Road test

Went out riding this morning with the express purpose of finding out if my rear end could handle over two hours in the saddle. Ten days ago, no, but today, yes.

Mike and I went up to Smithville Lake, where they've built just a great trail that starts at the far north end of the lake and snakes along the west side and around to the south for a few miles. We've run it a few times, and now we've ridden it twice. The weather was perfect, the lake was dotted with boats, the campgrounds populated, and the trail busy with walkers, runners and bikers.

The goal was 20 miles, but we tacked a little onto the out portion, took a wrong turn in one spot on the way back, and finished with 21.6. Total time was 2 hours and 16 minutes, so we weren't racing. We just wanted to maintain a steady pace, burn some calories, and prove that we could handle the bike seat for that long.

Mission accomplished. Next stop, the Katy. -- Rob

Great Morning, Great Ride!

I was preparing to fill the orders I had from the Memorial Day tournament I photographed when Rob called and wanted to know if I wanted to do a 20 mile bike ride. Not being in a real hurry to fill the orders, since it was a holiday, and the lab couldn't to anything with them until tomorrow, I thought it would be a nice break. Smithville was our destination again and this time we didn't wuss out and take a shorter route back.

We took a few water breaks during the ride and it was just a glorious day to be outside. We passed several picnickers, people camping out, guys fishing, and of course, boaters. On our way back we missed a turn and ended up adding 1.62 miles to our ride. It ended up not being of any concern as we both felt pretty good about the ride. Our only concern was the very long steep hill at the end of our ride back to the parking lot. We decided that when we got to 20 miles we would just walk the rest of the way or, at least, up that damn hill. As it turned out, we attacked the hill and just kept going! Kind of proud of ourselves. Not so sure I would of attacked the hill if I were riding by myself, but Rob was in front of me and there was NO WAY I was getting off my bike until he did! It was just a great ride on a beautiful morning. Hope the weather is the same next week! Mike

On the road, with wheels

As grateful as I was that I could get out and do 16 miles on the bike this morning, I still found myself envious of anyone I encountered who was covering ground on their own two feet.
I don't know how many times I caught myself thinking, "That should be me," as I passed a runner.

But, riding is what I can do these days. And the beauty of this ride is that I finished it without aggravating my sore back. Who knows, maybe I'll be running by this time next week. -- Rob

Mending

Everything is an adventure, isn't it? Even this back injury. It's annoying as hell, but it's an adventure and a chance to learn something. Allow me the mental therapy of telling this story.

I began Monday with a sharp, almost debilitating pain in the lower back. This was new because normally right out of bed I would feel pretty good. Things would take about 30 minutes to deteriorate. This time, though, it was bad right out of bed. My plan was to tough it out until my appointment at 12:30 with the chiropractor/physical therapist. An hour after getting up, I knew I couldn't make it, so I took 800mg of ibupophren. I also asked Kay to set up an appointment with my medical doctor.

By the time I got to my appointment with the chiropractor, I had my doctor's diagnosis: without seeing me and with only my wife's second-hand information, he diagnosed sciatica. The treatment was complete rest and 800mg of ibu 3 times a day. Wait it out. I passed that information on to my chiro, who respectfully, but emphatically, disagreed.

TJ, as I am allowed to call my chiro, treats hundreds of college athletes a year working with various KU teams. Most of his work with them, and me, is active release massage and physical therapy. While allowing for a remote possibility of sciatica, he pointed out that my sharpest pain was in the wrong place to be diagnosed as sciatica. Furthermore, if it was sciatica, then certain stretches would prove it by making it hurt. None of those stretches had any effect on my pain.

We went ahead with the treatment, during which, with his help, I did a real good imitation of a pretzel. He attacked my most painful spot with gusto, frequently asking me test it to see if the pain was gone. Finally, I asked him if he really expected to fix the problem and rid me of pain right then and there.

