cream-filled long johns, iced jelly filled, chocolate iced, or your standard glazed; I love them all.

3)      Cigarette smoke: I wonder if smokers realize how strongly their smoke permeates everything around them. I ran by a house last night where they had left clothes out on tables from their yard sale. I could literally smell the clothes while running by. 

4)       Car exhaust: I hate when I run behind a car and get a breath full of the exhaust. If I remember, I hold my breath until I’m out of range.

Then there’s the old house smell from a run three or four months ago that I can’t forget. As I was making my way down Warren St I passed an old house and I caught the faint smell. It made me feel nostalgic, but I couldn’t immediately identify the connection. I don’t know how to describe the actual scent, but a mile or two later connection dawned on me. It was the smell of my great-grandmother’s house (Grandma Edith). It’s not a very strong smell. Back in the days we used to spend there, I don’t remember noticing it. Was it the smell of old people? Or old house? Or something else? I’m not sure, but I was taken back to that house in Indiana when I caught the scent.

I remember the old wood, warped wood floors and the rugs. I remember the screened in porch, NASCAR always on tv, the cracked sidewalk in front and the metal handrail leading to it that we used to jump on and slide down, the small backyard where we played wiffle ball, the old record player where I hid my brother’s baseball glove and forgot about hiding it for months until Grandma Edith called and told us where she found it. “She found his glove… it was in the record player.” Mom said. “Oh yeah, I hid it there.”

If I could sum up that house in one word, it would be cozy. I wish I had taken the time to visit more often in the final years of Grandma Edith’s life. I miss that place, its smell, and my sweet great-grandmother.

Now I know where my next running route will take me, right by that old house on Warren St.

“Feel the whole city behind you”

That is the slogan on my 2010 Columbus Half Marathon shirt… a very nice, blue Nike Dry-Fit shirt, I might add.

Two weeks ago I laced up my Lunarglides for our second half marathon together; now I’m ready to break it down for the blog.

I chose this race for a few reasons. It boasts a flat/fast course, lots of bands/djs along the route, and a large field. No need to explain why I wanted a flat/fast course after making my half marathon debut in Cincinnati. As for the bands/djs and large field, those were my favorite aspects of The Flying Pig. Nothing helps me more than the adrenaline that comes from running in a large pack, being cheered on by spectators, and listening to music along the way.

The field was sold out, with 5,000 runners in the full marathon, and 10,000 in the half. Thanks to my qualifying time from Cincinnati, I was able to start close to the front of the pack in corral two. It was a long cold wait, as I got to the corral 40 minutes before the start. The weather was crisp, mid 40s I think, and clear skies. Too cold for standing around, but perfect for running. With gloves on I paced, high stepped, shivered, and kicked around until it was too crowded to move.

The corrals helped a lot. Cincinnati had a similar field size, but without the corrals it was a much more congested start, too much passing during the first quarter mile. At Columbus I got through the start and into what I thought was a nice pace (8:20/mile) almost immediately. During the first mile I felt a little sluggish; I wondered if the lack of sleep and poor eating in the two days leading up to the race were going to take a toll.

Side note: At the expo on Friday I had picked up a pace bracelet, which I was excited to use. It was a simple paper bracelet that broke down the target mile splits to achieve your goal. Luckily they had one for a 1hr 50min half marathon, my goal exactly. Wearing it right next to my watch I could easily keep track of my progress towards the goal.

The first mile marker appeared and I started to worry a little. My bracelet said I should hit the first mile in 8:25 and I was a few seconds behind at 8:29. Not much slower than my target, but it worried me anyway, I thought if anything I'd run the first mile too fast. I tried to pick up the pace by a few seconds to get back on track with my 1:50 goal.

The next mile marker shows up and I hit it in 7:48. That scared me a little; I made up for the slow start, but that was a little faster than I wanted. I worried that pace would take a toll on my legs, since it’s only about 10 seconds slower than my 5k pace. I tried to back off a little and then hit mile three in 7:46. “Okay Josh, take it easy. 8:20 is your pace. 8:20 is what you can handle for 10 more miles. Not so fast.”

Mile four… 7:50. “Slow down a little!”

