May Totals

Call me crazy, but time is accelerating more and more all the time. Or, I'm just getting old. Both, I think.

May has come and gone and, I'm happy to report, it was a very good training month for me.

I'll get the negative comments out of the way first. My left knee is still an issue. It's not stopping me from running, but I feel pain from time to time, especially running uphill. I actually feel it more when walking or hiking than when running. Also, my right heel (the injury that hit me after my 2010 marathon) is making its presence known. Like the knee, not enough to affect my running —yet— but enough to be an annoyance.

The hip, on the other hand, seems to be very gradually improving. I was a little worried a few weeks ago that I may have re-torn the labrum, due to how sore it was. But, based on how it's felt the last few weeks, I'm pretty sure it's fine.

On to the numbers. I hit a milestone last month. I ran not one, but two ten-milers in May! It was the first time I've done a double-digit run in 18 months. While neither felt perfect (nor easy), they were confidence builders. I came out of both runs unscathed, although the above mentioned heel wasn't too happy after the second one. I also threw in one fast mile during a 4 mile run a few days ago. It felt hard, but I thought I was closer to 7:30-7:40 than the 7:17 I ran it in.

I also started mixing in some climbs in the little bit of cycling I'm doing. Since the running seems to be going pretty well, cycling is being relegated to mere cross-training at this point. My current plan is for one or two rides per week, along with 3-4 runs, and at least one weights session.

Swimming? What the heck is that? ;-)

MAY 2017

• Runs: 14
• Run Miles: 69.5 (highest in over 4 years!)
• Long Run: 10 mi. (twice)
• Rides: 6
• Ride Miles: 141.5
• Long Ride: 36.7 mi.

I've got my eye on a few races later this year. I'm kicking around the idea of running a little 5k on Father's Day, but I may skip it. Not only do I not feel race-ready, I'm afraid it'll kick my brain into full-on race mode, and I'll get the bug and rush my training. There are a few local 5k's in July that might work. Beyond that, the two I'm seriously considering are a 10k in Sandpoint, ID in mid-September, and the Spokane Half Marathon on October 8th. That was my very first half marathon, back in 2009. It's a tough course, but it would be fun to revisit it and compare notes.

Wheels Rolling

The weather has been agreeable enough lately to allow me to get in some rides lately. I'm up to 6 outdoor rides this year (and one hour on the trainer, today, in fact) for a total of 121 miles. My longest ride so far has been a little over 26 miles, and my pace has averaged right around 17 mph. Nothing to crow about, but I feel like my fitness is very gradually beginning to improve. While I won't claim to have become a hard-core, 100% cyclist, I'm embracing it more than before.

My daughter has a 10k trail race coming up on April 19th. I'm also signed up for the race. I obviously can't full-on race it (or even completely run it) with my left knee being a mess, but I'm hoping to maybe run/walk it, just to get out and enjoy nature a bit. I'm not sure if I can do any training runs leading up to it. I may give it a shot, but I'm not hopeful at all. I tried jogging about 20 feet while walking my dog the other morning, and the pain set in immediately.

That's about it from here in currently rainy Spokane (thus, my trainer ride today.)

I hope your running/riding/swimming/exercising is going well!

I'm Baaaaack (we'll see for how long)...

I have once again rejoined the running world. I logged three short, slow runs this week (2 miles, 3 miles, 4 miles), and boy am I out of shape! That doesn't bother me. I've been there before and I know the drill. What does bother me is how my left knee is feeling. It's been hurting, quite a lot, for probably 40% of my running time. It usually settles down a bit once I'm well into the run, but even then I feel like I need to baby it a little. I'm no doctor, but I'm pretty sure this knee needs to be scoped. But, of course, I've already gone and signed up for a 10k trail race with my daughter on April 19th. I also bowl in a league (as you know if you've read a recent entry), so if/when I get something done, it'll at least be after bowling season ends in March. I'm hoping the knee pain diminishes on its own and I can run the race. It's been hurting for a long time, though (over a year, even during walks), so it's probably not just a passing thing.

My left hip seems to be pretty tight and sore most of the time, too. Feels almost arthritic. The body is slowly breaking down. Jeesh, I'm not THAT old!

But I am glad — pain or not — to be back out there, running some miles with my dog...who also needs to get back in shape.

My quest to get to 10,000 lifetime running miles (which I thought I was doing last year) is back in action. I'm currently 123 miles shy of the mark.

I'll get there...

The Beard Lives...Plus, An Unrelated Itch

Yes, friends (i.e. the one or two people who still read this), my inner Anton is still surfacing, in the form of an ever-growing beard.

I'm still holding out hope that running speed goes hand-in-hand with a big, unruly beard. Perhaps the grayness of mine (along with many other issues) signals the unlikelihood of that becoming a reality.