"Yes," he said. "Ninety percent of the patients who present like you I can fix in two or three sessions, tops." This was already my third session, and while things had gotten slightly better, there was still a long way to go. I was frustrated, and I could tell he was, too.

By the time he finished up, I was feeling noticeably better, but I still expected the pain to come back in full within a few minutes. We agreed to give the treatments a rest for at least a couple weeks, continue his stretches at home, and follow the doctor's suggestions.

The full pain never really returned Monday, which I attributed to the ibu more than the treatment. But on Tuesday morning, 12 hours after my last dose of pain killer, I arose without the acute pain I'd had the morning before. In fact, it never has returned. I still have sore and tight low back muscles, but that sharp pain right in the middle - the one that makes me hobble - is gone.

Does the chiro/physical therapist know what he's talking about? I'd say yes. Did his treatment work? Yes again. Do rest and anti-inflammatories make sense? I'd say yes to that, too.

I think I can see the light at the end of the tunnel now. -- Rob

Long Weekend

After a long weekend of fighting wind and heat, I couldn't wait to get out and relieve some stress with a run. Although it was only a four miler it was good to get out. These weekends are getting harder and harder for me to get through. The heat in July and August will be really tough to deal with. What's really tough is maintaining a training schedule. It's difficult to pick the same day for a long run each week due to the work flow and deadlines. This may be my last year of sports photograph as I'm approaching it now.

Running program on hold

I continue to struggle with this bizarre back injury. To maintain some fitness, I've been biking, and have done about 35 miles in the past few days. The first two rides did not stress my back at all and were actually restful, but today's 13.5 mile ride left me kind of sore, so I don't know how far I can go with the bicycle.

I cannot explain this back injury. It occurred while I was on a treadmill doing 10 min. miles, which is an easy pace. Sometime toward the end of the 2nd mile, I began to feel a bit of a twinge, but it wasn't acute. I kept going until I was done with 3 miles, and then quit, thinking I didn't want to push through even a minor discomfort. Five minutes later I was in quite a bit of pain.

The pain is in the lower back, the epicenter seemingly just to the left of my tail bone, and behind bone. I've been seeing a chiropractor who specializes in sports physical therapy. His practice is primarily as physical therapist for the Kansas University sports programs: football, track, etc. I'm not a fan of chiropractic, but he's not really using it on me. It's all PT, and he's given me specific stretches to do at home. They work, at least to a point. Eventually, I tighten up and get sore again.

The pain is such that I definitely can't run. Walking starts out OK, but as the distance grows, the pain increases. And that's good, or at least better, than it was a week ago. Improvement is coming, but it's a slow process. The Hospital Hill half marathon, which I had planned to run on June 5, is out. Probably the best I can hope for by then is the ability to do an easy 5k.

Meanwhile, I'll continue to bike, stretch and rest. -- Rob

MRC Night Out.

Well, it was another fun night with the MRC boys on Monday the 17th. No real need to describe the run, dinner, or conversation since you all were there. So there!

However, my entry today will be about Rob and I riding out bikes at Smithville Lake. Our intentions were to ride 20 miles, which would have been where we started, on W Hwy, to the main marina, about 9.8 miles. We stopped along the way and shared a Subway turkey sandwich which had everything on it that ROB liked. I suggested a few things, but Rob kept saying, "But, I like this!" I just thought everyone liked a pound of jalapenos on their sandwich. Oh well, he was paying for it so I let it go, since I was busy apologizing for collapsing the sneeze glass over the meat and vegetable choices. Scared the hell out of me! I thought we just put Subway out of business! Note for future: Never place you hand(s) on the sneeze glass with any weight!!! It will fall right down and crush your sandwich!

Anyway, we shared our sandwich under a nice shade tree on a picnic table with a great view of the lake. A nice breeze was coming off the lake gently caressing our mussed up hair from the ride. It was very romantic, with the exception of Rob being there and all.