Mile five… 7:41. “Crap!” Now I’m thinking I’m going to hurt myself. I don’t think there’s any way I can keep up this pace, but I’m starting to notice that it does feel comfortable.

Mile six… 7:45. “Okay, if this is what feels comfortable, just stick with it as long as you can, then back off. You’ll be so far ahead of your goal, you’ll be able to afford slowing down the last three miles.”

Mile seven… 8:02. That mile featured the biggest incline on the course. At this point I’m thinking: “Okay, 8:00 pace is much safer. Just stay between here and 8:20 and you’ll be in really good shape.”

Mile eight… 8:01. “Good. Stay here.” At this point I realize I am going to achieve my 1:50 goal, even if I run out of steam and have to cruise in at a slower pace.

Mile nine… 7:56. “Easy there.” Also I remember thinking here that I couldn’t believe how fast this race was flying by. My first half marathon seemed to go on and on. It seemed like every time I looked up during this race, I was coming up on another mile marker.

Mile ten… 8:02. Here is where I realize I picked up the wrong bracelet. I have a very good chance of finishing in 1:45.

Mile 11… 8:09. “Okay, if I want to finish in 1:45 I’ve got to stay close to this pace.” Legs start to feel heavy here.

Mile 12… 8:12. Legs feel like concrete. “I can handle anything for one mile right? 1:45 is mine!”

The half marathoners split off from the full marathoners about a quarter mile from the finish line. When I see the banner and look at my watch I know I can cruise in and achieve my new goal. “I can’t believe this is almost over already.”

As I’m approaching the finish line I hear my name over the speakers. Pure joy lifts my hands straight up; I think I may have even pointed with both index fingers, like I’d just won the Boston Marathon. I felt like a star. If some one would have asked for my thoughts after the race, I’m sure I would have started my comments by thanking God. Looking back I’m a little embarrassed about pointing to the sky, but after watching others finish, I realize it’s a natural reaction to being cheered on, hearing your name announced over loud speakers, and finishing a race.

Mile 13 (+.1)… 9:01. Total… 1:44:45. “I did it!” That’s eight minutes and twenty seconds faster than my previous half marathon time!

The finishing tunnel is what it’s all about. Ice cold chocolate milk (heaven on earth). Krispy Kreme donuts (so good it felt wrong; I knew these would be waiting for me and thought about them frequently during the race). The bananas were a little green (no thanks). Another chocolate milk? Sure. And finally a plain bagel to nibble on while watching the full marathoners come in (not so much fun tasty, but I knew I needed it).

That’s the breakdown of my race; here’s my breakdown of Columbus:

It was a blast. The scenery was great; who knew our state’s capital was such a lovely city? I’m sure some did, but not me. Over 80 bands/djs played on the course. There was hip hop, bluegrass, a guy playing bagpipes, and everything in between. My favorite was a trio of OSU kids playing the ‘Chariots of Fire’ theme. Running to that song was like a dream.

The spectators were not as much fun as in Cinci. Even in the cold rain of this year’s Flying Pig, the streets were surrounded by noisy crowds. In Columbus they were silent in comparison, and most only cheered for their own friends/family. I had to look hard for a few high fives, which were abundant in my first half marathon. In Cinci they were so energetic and supportive that there were a few times I literally thought I was winning. “I must be lapping all these people in front of me!” (Don't you hate it when people use the word 'literally' when they don't really mean 'literally'? Just me?)

But overall Columbus was fantastic. I have only fond memories of my second half marathon. The course was awesome, the field was huge, the weather was beautiful, the music and spectators were plentiful (I testify that indeed I did feel the whole city behind me), and it didn’t hurt that I finished in under 1:45!

Tubthumping

I’m so far behind I think I’m ahead. One of my favorite sayings of all time.

Almost a month since my last post. So much to catch up on, but so hard to recall everything that’s happened. I’ll start with ‘the fall’, and see if anything else comes to mind.

Two weeks ago I ran my final long run before the race, a 14 miler late on a Monday night. The weather was nice and crisp, around the upper 50s, perfect for running, and I mapped out a route from the house, through downtown, through our old neighborhood, to the north end of town and back.