Which brings me to the unrelated itch. No, the beard hasn't itched for several weeks now. But I am, finally, getting the itch to run again. Or to at least incorporate running into my training program.

In past years on this blog, I've done an end-of-year rundown on my various training numbers. I failed to do that on this neglected blog for 2014. Honestly, there's not much to report that would be any interest in relation to running.

I ran a total of 75 miles in 27 runs in 2014. My longest run was 5 miles. Sad, I know. I did walk 516 miles, so I at least got some aerobic exercise. I spent the majority of 2014 trying to get stronger, mostly at the deadlift. Did I succeed? Sort of. Yes, I set a PR in both the deadlift and the bench press (and, come to think of it, the squat), but while those numbers may be good for a middle-aged distance runner, they were pretty weak when it comes to the powerlifting world...even for weekend warrior amateurs.

No matter how far in the rear view mirror my last run was, no matter how much my various joints protest or my muscles twinge, I will always be a runner. After 32 years of doing it, it's too much a part of me now. Will I ever be fast or be able to run mega mileage? Probably not. Does that matter? Not as much as it used to.

Not being a New Year's Resolution guy, I prefer to set goals (semantics, I know). I still haven't decided on all of them yet, but I have three mileage goals for outdoor aerobic activities. I want to at least:

Run 500 miles
Walk/hike 500 miles (want to do a LOT more hiking this year)
Cycle 500 miles

Those are minimums, but that's 1500 miles for 2015...and I like that sort of OCD symmetry.

They're pretty modest goals, really, but I know that balance is the key for me in order to not push too hard and end up injured, as usual.

Getting back to running is going to be a challenge. I'm at least 15 lbs. over my preferred running weight, and my cardio conditioning is non-existent. I'm also currently sick, so climbing the stairs in my house is a workout. I have yet to run a step in 2015, but as soon as I shake this illness, I'm going to start again. The cycling might have to wait a bit, as I'm pretty wimpy when it comes to riding in the freezing (and sub-freezing) weather.

One thing that should motivate me is a 10k coming up in April that my oldest daughter wants to run. I was going to run the 5k, but I decided to commit to running the 10k with her. Where I used to push her in races a few years ago, I'll be happy to keep up with her, if that's even possible.

As for dropping some weight, I've begun that process by getting sick ;-)
Actually, I've started cutting way back on sugar and watching my portions. That, plus increasing my exercise should start the process.

You Don't Spit...or Run Fast...Into The Wind

Yesterday my friend Dan and I made the drive up to the quaint, artsy town of La Conner, WA...

Boy, that sentence didn't quite sound the way I intended it to. Let's try again, this time with more testosterone:

Yesterday, Dan and I kissed our wives goodbye and drove his massive SUV to the rustic seaside fishing village of La Conner, while drinking our strong, black coffees and discussing the ins and outs of home-brewing beer.

Trying too hard now, I know.

So...we ran a 10k there (the Smelt Run 5k/10k). We arrived with plenty of time to get our race bibs, use the facilities, and run a little over 2 warmup miles in the sprinkles and wind. By race time, the rain had stopped, but the wind had increased.

The course was nice and flat. The first three miles flew by. I held back and was running at a very comfortable and sustainable pace, but just past the 5k mark, the wind became an issue. It was a very persistent side wind which, after the turnaround, suddenly became a frustrating headwind. I intentionally backed off the pace during mile four, but by mile five, it wasn't so intentional any more. The course turned a couple of times, still either into the wind, or with the wind coming from the side. There were a couple of stretches where I had to lean while running so as not to get blown over.

Not great conditions for a fast race.

The final mile was brutal. Most of it was directly into what I would estimate to be a 20-25 mph constant wind. By the time I reached the last turn that lead to the finish, I was beat. I had very little kick left.

By the numbers:
Final time - 44:39
Splits: 7:04, 7:08, 7:07, 7:12, 7:17, 7:16, 1:32 (for final .2)
5k splits: 22:10/22:29
Average pace: 7:11

I was hoping to break 44 minutes. Minus the wind, I think I would have had a pretty good chance of doing so.

I haven't seen the official results yet, but I'm pretty sure I finished 32nd overall and 8th or 9th in my very tough age group (40-49).

My aforementioned friend Dan ran an amazing PR of 39:29 (his first sub-40 10k) to win our age group.

Next up will be a 5k PR attempt in Arlington, on March 23rd. Guess I better keep doing some speed work.

ONE SOLID HOUR

For the first time in nearly two years, I managed to run for over one hour yesterday. I'm still not 100% health-wise (still feeling a little fatigued and have some chest congestion), but I had a very strong urge to see if I could run for an hour.