At the end of the Ride we had a short discussion regarding the option of reversing our course, taking the same way back, or just taking the highway back due to it being flat, or so Rob professed. Jeez, there were more longer steep hills on the highways going back!

At any rate, it was a beautiful day and we had a nice ride. I think there was some discussion about riding on Wednesday at Longview Lake. We really need to get into some kind of bike shape before our Katy Trail ride.............Mike

Sunday Long Run

Last week, I ran my first 6-miler in quite awhile on Monday and noticed heel pain afterwards. Rob -- thanks for the suggestion on the heel inserts; I have ordered some! Wore my hiking boots most of the week and that helped stabalize the heels. Got in a slow 4 miler on Thursday after a long road trip Wed. bringing Jamie home from college. Then did my first true longer run since May of 2008 -- 8.8 out and back miles on the flat trails yesterday. Started out slowly at 11:35's for the first 2 miles, but got into a steady pace and averaged 10:18's for the rest of the run. No heel issues -- yeah. It was a gorgeous early afternoon run inbetween rain showers with fresh air and jungle green everywhere. Springtime with our bright bright green foliage everywhere is so pretty on the running trails. I still have no uphill capacity, but progress is being made here. Thanks again for all the blog encouragement! Tonight: MRC run and beers!!! -- Bill

Slugger!

No, not the Royals mascot! I'm referring to the way I ran today, I was just slugging it out for 7 miles. I was just not in any kind of hurry and started my run with the intentions of walking the first half mile. However, I got sidetracked with some pre-occupied thinking and when I looked at my watch it stated that I had walked 7 tenths of a mile. I decided to walk the entire first mile. I ran six miles after the walking mile and walked a minute each mile. Even after walking the entire first mile I still averaged 11:59 per mile for the seven miles. Just about all six running miles were in the 10 minute range with one of them in the high elevens. Really don't care! Just glad to be out there.

One of my many thoughts while running is what race would I like to enter. I'll have that answer after I lose about 20 more pounds, build my long run to about 20 miles, and start doing speed work. If I can acheive that, I'll enter a marathon in the fall. I just don't know which one. If I can't obtain those training goals, I'll run shorter races. One thing is for sure, I will keep running!.... Mike

No go

I thought I'd try out the hip, though I didn't hold out much hope. Walked for a few minutes, then jogged slowly. It was already hurting before I started running, and it didn't take long to get worse. I was going up hill, which didn't help, and then going downhill was no better.

I stopped frequently to do squat stretches, which helped a little. When I finally got on the level it hurt a little less. I wanted to go 4, but when I got to 3, that seemed like enough. Shame, because with so few miles this week my legs are really fresh. The weather here in the early morning is just perfect for running. If not for the hip, I think I could have gone a long way.

Anyway, I iced the dang thing afterward, and made a doctor's appointment for Monday. -- Rob

Running Between the Rain Drops

I made it out for a 4 miler this morning and DID NOT get rained on. Maurice, the poodle, and I consider ourselves lucky dodging the precipitation. The city market area was kind of quiet this morning and we encountered little traffic traversing downtown. We even kept a pace better than 10 minutes per mile (not sure as my Garmin lost satelite). I can hardly wait for the MRC run next Monday, where ever it happens. - Ken

Easy Day

Just an easy three miler today just to keep things nice and loose. Can't believe how much easier it is to run three miles now. Four weeks ago I was just a slug, plodding along like some old man. Hey, I am an old man, I have a right to plod along. It beats the hell out of the alternative! Besides, I plan on running either an 8, 10, or 12 miler tomorrow and it depends on how I feel. I may just hold it down and do a quality 8 miler......Mike

