Memorable 20!

Stepped out the door with 20 on my mind. A cold front pushed through over-night and the wind on which it rode was still in a serious mood. My normal route of going southwest and back was not a good idea. Coming back against that north-northeast wind would destroy me.
The only feasible alternative was to go directly into the wind north on Rt. 66 for 10 miles and then return .
It is amazing what determination can do. The constant head winds of 15-20 mph the first 10 miles made it seem more like 20.
Keeping a focus on 7 minute intervals, I managed to convince myself (after a couple of miles) that the turn around point was just several intervals away. I maintained a good steady rhythm leaning into the wintry blast. As I got closer to the 10 mile turn-around point I gained the confidence that it takes to run long.
The turn around was not as comfortable as I had hoped. With the wind pushing weary legs, it was difficult to re-establish the ability to run with-in myself. Slowing down is the natural inclination after a hard 10 miles but the wind at my back made for an unnatural feel.
Eventually the rhythm returned and it along with the wind helped block out the fatigue that was knocking hard at the door. The last 3 or 4 miles became easier than the previous 17 . I could feel that I was closing in on the end of the run.
Time: 1:12 out, 1:07 return
I am pleased with this 20 miler. I have had memorable runs in the past that I refer back to when things got tough. Running long is as much mental as it is physical. This run will stick in my mind for awhile.

hilly eight

Ran an intense work-out. Warm (71 degrees) weather brought out the spring in my step but the hills soon took care of that idea. Although I trudged up and wobbled down, my mind was in the game. I gave a good effort and that's all that matters. Plan an easy 5 tomorrow then 20, yes 20, on Sunday.

This is a side note:
I must look like a near dead zombie....poor me! Today once again I was asked if I am losing weight. "You look so thin". Oh my gosh poor sickly man! I wish I could have a nickle for every time I've heard a comment along that line.

I guess I really am sick...........sick of insensitive people (pretending to be concerned) making comments about my "size" "so thin", "skinny", "are you ok" blah blah blah.
I know how overweight people must feel about the insensitive things people say about them.
As much as I know that I am strong, healthy and fit, it still hurts to hear such things. I look in the mirror and I see this real skinny guy. Makes me want to just quit running, start eating nothing but fatty foods and lay around doing nothing.
Then I would be one good looking hunk don't you know!
Any way I had to get that off my chest.

Mid-week 12

My plan for a Tuesday evening 10 miler fell by the wayside as I napped into the evening. I could have gotten out for a quick 5-6 after coming out of my coma but let laziness get the best of me.

Anyway I sorta made up for it this evening.
A 12 miler at 6:25 over-all average pace.
First 6 miles were 6:36 ave. then hit a 6:30,6:22,6:04,5:59 then eased back to recover in my final 2 miles.
With the weather improving for the next 3 days I should get 40-45 again before the week is done. Of course there's always the chance I will relapse back in to my coma state.

Inhale/Exhale

Old Man Winter has been breathing in rhythm this past week. North wind one day,south wind the next. Today he 'coughed' to make a point it seemed, that he isn't going away anytime soon. An icy breeze kept me company through-out my run despite my attempts to evade.
Patches of snow on brown grasses along the road made me think of spotted ponies.
Ran the 'hills' for the first 5 miles, avoided them the best I could for the last 7.
45 for the week 142 for the year. Feeling good.

Shake it loose

5 easy miles just to shake it out and get ready for a long run tomorrow.

Eleven miles

In preparing for competitive running, I've kept the old saying"the extra mile is the loneliest mile" next to my heart.
Over the years I have tried to familiarize myself with that solitude on a regular basis.
In my head, others are getting home and hitting the shower and I'm still out there for one more round. Whether that's reality or just a belief doesn't really matter.
If you practice something enough times it becomes a part of you.It's not only in the head,but in the muscles ,bones,nerves, and heart as well.
It comes in handy on the day of a race.
11 for the day .
Last 5 - 31:40 (6:35,6:25,6:23, 6:10,6:07)

Slugfest

10 miles of trudge and slug it out. Never found any 'flow'. As I said before 10 miles is 10 miles. I think a person can benefit from a smooth fast run or a slow tough-it-out run like today. There's a lot of good stuff happening even if you don't 'feel' it.
Pretty good snow is forecast for tonight. Should be melted by Friday, which is when I plan to run again.

7.2

Thought I'd go for a short run to shake off yesterdays long run. Felt loose and strong early so stretched the planned 5 into 7.2. Unknowingly hit exactly 40 miles in the last 4 days. No run tomorrow (basketball game), so a forced rest is in place. Going for 40-45 this week.
20k race in 4 weeks.

Verdigris River Run

The back roads took me to the river and back for a 16.5 mile run. Best 'control' I've had on a long run in quite a while. That makes 49 for the week and 97 for the year. Good start for 2011.

Better hill work-out

After Wednesdays' struggle in the hills, I decided to give it another try this morning. glad to say I had much better intensity and stamina. The 30 degree upswing in temps probably had something to do with it.
Forecast calls for some light freezing precip. tomorrow morning. Maybe I can wait for the afternoon thaw to get a long run in.

10 more

The mid 30's felt like a heat wave. I even heard a songbird! It's amazing what several 10-20 degree temperature days does to help you appreciate 'warmer air'. The 10 mile run makes it 26 so far this week and a chance at 40 if 'old cold and dreary' doesn't make a quick return.

6.2 in the chills...er hills

Old man Winter introduced me to a couple of his friends as I stepped out the door. Old man Cccold and his buddy old man Wind Chill . (I guess they didn't remember that we had already met yesterday). Anyway they seemed determined to sabotage my plans for a nice relaxed run in the hills. Cold squeezed my lungs and Chill hogtied my legs for 6.2 miles of 'I don't want to be here'.
Not sure if I got anything out of that or not.

10 degree 10

It's a bit of a stretch but I couldn't resist the title. 10 miles in low 20 temps with a wind chill that came close to 10 degrees. At any rate, it was a cold run. Glad to have it in the books.

OKC 10k not ok

My idea going into todays race was to knock off the single-age (55) state record of 37:05. I was thinking if things went extremely well I might even lay claims to the age -group (55-59) record of 35:50.
After a two hour drive to Oklahoma City (6am-8am) I found myself lost in the train-yard south of down town. From there it took me a good 30 minutes of frustrated driving to finally reach the race site. I had little time to warm-up and the cold weather only compounded my problems. Mid-twenty thermometer readings are not conducive to top performance running for these old legs.The course itself was run on a concrete 'running trail'! 6.1 miles of cold hard concrete.
Add those 3 factors together with the fact that I am coming off a green slime upper respiratory event and it equals 37:59.
I think this outing had failure written all over it from the beginning. I should have stayed in bed,
The good news is there are plenty of races in the future to look forward to.
Live and learn.

5 eezee

Just to loosen up and recover from the past two days. 10k in OK City on Saturday. Hoping for 36:??

Track work -out #1

after 1 mile warm-up
2 x 400 @ 79, 76.5
4 x 300@58,57,56,55
4 x 200@ 38,37,37,36
4 x 100 no watch
1 mile recovery jog
not a bad start but I've got much work to do.

Encouraging 12

Very pleasant, sunny cool conditions gave me no excuse but I still didn't have the mental drive early in the run.But something got to clicking and I ended up very satisfied with the end result. 12 miles with strong surges (ranging from 100 to 1000 meters) the last 5 miles .

solemn sunday 7

Planned on 12 but with daughter and her boys going back to Kentucky today, I cut it short. Could not find any rhythm. My mind was just not into running.
Always great to have family together but soooo tough to say goodbye.
Keep it safe out there.