It went very well. At the slow pace I was running (9:51/mile), endurance wasn't an issue. In fact, I felt like I was just getting warmed up at about 5 miles. I covered a 10k exactly. I think I could have extended the run by another 2 or 3 miles, easily.

Afterward, as is my standard routine, I iced my right knee and right foot & heel. I then wore compression socks for the remainder of the day.

One day later, my foot feels fine. Due to my work schedule (and because my chest is still congested), I'll rest today and run again tomorrow (Friday). I hope to sneak in a quick weights workout today, though.

I'm excited to have broken the hour mark and hope to continue building my distances, both in my individual runs and in weekly mileage.

I need to be careful, though, and continue listening very closely to my body.

26 Years Ago Today

...I ran my fastest 10k to date. It was called the Boeing Fun Run (long defunct) and I was coming off of my senior track season. I was coming off of several weeks of relatively low mileage, but had a lot of speedwork under my belt (my coach didn't believe in a lot of mileage during the season. In hindsight, it was TOO little). The race wasn't large. I don't have the numbers, but if I had to guess based on a foggy memory, I'd say between 500-1000 people.

I went out fairly quickly and was able to get into a pretty comfortable groove. I remember staying comfortable the entire race, not really pushing too much. I would settle in with a group of runners, see that their pace was a tad too slow, then move up to another group, then another.

"Do you have splits," you ask? Why, of course this anal-retentive record keeper has splits!

Mile 1- 6:10
Mile 2- 6:21
Mile 3- 6:18
Mile 4- 6:24
Mile 5- 6:21
Last 1.2- 6:16 pace

Total time: 39:06 (6:18/mi)

Impressive? Not really, especially for an 18-yr old guy coming off track season. I probably could have shaved close to a minute off of that had I been racing hard...which still wouldn't be too much to crow about. But at the time I had no idea that it would remain my PR all these years. Oh, to run that fast again.

Back to the present. I'm seeing my sports med doc again on Friday for our monthly visit. I've had some ups and downs with the heel since starting my run/walk program a few weeks ago. I put in 1.6 miles today and the heel felt okay. Yesterday, however, it was pretty cranky. This could be a pattern for awhile. We'll see...

Back To Where It All Started

In December of 1983, I ran my first road race. It was the inaugural running of the Christmas Rush 10k in Kent, WA. I was 16 at the time and, frankly, didn't run very fast (46:28). I had just finished my first season of Cross Country and was still very new to running.

Fast forward to today, for the 27th Annual Christmas Rush 10k (and 5k run/walk). My race number was 834...which gave me a chuckle, since I first ran it in '83, and it was my 4th time running it. Anyway, it was 27 degrees as I lined up at the start. This year, the race directors went with an out and back course, rather than the usual loop for some reason. More on that later.

My goal was to go out a bit slower than I did in my previous 10k (when I went out at 6:39). Mission accomplished, with a 6:49 first mile. My legs felt good, but even that early, I was having problems with my breathing. My lungs felt very tight, and later in the race, I felt like I was breathing through a straw. Due to the cold and stagnant air, the air quality has been pretty bad this week. I'm beginning to think that I'm sensitive to that, or maybe I've got mild asthma. I ran mile 2 in 6:58. At about this point, I got tired of fighting my heart rate strap, which apparently wasn't tight enough. It finally dropped down to my stomach and became useless. Mile three clocked in at 7:01. At 20:46, I was still running at sub-7 pace, but was starting to feel some fatigue. At the 5k mark, I tried to hit my lap button on my Garmin, but pushed the start/stop button by mistake. It took me nearly a mile to realize this. I could already tell that this probably wasn't going to be my day, but for some reason this took even more wind out of my sails. I guess I rely too much on that stinkin' Garmin.

So I had to run the rest of the race without having any idea of my pace or heart rate. There were volunteers at the mile markers, but, for some reason, they were calling out times that were nearly 2 minutes slower than the actual time.

At around mile 4 1/2, the consequence of having an out-and-back course reared its ugly head. The 5k runners and walkers started 10 minutes after the 10k runners, and here is where we ran head-on into them. There was a sea of mostly walkers, many with strollers and little kids darting all over the place (and people talking on cell phones, for crying out loud!), and us 10k-ers had no choice but to dodge and weave through the mob as best we could. It would have been a good idea to have several volunteers along the 5k course reminding them to stay to one side of the path. So that was basically strike 3 for me, mentally. I pretty much cashed it in and quit racing. My pace slowed quite a bit. My initial goal was to run under 44 minutes, but by now I expected to cross the line in 45-something. I managed to come in at 44:47. Better than my first 10k this year, but 41 seconds slower than my most recent. I obviously don't have all of my mile splits, but my first 5k was 21:31 and my ugly second half ended up being 23:16.