The first half of the run went very well. I tried to keep about a 9:10 pace; I didn’t want to push the speed and have to deal with soreness the next few days. I remember around mile 9 noticing how easy my breathing felt. I realized how far I’d come in the last year to be able to cruise at that pace for such a long distance without getting slightly winded. I know it’s not fast to many runners, but when I got started I could barely run one mile at that speed.

After about 10 miles I began to notice the heaviness in my legs. My breathing was still good, and I’d been eating energy shots, but that inevitable sluggish feeling was creeping up on my quads. My form typically erodes at this point. My feet get less and less clearance from the pavement, and to make up for it I gradually start lifting my shoulders (I don’t know why, but my body thinks I’m going to get further off the ground by doing this), until my neck and traps start to burn. So as I concentrate on relaxing my upper body, the clearance beneath my feet is still shrinking.

At mile 11 I’m on a neighborhood street with very poor lighting. I see an old lady walking a dog on the opposite side. She’s stopped, while her dog watches me pass. I worry the dog is going to chase me, and drag the little old lady by the leash. After passing them I take one last look back to make sure the dog isn’t coming and it happens. Poorly lit street, uneven sidewalk, tired quads, and shallow strides combine for a blunt contact between my right foot and a chunk of cement. Momentum carries my body forward, but my feet are way behind.

I once saw something on tv about how cats always land on their feet. They showed cats being dropped in slow motion, and it was neat to watch them twist around in the air, finding a way to get their feet under themselves every time. I think as humans we have some of that ability, maybe not to land on our feet, but to minimize the damage when we do fall.

I tripped on that sidewalk pretty hard; there was no way I was going to land on my feet. But I did instinctively shift my weight to my right side, carrying myself over into the grass, and I curled slightly so I did that kind of fall where you softly land on your forearm and roll onto your back, so it’s not really a hard impact. It’s more like a roll. Similar to the tuck and roll you see in the movies when some one jumps from a speeding train. It’s all about making the contact gradual.

So once my body comes to a complete stop next to the sidewalk, I lay there for a second, I’m not hurt, just embarrassed. I hop up and the 90 year old lady walking her dog at 11pm asks me if I’m okay. I am.

As I humbly trot off, I wonder how often other runners fall. After being a runner for all of 17 months, I’ve now fallen twice. And that doesn’t include the mere stumble, I’m talking complete body on the ground falls. I’m averaging 1.41 falls/year.

My other fall involved ice, so it’s less embarrassing… I guess. I stepped out on a cold winter morning to start my run. There was no snow on the ground, but there was a patch of black ice underneath the broken gutter of our car port. Just steps away from the front door put all my weight on one foot for my initial kick off. Right under that initial kick was a patch of solid ice.

This fall was like the ones in cartoons when people step on banana peels. My feet kicked straight into the air and I landed flat on my back. My cat-like reflexes could only save my head; I tucked my chin and kept my head from snapping back onto the pavement. I slid to a stop on the patch of ice and as I typically do when I fall, I laid there for a second wondering how I let this happen before getting up to see if anyone saw me. No one did. I got up and took this fall as a sign I shouldn’t be running, and returned directly to the warmth of my house.

Has anyone else fallen during a run and would like to share? Or non-runners who’ve fallen? Other people fall too, right?

No. Sleep. Til Brooklyn!

So there's really no way to tie the title into my blog posting this time. I just needed a cool line from a song and this Beastie Boys classic was the first to come to mind. 

Plus I'm trying to think of ways to get more readers to my blog. I figure if somebody looks up this song now, there's a chance they'll accidentally land here. That'll probably just make them mad. I know it would me. 

Less than one month until the Columbus ½ Marathon. I’m starting to worry about how disappointed I’ll be if I don’t beat my previous ½ marathon time. It’s an easier course, and with more running experience, I should be prepared to set a PR. I have no excuses, except for the fact that I haven’t trained very hard. 

Looking back at my training log this morning, I confirmed my suspicion. I am training slower now than I was previous to my last race. With the hot weather and humidity this summer, I really haven’t pushed myself to get better. I’ve just been content to log a few miles a week, without any goals or times to push for. 

So it’s crunch time now. Leaving one week for resting, I have three weeks to get faster. With that said, I feel like I’m already prepared for the distance and few hills of the Columbus ½. 