Birthday Run and Heel Injuries

Celebrated my 54th birthday which is today (I've finally caught up with my official Blog Bio) with my first 6 mile run yesterday. Steady 10:47's for 1st half and 10:41's for second half on dead flat, dead easy indoor track and treadmill -- I mixed it up to keep it interesting. I can see the basis here for longer runs and slowly improving times, although my breathing hard threshhold is still just 10:00's miles. When I got home, however, my right heel out of nowhere started hurting! I could barely walk --either barefoot or in my loafers. This is not a good sign, but I did notice that when I put on my hiking boots to do our barn chores that my heel immediately felt better. So I'm wearing my hiking shoes today and tomorrow to see if my heel can recover. Off today as I'm flying to San Antonio this evening to help drive Jamie back from college tomorrow. Hope the heel thing is temporary! -- Bill

Mike's Wonderful Account of the 2007 MDI Marathon

This post is from Mike DeGhelder. It is a wonderful summary of a fabulous marathon weekend we enjoyed 3 years ago at MDI Marathon in Maine. Enjoy! -- Bill

Mount Desert Island Marathon
October 14, 2007
(A surprising performance!)

I entered the 2007 Mount Desert Island Marathon the first of October 2006 before they had held the 2006 race. Once I make up my mind that I want to enter a certain race, I enter it and start making lodging and traveling plans. Remember, you can always cancel reservations, you can’t always get them!

I made our reservations at The Atlantic Oakes Resort in Bar Harbor, Maine for seven days. Chris and I usually stay at places like Days Inn, Comfort Inn, or Super 8, so we can save money for other things. However, since this was our 40th anniversary year we decided to stay in a nice place as a gift to each other.

I had trained pretty seriously but not all out like 1999 and 2000. I was in very good shape and figured, since I turned 65 two weeks before the race, I would surely win an age group award and probably win first place. After all, in the 2006 race there were only 7 guys in my age group!

I was certain that I could run well under four hours and figured, based on my training, that I would come in around 3:45 – 3:50 which should put me in a position to win my age group. After all, the winning time for the 2006 race was 4:10! I had my heart set on one of the age group awards due to their uniqueness. The age group awards were heavy pieces of polished granite with the MDI logo and your age group and place on the front. I really wanted one of those awards!

Three weeks before the race I was doing speed work on the Park University track. I was doing ladders which, in this case, was a 2 ½ mile warm up, then an 800, one lap jog, a 1600, one lap jog, a 3200, two lap jog, a 1600, one lap jog, and one more 800, and a one mile cool down. I was finishing my last 1600 when during the last lap I noticed some discomfort in my right heel. Running the last 800 was out of the question as the heel was becoming more painful.

I rested the foot for two days and decided it was well enough to run my last long run of 20 miles on Friday. The foot gave me no problems during the long run but it became a serious problem on Saturday! Long story short, I ended up at the podiatrist’s and the news was not good. I had a bone spur in my heel due to Plantar Faciatis (sp). I was pretty upset and, at that moment, felt like I would not be able to participate in the race. The doctor gave me a pair of generic orthotics and said to go ahead with the race but take it easy and don’t run if it’s painful.

We left for Maine on Friday Oct. 5th and took dad (Pa) along with us. He had been diagnosed with lung cancer in June and this would be his last vacation. Pa died on December 1st due to complications from the cancer and a heart attack. He got to see some things he never thought he would see. We visited the Indianapolis Speedway, the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, OH, the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY, and, of course, we ate lobster on the coast of Maine.

I had run only three times in the three weeks before the race and that included a four mile attempt on Tuesday before the Sunday race Oct. 14th. I had to walk/limp the last mile back to the resort due to the pain in my foot. At that time I realized I wouldn’t be able to participate in the race. After all, how could I run 26.2 if I couldn’t run four? We played the tourist roll for the next few days visiting Acadia National Park and traveling around Mount Desert Island to visit the little harbor towns. It’s just beautiful there! However, I was feeling pretty down thinking about the race.

On Friday I picked up my race packet along with Bill McClave’s, my running buddy from KC. On Saturday we attended the race dinner and listened to Joan Benoit. I had left a gift of a 10x15 photo print of three photos taken of her during the 1984 Women’s Olympic Marathon. I received a terrific personal thank you letter from her a few weeks later. I’ll treasure it!