After the race, I walked by the booth of our regional running magazine (Northwest Runner). One of the guys (the editor, I think) noticed my 1983 race shirt and asked to take my picture. He said it'll probably be in the next edition of the magazine. He was really impressed to see a race shirt that old. I didn't notice any other runners with old shirts. I definitely got some quizzical looks & a couple of questions about it.

So in summary, I'm a bit disappointed, but relieved to be done with my shorter races for awhile. I'm ready to move up to longer challenges, but it was fun to come back to where it all started.

[EDIT - This was actually the 5th time I've run this race: 1983, '84, '87, '91 and '09]

Good Week

I just wrapped up what I would consider a solid week of training. My key runs were a rolling hill 7 mile run on Monday, a tough 6 miler (including three hard miles) on Wednesday, and a 12 miler on Friday. I ended up with 5 total runs for 32 miles. I had a little IT band twinge during and after my long run. Since then, I've been icing, stretching and foam rolling quite a bit. I've got a 10k next Saturday to end my racing for the year. I'll lighten up on the miles next week so I'll be fresh going into the race. I hope to break 44 minutes. We'll see...

Fowl Fun Run 10k

Today was the Fowl Fun Run 10K, in Mount Vernon, WA. The race started at 10:00, which was kind of nice, since it was a cold, clear morning (36 degrees at race time). I ran a warmup mile and decided to go with just shorts and two tech shirts (long sleeve on top of short sleeve). I wish I had worn my gloves, as my hands got cold during the race.

Before the race, I told myself to go out at or slower than the 7:00 first mile during my last 10K, back in September. Did I listen to my own advice? Ha! Since when have I done that? I hit the 1 mile mark at 6:39. Crap. Funny how the first mile feels so effortless. I backed off the pace after that. Here were my splits:

6:39
7:08
7:13
7:11
7:04
7:00
(1:02 for last .2)

Final time: 44:06, for a 7:06 per mile pace. I ended up beating my previous 10k time, back in September, by 53 seconds. Aside from the first mile, I'm pleased with how consistent my splits were, compared to my last 10k. Even though I was hurting during the final 2 miles, I managed to pick up the pace just a little.

My first 5k split was 21:48, which is faster than my 5k race I ran back in June (22:20). In fact, my second 5k split was also faster, at 22:18.

I placed 23rd out of 127 runners, and 5/10 in my age group (20/67 for men).

During the awards, I won a large pumpkin pie in a drawing. My family came along with me, which was really cool. The best part of the whole experience was both of my daughters saying they wanted to run the 2-mile next year. They saw a lot of kids doing it and I think they finally believe that they can also do it. I'm going to hold them to it, too!

I'm pleased with how my "running resurrection" is progressing this year. I'm still not speedy, but I'm seeing improvement, and enjoying every minute of every mile!

Oh, one final note. I made a point to go around and thank every volunteer at this race. They all really appreciated it. I would strongly encourage you to thank your race volunteers. Don't worry, I'm not on a "high horse", as I never used to do this myself, and I've only volunteered at one race (a 50k last weekend), but I'll do so from here on out. I also cheered and clapped for the lead runners during the race as they came back by me after the turnaround. I probably looked like a dork, and it might have cost me a few seconds and some valuable breath, but as corny as it sounds, I'm so thrilled to be racing again that I get caught up in the excitement.

Okay, enough for now. Next up is the Christmas Rush 10k on December 12th, followed by another half marathon or two early next year.

A Bit Of Speed...In A Downpour

On Monday, I ran a little interval workout in the rain: 5 miles, starting with a 1 mile warmup, followed by 4 miles of 1/2 mile fast, 1/2 mile slow. The fast segments were:

3:35
3:27
3:15
3:14

The final two were tough; the last one being slightly uphill.
This is the last "fast" running I'll do this week, until Saturday's Fowl Fun Run 10k, in Mount Vernon, WA...which will also probably be in the rain. 'Tis that time of year here in the Pacific Northwest.

Race Report

Ran the Airport Run for Hope 10k this morning in Arlington, WA. Flat course, mostly on trails. Wet and muddy! Rained hard before, stopped during race, then a little rain afterward. Went out a bit fast, but met goal of breaking 45 min (barely) with a time of 44:59 (7:14/mi pace). Still not feeling very strong after a week of some kind of crud & had bad side stitch from miles 3-5.
Splits:

• 7:01
• 7:08
• 7:03
• 7:36 (enter the side stitch)
• 7:23
• 7:15 pace for last 1.2

Fun race, though. Finished 8th overall and 3rd in age group. Met ultra runner Tim Stroh (friend and competitor of my ultra friend Arthur). Tim took 2nd in my age group and beat me by about 2:50 (he's coming off the Plain 100 mi ultra race last weekend). Next up: Spokane Half Marathon on 10/11!