I ran 12 miles pretty comfortably on Friday night. The cooler weather at night really makes the long runs easier. I took my water belt and filled both bottles with Gatorade. Usually I have to ration myself, making sure I leave a fair amount of liquid for the last couple miles. With temperatures in the upper 60s, I dipped in very little, and had plenty to drink on the final stretch. My pace was 9:30. About a month before my first race I ran 11 miles at 9:00 pace and 13 miles at 8:55 pace. 

So here’s my strategy: two types of speed work per week. Last week I ran sprints on Monday night, and a three mile tempo run on Thursday night. This week I’ll do a five-six mile fartlek, a normal run or two, and Saturday’s Apple Fest 5k will count as my second speed work. 

In my best Joe Swanson voice: "Let's do it!"

“I wish they all could be California…”‏

Okay maybe not all of them, but I wish more of my runs could be along Redondo Beach. I ran about five and a half last Monday while we were out visiting Chelsea’s family. Of course it was beautiful running down to the pier and then along the boardwalk; about 65 degrees, a little breezy, and the sound of the ocean in the background. All these conditions made it so easy to run an eight minute pace, something I’ve been struggling to do for more than a couple miles all summer. I wouldn’t mind if 90% of my runs were in a setting like that. 

But I do like a little variety in my running weather. Most of my long runs while preparing for my first half marathon this past winter involved snow. I particularly remember when I ran eight miles for the first time. About three inches already accumulated, snow plows hadn’t touched the streets yet, and it was still coming down heavily. I remember it melting as it hit my shirt, and then freezing the front of my shirt so stiff it could have stood up on its own. 

I remember running two 5ks this summer in 90+ temperatures, and 90% humidity. You don’t really appreciate those runs until you’ve cooled off and re-hydrated. 

Then there was a thunderstorm run in June and coming home to a worried wife. I left the house after dark without thinking to check the weather; even if I had seen the forecast it probably wouldn’t have stopped me. The wind, the lightning and thunder, and the pouring rain… all too much fun. 

Temps are cooling off now, and that makes for some enjoyable outings. But in Cincinnati mild fall temperatures pass by too soon, making way for bitter cold. I’m starting to look ahead to winter runs now and I’m remembering all the preparations involved: tights, hats, gloves, and layers upon layers. More work. Less fun. But it’s better than a treadmill in my opinion. 

Monday night I did some speed work on the local high school track, something I always enjoy but don’t do enough. I did four and a half miles which included, with cool downs in between, two ‘gradual increase’ 400s, two 800s, two 400s, and three 100s. I decided to lay it all out on my last 100, just to see how fast (or less slow) I could go. 16 seconds. Usain Bolt nearly finished a 200 in that time. Very slow, yes, but it was at the end of the night. I was tired, okay! 

After finishing that last sprint I thought I might have injured myself. There was strange tightness in a multiple areas. I can only remember running that hard a couple times in my adult life. One time involved the Turkey Bowl at North Park, and the other involved racing to a car after a basketball game at Rupp Arena this spring. I won. That speaks poorly to my opponents, who will remain nameless. 

It’s Thursday now, and I’m happy to say I didn’t injure myself. The tightness is minimal, soreness is gone, and I’m thinking I can run that 100 meters in 13 seconds on fresh legs in a couple weeks.

“Racing and pacing and plotting the course”

Probably the most appropriate song I’ve ever had in my head during a run. Maybe it came to mind because I was thinking about pace, or going the distance in a full marathon some day.  

Or maybe it was in my head because I’ve been listening to music on Grooveshark while working, and made it a point to find my favorite Cake tunes. I could have gotten to there in a number of ways, but it was perfect last night during my 8 miler. 

I took it easy on the pace during the out half, because I wanted to be able to finish strong on the back. Finishing strong is always hard for me, since we live at virtually the highest altitude in Lebanon. Regardless of where I run, I always have to climb my way back home. I’m sure it’s good for leg strength, but it gets old.  

I had a unique experience last night on my way back. At about 11pm I’m running down a sidewalk that is partially lit. A quiet street at night, no cars, enough light to keep from tripping over uneven sidewalks. Up ahead on the sidewalk walking in the opposite direction I see a dark figure. This always makes me a little uneasy when it’s late at night. I know it shouldn’t. Who would mug a runner? Some one who really likes sweaty wicking tees and gu?  