After listening to Joanie, and from being around all the marathoners, I became all charged up and decided that I just could not stand on the sidewalk and watch the runners start the race without me. I decided to begin the race as though I was going to finish it even though I knew I wouldn’t be able to run more than 3 or 4 miles. Not knowing that it would be a key factor in the race, I took two Celebrex capsules prior to the start and carried about 5 Ibuprofen gel capsules to take during the run. I stood along side Bill and we began the race together when the canon fired. I told him I would try to stay with him as long as I could.

Somewhere around three miles into the race Bill told me he was having trouble with his knee and had to walk. He told me to go on and wished me good luck. I reached my hand back and Bill gave me a goodbye low five. I wasn’t even sure myself just how much longer I could hold on.

I was running at a much slower pace than I planned but was totally unsure how to continue, due to missing most of the last three weeks of training and being injured. I just made up my mind that as long as I could tolerate the discomfort, I would continue to put one foot in front of the other. At around five miles another runner passed me. He was about my age with long gray hair and a yellow shirt. About two miles later I passed him, albeit slowly.
Two to three miles later, and surprised that I was still in the race, he passed me again. It was just a few minutes before he passed me that I stepped on a raised bump in the street with my sore foot. I screamed out loud and scared the heck out of the guy running next to me. I slowed to a walk until the pain subsided and began running again at around a 9:45 to 10:00 pace.

I passed the halfway point (13.1 miles) and realized that I would finish the race and receive a finisher’s medal, even if I had to walk the last half of it. Although I was practically walking the down hills, for some reason I was able to maintain the 9:30 to 9:40 pace.

Around the 22 mile mark I passed gray hair, yellow shirt and he was tying up (bonking). He was done! Although I didn’t take much pride in the fact I passed him, due to me running much slower than I should have, I none-the-less considered him a competitor in my age group and therefore was someone I had to beat. Just a mind game with myself, I suppose.

I was cruising along enjoying the scenery and counting down the miles when I came up on another male runner, around the 24 mile marker, that looked extremely fit! He was running very smooth and I told him how strong he looked at that point in the race. He thanked me for the compliment and then asked me my age. Now when someone asks your age in a race it means that they need to know whether or not to adjust their race to try to either let you go, stay behind you, or to take off and leave you. When someone has asked me my age during a race in the past I have always outright lied just to keep the competition factor away. After all, who need the added pressure?

Now, I don’t know why I did it, but I actually told him I was 65. I guess I just thought he was in a different, and younger, age group. When he stated he was also 65 I knew the race was on! I don’t know why I said what I did, but when he stated he was 65, I said, “Well I guess I’ll have to move on then!” What an unsportsmanlike thing to say! However, I did move on and didn’t even think about looking back for fear he might think I was worried about him. I just tried to look as smooth as I could!

I crested the last hill at the 25 mile mark and had increased my pace to about 8:30. I cruised to the finish line in relative ease and saw my wife, Chris, on the sidewalk to my left. She was ringing a cow bell to encourage all the runners. She later told me, “I couldn’t believe that was you, you looked so strong coming in!” I guess that was a compliment.

I officially crossed the finish line in four hours, fifteen minutes and 59 seconds with my arms raised in triumph (customary) and was joined by Gary Allen the race director. Gary escorted me to the end of the finish chute and also told me how strong I looked coming in. Chris was waiting for me at the end of the chute and then it hit me. I could no longer walk on my own! I became an instant cripple! The Celebrex, Ibuprofen gels, adrenaline, and endorphins, had wore off! I put my arm around her shoulder and she helped me to the food tent. I managed to work my way around the tent to get some goodies and sat down to enjoy some post-race refreshment.

