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.