Awkward moment… do I get off the narrow walkway and run on the street as I pass by? I’m already on the left side so it wouldn’t be dangerous. I’ve done that before just out of courtesy, but this time I decide to stay because I don’t want to look like I’m scared.  

As the figure gets closer it looks BIG. Not necessarily tall, but BIG. It gets a little closer. I realize it looks big because the figure is wearing a black trench coat. Now I start to sweat a little more because, naturally, I associate black trench coats with school shootings and the guy from “I Know What You Did Last Summer”. Or maybe even the guy from “I Still Know What You Did Last Summer”.  

I never bullied nerdy kids in school, and I’m pretty sure I never ran over a guy and threw his body in the ocean, agreeing with my friends never to discuss it again. So I shouldn’t have to worry about black trench coat guys. But it was easily upper 70s last night and there was no chance of rain. Obviously this guy had a little crazy in him. Maybe he wasn’t motivated by teasing or being hit by a car and thrown in the ocean, maybe he just liked murdering unsuspecting runners.  

As I got within about 10 yards I see he’s got big headphones on, hands in pockets, and looks friendly. The mood lightens as I veer to the right and prepare to pass by. At about 10 feet he pulls his left hand out of his pocket… I tense up a little and watch for the ice pick, but the hand is empty. He raises it to his forehead and… what? He salutes me. That’s right. A military hand salute.  

Quick eye contact, a small wave, and a “how’s it goin” as we passed. Close up, he looked like a nice kid, 17-20 years old. Once I was past him I grinned and wondered why he was out there in a trench coat, why he walked in such long strides, and why he saluted me. Maybe he was just nervous like me and we just have different ways of trying to hide it. For me it was the wave and the “how’s it goin”; for him it was the salute.  

Anyway it’s been a good running week so far. Ran 6.2 on Monday night and 8 last night.  

Before I wrap this up, I want to give a shout out to the trench coat kid. If some how you happen upon this blog young man, I want you to know, you made my night.

"Cincinnati USA!"

It’s been a slow recovery from this infection (strep/sinus/other?). Last weekend we had a blast at BC and Hope’s place in Louisville. Spent the night Friday, and Saturday took all the kids to the Louisville Science Center. I was feeling better by Friday, headaches and body aches had subsided. I still had a little throat pain and congestion, but didn’t let that keep me from the rare opportunity to run with a buddy.

I love that BC is running now. I came to his house and HE asked ME if we were going to run after putting the kids to bed. Of course I was prepared with my shoes and gear. He was due for a two miler that day on his 10k training schedule (Bowling Green Classic). An easy two miler was a great way to get back out during my recovery. We took it really easy on the out and picked up the pace by a minute on the way back.

BC doesn’t know it now, but one day we’ll be taking some long runs together. He’s making good progress, but he’s not interested in any distance longer than a 10k for now. That will change. I envision us going for 10 mile runs in the next year or so; in a couple years we’ll be running a ½ marathon together.

As my second step in recovery, I planned to run the 5k at Bob Roncker’s in Loveland Wednesday night. It’s a free 5k held every Weds night between Memorial Day and Labor Day. It’s an out and back on flat bike trail; about 100-150 people show up every week. They give out door prizes every week as well. Free race + prizes = win/win. Unfortunately I haven’t taken full advantage of it this year… last night was only my third race with only one more remaining this year.

The first two were in really hot weather (90+) and I finished in just over 24 mins for both. Although the weather wasn’t such a factor last night, I didn’t expect a good time since I’m still recovering with some chest and nasal congestion. All I wanted to do was have a good tempo out and have enough left to run the back half faster. Accomplished. I hit the turnaround at 12’35”… nothing to be excited about but I felt pretty good. I wasn’t hacking up a lung like I’d imagined. So I tried to hold the pace until I thought I was about a ½ mile from the finish. Then I was able to kick it up a notch by picking out a guy about 30 yards ahead of me. I gradually gained on him and we finished side by side in 24’46”. I was pretty happy with my finishing kick. I typically can only kick the last 20 yards or so, but I conserved more last night and was able to kick the final tenth.