While sitting and enjoying the food and drink, I became curious as to how I finished in my age group. Prior to my injured foot I was sure I could achieve first place since there were only 7 guys in the 65-69 age group in 2006 with the winning time of 4:10. This year there were over 20 guys in my age group and they were coming from California, Oregon, Canada, and from the U.S. I still figured I could place in the top three if I had a good race around the time of 3:45-3:50.

Chris and I proceeded to the high school where the race results were posted. I started reading the results. I ran my finger down the list of finishers until I came to the time I finished. In the Place/Division column it stated I finished second! I just about lost it! I couldn’t believe after missing training and being injured that I actually took second place in my age group! The winning time was 3:53 by a Canadian. Congrats to him! I proceeded to the awards table and was presented my polished granite award. It’s awesome!

Chris and I hustled back to the finish line to welcome Bill and some other runners we befriended during our stay at The Atlantic Oakes Resort. Bill finished along side a new running friend. Bill is always making new friends across the country before, during, and after his races. It’s so fun to gather with Bill and new friends after the race and share food and drink, especially drink, in celebration of our achievements.

We enjoyed a fantastic vacation in Maine and had a nice leisurely trip home. We plan to go back to Sedona, AZ in 2008 and take in Zion National Park, Bryce Canyon, and Arches National Park.

Enjoy every minute of life that you can!

Footnote: The qualifying time in the 65-69 age group is four hours and fifteen minutes.
My finish time was 4:15:59. One more second and I wouldn’t have qualified!
Even though I have no plans to go to Boston again, it was just a little extra
unexpected icing on the cake!

Out of the heat

As part of our condo agreement, we have access to a fitness center in downtown Lake Havasu City. Since it was so hot, we all decided we'd go to the fitness center, and then later this evening, when it's cooler, get back outside. So, it was unplanned, and all I had on was an old broken down pair of running shoes, but I did 3 miles on the treadmill at a slow pace. Afterward I had a sore left hip. Shoes? Who knows. I hope it'll just go away.

Good Start to a New Week!

Well, I missed the last three days of training. Thursday was a rest day due to the ten miler on Wednesday and Friday I just got busy with stuff, so I decided to just run on Saturday afternoon after my grandson's last football game. Well, the whole family decided to come to the house and spend the rest of the afternoon. It was super, except I never did get my run in.

After church today I drove down to the Riverside trail and ran on the dike. I was feeling kind of sluggish but adhered to my usually successful walking of the first half mile then walking the first minute of each mile. I did exactly that and here are my splits: 15:17, 11:15, 10:50, 10:10, 9:25, and 8:38. I looked down several times and saw that I was well into the seven minute range quite a bit.

I would catagoize this as a good run for me. I really, really need to get some pounds off!

Finishing the week strong

I started the week with a 10-miler and finished it today with 8.5, bringing my weekly total to 36. Now I start a week of very low mileage, since we'll be at the Grand Canyon and environs for several days. I still hope to run a couple 3 or 4 milers on the local roads, but that's probably about it. Once I get get back it'll be time to get prepared for Hospital Hill. -- Rob

Wednesday Farm Run

My planned 6 miler on flat trails yesterday got sidelined when I discovered I'd left my running shoes in my carryon from Tuesday's travel. So I drove home and did my standard 3.5 mile shrot farm run before my evening commitments. Averaged 10:40's for this hilly run which is a slight improvement for me. Great spring weather; great to be outside jogging again! -- Bill

Well, What Do You Know?

Well, I ran my ten miles today although it was pretty tough. It wasn't so much the physical side of the run as it was the course I chose. My plan was to run one loop around English Landing (2.5 miles), then run out the dirt farm road west of the park to the 5 mile point, return back to English Landing and add the loop again making it a ten mile run. Well, the farm road was okay until I hit around the 4 mile point of the run. The road was so chewed up with ruts and mud and gravel that I decided not to return the same way. I just continued on until the farm road connected up with 9 highway and came back east on 9 to Parkville and turned into the park. I didn't have to add the entire loop to make up the ten miles. I felt pretty much okay for the first nine miles and even felt comfortable running in the eight minute range. Somewhere around mile 9.5 my hips started to ache but I was determined to finish with an even ten miles!