A 24’46” time for a 5k is not very competitive, but I know I will get better. As the weather cools off and I get back to normal training, I will shoot for sub 23 before the year ends. I’m targeting the Apple Fest 5k in Lebanon on September 25th for my 5k PR.

So what’s worse than getting “Dust in the Wind” stuck in your head during a run? How about a radio jingle? “We can go to King’s Island, the aquarium too, there’re so many fun things to do. Let’s book a trip today, to Cincinnati USA!”

As I’m trying to channel my inner Pre last night, that was replaying in my head the entire final mile. It didn’t help. Thinking about tourism in Cincinnati doesn’t motivate me to run harder, it makes me want to eat a brat at a Reds game.

This microphone smells like pastrami.

This blog is not as glamorous as I’d imagined.

I thought I’d be quitting my job by now and becoming a full time blogger. Runner’s World still hasn’t called to offer me a spot on their staff. As far as I know, the movie about my journey to blog superstardom isn’t in the works yet. Maybe the movie producers are just waiting for some more material. I can swing that.
If you’re listening producers, let’s talk about who will play me. I’d love to get Matt Damon. He’s intense, yet soft and sensitive all at once. But if we’re talking looks, I’m obviously more of a Ben Afflek. And I’ve been told I look like James Van Der Beek, so he’s a possibility as well, if he’s available.

Anywho… let’s talk running.

As if I needed another off week, I’m sick again. I had what I thought was a sinus infection or strep throat a week and a half ago. Regrettably I didn’t finish off the antibiotics, and I think whatever it was came back with a vengeance. Fever of 101-102 Monday night, headaches, body aches, weakness, congestion, and sore throat. I’ve gone back to the antibiotics and I plan to take them until they run out this time. With frequent Tylenol and Nyquil last night, I’m at 65-70% right now.

My next big race is the Columbus ½ Marathon on October 17th. That’s plenty of time to go out and run a ½ marathon; I’ve already got the endurance to run the distance. But to get myself prepped for a PR, I’ve got some work to do.

I haven’t been doing much speed work this summer and my only races have been a couple 5k’s in Loveland. My times for those were 24:13 and 24:10; they were at 6:30 in the evening and both in 90+ temps and lots of humidity. Very tough conditions so I’m okay with those times. But I haven’t run any longer races. All my long runs have been at a very easy pace, so I’m not sure what to expect as I approach my next ½ marathon.
Due to all the traveling and being sick twice now, I’ve got to really focus during September if I want to finish in under 1:50. (My first and only ½ marathon so far was the Cincinnati Flying Pig; finished in 1:53:05)

My goal of 1:50 is very attainable, considering the Columbus race is a much faster course than the Pig, and I should be more experienced by then. But I trained so much better during the winter than I have during this summer. I find it so much easier to run longer, faster, and more frequently in the winter. That is why I am tentatively planning to attempt my first full marathon in the spring.

To wrap things up here, I’ll put a question out to my millions and millions of readers: Who could play me (besides Damon, Afflek, or Van Der Beek) in “Imma Go Run” the movie?

“Them chickens jackin’ my style”

I read in a Runner’s World once that you’re not a true runner until you’ve gone two-sies during a run. Saturday night I became a true runner, x3.

My Dad gave me a couple of tips years ago:
1) Take TP on every long run.
2) If you don’t take TP with you, keep an eye out during the run for anything that you can use as TP.

This is one gem I never took to heart, but I do remain aware of the possibility. I can usually tell early in a run if I may need to make a pit stop, and if so I plan my route accordingly. I happen to know where a couple of port-o-lets have been strategically placed, close to downtown. This has been a handy piece of information to have, all three times. Does the fact that I haven’t had to go in the woods, or worse, make me less of a true runner? Or a smarter runner? I’d love some feedback on this one.

I ran eight miles Saturday night, with a 0.2 mile detour. I kept the pace pretty easy, in the upper nine minute range. My legs felt fatigued the entire time so I didn't push the pace. Hopefully two days of recovery will do some good and they’ll feel better in the morning.

It was a nice night for a run; scattered t-storms earlier in the day had cooled it off slightly. I love running in the rain when it's warm outside, but the next best thing is running after a rain on a warm day. Reason: wet leaves that overhang sidewalks. Instead of ducking under leaves and branches, just run your head through them and let the water cool you off. I take full advantage of wet trees during my post-rain runs; heck, I'll even smack a branch once in a while and give it a good shaking. But that really isn't worth the effort. The water just falls behind you unless you stop.

This does get dangerous at night, through. If you can't see the tree well you may get more contact with the branches than desired. So far I've been very fortunate.



10pts to the first to recognize the title! That’s the song I had in my head during Saturday night’s run.

"All my dreams, pass before my eyes, a curiosity..."

Name that song...

That's right! "Dust in the Wind" by the progressive rock band Kansas (I assume 90% of you knew that). Even my generation should know this 1977 classic. Even if you're not a classic rock listener you probably heard it sung by Will Ferrell in "Old School", at Blue's funeral. It's also been played in a Suburu commercial and episodes of The Simpsons and Family Guy (Peter takes a conteplative walk around Quahog to consider if he should play a round of golf with OJ Simpson or not). It was referenced in "Cowboy" by Kid Rock, one of my personal favorites in high school. And who could forget when it was quoted in Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure (Ted speaking with Socrates)?

So I took a late run last night; left the house at 10:30 for a five miler. I couldn't believe how hot and humid it still felt. I'm not much of a sweater (maybe perspirer works better?), but last night I really did some serious sweating. My training has been really light lately, so I wanted to make sure I pushed the tempo a little and finished at a faster pace than I started. Running the second half at a faster pace is something I rarely do outside of a race situation, but I did it last night.

Running in that kind of heat and pushing myself that much, despite having eaten 1.5 hamburgers and 3 servings of pasta salad just a few hours before, called for a good fight song. I always have a song in my head while I run. I don't choose it; it comes to me. You'd think a good running song would be "Let's get it Started" by the Black Eyed Peas or "Eye of the Tiger" by Survivor. But no, for some reason "Dust in the Wind" was my companion for 5.3 miles last night. Not exactly motivating.

But as I ran through downtown Lebanon at 11 at night, down quiet, dimly lit streets and past creepy old houses, it began to feel oddly appropriate.

I didn't intend for this blog to get cheesy like that. I'm just always surprised at the weird songs that pop into my head during my runs.

My pace last night was about 8:45 out, and 8:35 back. Not too bad. I felt like I was working pretty hard; crazy to think that I ran a half marathon at that pace just a couple months back. The heat slows me down quite a bit. I love summer, but I am definitely looking forward to cool weather running. Back in the spring I could have comfortably run that 5.3 mile route at 8: 10 pace. That's not crazy fast, but it's pretty good for a newbie like me.

"Here we go..."

The title of this post is the most common phrase that passes through my mind as I take the first steps of a run, typically as I hit the start button on my watch, and step over the seam that runs down the middle of our driveway. Where my mind goes after that is different every day.

And so here I go, starting my first blog, a running journal. Since starting running in May of 2009, I haven’t had a real running journal. I did make a calendar for my first 10k training plan and jotted down notes on it, but that’s not the same. I tried keeping track in an old Runner’s World log my Mom found, but that wasn’t much fun. The only real documentation I have for the hundreds of miles I’ve put in so far (about 704 to date, booyah!) is an excel spreadsheet I’ve always kept on my computer at work.

Side note: I genuinely enjoy excel. I’m not the most knowledgeable excel user, but I get a lot of satisfaction out of it. There something gratifying about designing a useful spreadsheet or pivot table. In my new job I get to use it very frequently, and I’m learning lots of new tricks.

Back to running: so my running spreadsheet is simple. I keep a log of each run’s date/mileage/pace. I track miles per week, miles per month, and miles per pair of shoes. That way I know when I can justify getting my next pair! Only 175 miles until I lace up my new green Lunarglides, which I already bought since they were on clearance. They’re so bright; they remind me of little green space aliens. Hang on little buddies! I’ll get to ya!

So this is it, my running blog. I know it’s going to be a difficult read for 99.9% of the people that come across it. They’ll probably scroll down this long, dry post and decide to check out something more entertaining like my lovely wife’s blog (chillsfam.blogspot.com). I understand. My feelings won’t be hurt if none of my friends or family reads this. Truth is, this blog is mostly for my own benefit. If someone out there likes reading it, bonus, and let me know about it.