Here are my splits, but keep in mind that I walked the first half mile of mile one and two minutes of mile two.

Splits: 14:16, 11:32, 10:42, 10:43, 10:56, 10:37, 10:14, 9:40, 9:41, 11:13

Slow but I got my ten miler in finally! -- Mike
,

Had To Tone It Down!

After last Wednesday's fiasco, and extremely poor judgement (I've been plagued with that since birth), I just decided to walk an easy half mile then run a very easy three miles. I took a different course and enjoyed some different scenery. All three of the miles were in the 11:00 range and I'm just not going to concern myself with the damn time anymore! Just being able to run any distance is a blessing AT ANY AGE!

Sorta long

After a day off on Saturday I decided to run a semi-long distance on Sunday. That turned out to be 10 miles, which I felt good for, but not great. I was happy to do something longer than my usual 5 - 7 miles, and just as happy to be done with it.
I finished the month of April with 142 miles, and opened May with 10. Today I did 6 easy miles, so I'm up to 16 for the week. I want to get 30 miles in before Saturday, when we head to the Grand Canyon area for a week. I hope to do a couple short runs during the vacation week, but mostly plan to rest the legs. After that, I need to get out for a couple 13 or 14 mile runs to get used to the distance before Hospital Hill. -- Rob

Steady Progress

First things first: Mike -- I can't believe you posted a 7:28 six miles into a 10 mile run. You amaze me!

I'm posting steady improvements in very small increments. Ran my farm hills run Saturday morning at splits of 11:31, 11:11, 11:02 and 10:53. Today's 4 miler on the flat Indian Creek trails was steady 10:07's out and back. I'm still breathing hard at those ridiculously slow paces, but the progress is that they are steady runs with one 60-second walk break at the turn. I should be fine for upping my weekly mileage from here to Hospital Hill. The spring weather is a joy to run in! --- Bill

Bitter Sweet!

Was anxious to run my ten miler on Thursday. Weather good but windy. Instead of walking the first half mile like I usually do I cut the grass and counted that as my walk. I stretched my hips and started the run with my usual 12 minute pace. At the end of mile one, and subsequent miles, up to mile 6 I was feeling super and found a nice rhythm even though I was walking a minute at the end of each mile. I was cruising along in the low 11:00 pace to low 10:00 and even looked at my watch and found that was was comfortable even though my watch showed my pace at 8:30-8:45 at times. After topping a very long steep hill at about a quarter mile into mile six, I hooked up with two other runners, one male and on female. I would say they were in their 30s and they looked like better than average runners. I was going to run with them but they suddenly slowed down to the point where I felt they were going slower than I was comfortable with. I started to slowly pass them when the female spit out a big swig of water she had just taken from her water bottle. The sputum nailed me right in the chest due to the wind velocity and direction. She apologized and I picked up the pace to complete my pass. I suppose they interpreted that as a challange and picked up their pace. I increased my pace as they increased theirs, etc. etc. etc.

Well, the race was on and I'm proud to say that when I made my left hand turn I was ahead and they continued going straight. I felt so good at the pace that I continuted to the next mile point and beyond. I finished mile six in 7:28 and mile seven in 8:10. Mile eight is when the wheels started falling off.

My hips started to feel very tight at around the beginning of mile eight and I struggled through at about an 11:00 to 11:30 mile pace. When I hit the beginning of mile 9 I was done! I called Chris to come and get me. I could have walked home but had to be somewhere and didn't have time to walk home.

Sometimes I just don't have the patience to slowly work my way through injuries. I seem to alway want to rush things and end of paying for it. I will try my ten miler again on Wednesday and this time I'll do what has been working! I'll begin with my walk and and walk a minute to a minute and a half at the end of each mile. We'll see what happens. If I have the same hip problem again I'll have to rethink my training........Mike