How Many Restarts Will it Take?

Another encouraging sign the last two days, especially yesterday! I committed myself to purchasing new running shoes Wednesday thinking it would be an investment in motivating me to get my butt out the door, even though I thought there was a possibility that I would not be able to get even close to where I wanted to be with my running or walking and jogging. I don't know if it was the shoes, or the psychological boost they gave me, but it just doesn't matter! I was just looking forward for a reason to get back into a running routine and the new shoes did it. I even switched from the Asics brand, that I have been wearing for the last 12 years plus, to a Brook Adrenaline III. I actually like the shoes even better than the Asics! Soooo, I just ran an easy three Wednesday at a 10:56 pace. No walking! I don't know why I didn't start out walking like I usually do, but I just felt like starting out by an easy jog (God I hate that J word). The shoes felt so good that I knew it was just going to be a matter of time before I was able to run four or five miles again. Well, I didn't have to wait long! Yesterday (Thursday) I went down to English Landing and told myself that I was going to run two loops around the park to get in a five miler. I even decided to start out jogging slowly to get warmed up. The five miles was not a problem! Here are my splits: 11:19, 10:55, 11:03, 10:23 and a 9:17. Yeah, I know it's slow, but it meant so much to me to know that I can call myself a runner again..........Mike

Is it safe for runners and bikers?

As everyone here knows, Mike is the other rider in this essay. Thank God he was there to help me afterward, and that he wasn't hurt. I posted this on my RobRuns blog, and used Facebook and Twitter to get it around.
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Anyone who tries to share the road with motorized traffic has experienced it. Cars buzzing close by, a bone-jarring horn, profanity-laced cackling. It’s all calculated to elicit a startled response. Maybe they’ll see a wide-eyed look up, a flinch, perhaps even a defensive jump away.

Great fun.

But because these cretins are cowards traveling fast in the opposite direction, they don’t know the fun they’re missing. The real action is not in the split second of the drive-by, but in the next moment or two later. It’s then that the distracted runner turns an ankle in a rut. It’s then that the biker who’s looked away just long enough drops into a drainage ditch and bloodies a leg.

As a runner I once was buzzed so closely by a speeding car on a residential street that I had to jump from curbside to the sidewalk. I’m sure that’s what the idiot driver saw. I bet he was quite pleased. What he didn’t see as he sped off was me landing on a greasy patch of mud and going down hard, bruising a rib. Does he know what a bruised rib feels like? He should.

Would any of these people feel better, be happier and more satisfied with life, knowing their fun caused a compound fracture or a bloody gash?

As bad as all that is, I think most of us who use the streets for exercise hold a special spot for certain class of anti-citizen: the dog owners who let their pets run free.

One of these nearly cost me my life.

Two of us were riding on Interurban highway in Kansas City. Out of nowhere a 50-pound canine attacker, teeth bared, is trying to take a chunk of flesh out of the leg of the rider ahead of me.

An instant later the dog crossed my path and we collided. I was going 20 mph at the time, and it was not a soft landing. My head hit the pavement twice, but my $20 helmet saved my life. Unfortunately, it could not prevent 5 broken ribs, a separated shoulder, a bruised lung and a huge medical bill. I have to tell my grandchildren to go easy on me for a few weeks while I heal.

I don’t blame the dog for any of this, though I admit I have no sympathy for it. I blame the owner who let his dog run free. I can only imagine this person amused and satisfied that his mutt is out there throwing “a little scare” into those damn bikers.

Does he know that one of those scares almost killed someone? Does he care? Does it make him even happier that he got more than a scare out of it? His dog is probably injured, but does he even care about that?

Would he be even more ecstatic if the victim was someone in his family?

Honestly, I don’t know what to do about any of this. The police are often powerless, and most of the time it’s not so much a matter of a crime as it is indescribable stupidity. You have adults acting like 11-year-olds.

I would simply ask that everyone follow the rules, use common sense, and show some compassion and tolerance.

And by the way, it’s not going to work, you know. I’ll be back out there riding and running on your street. My street. Me and all the others who just want a little exercise. -- Rob

Trolley Run

Another Trolley Run, another snafu with the GPS watch.

Last year my watch quit working after the first mile of the run, so I didn't know during the race what my splits were. No big deal, but just kind of an annoyance.

This year I made sure the watch was all charged up, but when I tried to turn it on before the race it acted battery-dead. I'd run into this situation before, so I knew I had to reset the device, but it took several minutes to remember how to do that. Once I got it working, a warning popped up that the watch's storage space was just about full, so I had to hunt through the menus to find "delete."

With all that done, I was finally ready to run. I warmed up with 2.3 easy miles, then stood in my wave for 20 minutes before the starter sent us on our way.

The beauty of the Trolley Run is that it's mostly downhill, so you can expect a good time. I didn't PR, but I still did better than I expected, running it in 30:43, an average of 7:41. My splits were 8:15, 7:28, 7:21 and 7:28. 12th in my division.

Not talking about the the swag I took home afterward. -- Rob

Just Doesn't Get Any Better!

Drove up to Smithville to ride the Anita Gorman trail. It was just so darn beautiful! The weather couldn't have been better. It was almost the perfect day! The Redbuds were out and everything was greening up. Everything was going just fine for the out part of my ride. The only breeze was the one I was making and the only wind were the ones I was breaking! That was for you, Rob! Anyway, the coming back part was a little bit of an experience I don't want to have again. I was riding along at a good clip, due to needing to get back and head to Lee's Summit to watch Brandon in a track meet, when I came around the bend and noticed a lady sunning herself on a blanket. Out of nowhere came this big Yellow Lab and he meant business. That SOB started chasing me and was nipping at my ankle. I started to kick at him, but forgot I was clipped in my pedals! I almost lost control of my bike AND my bladder as I rode off of the trail onto the grass. Luckily, it wasn't too rough and as I felt the dog hit my ankle trying to bite me, I was able to get my foot unclipped and kicked him in the side of the head. I love animals except when they attack me! The head kick did it, and he went back to mama. I yelled at her and told her she should get her dog under control before he hurts somebody. I wasn't the only rider on the trail, afterall. Cruised back to the car and felt really good about the workout. Tomorrow I'll run four or five miles. I'm hoping that the cross training on the bike will help me get back to racing form....... Mike

Hanging in there

This was one of those extraordinary spring evenings that was perfect for running. Seventy degrees, no wind, sunny, low humidity.

Why, then, was it so hard to get loosened up? It took me 3 miles to fall into a nice rhythm. I felt like it would eventually come, so I kept plugging away and bided my time. Sure enough, after mile 3 I started feeling much better. My breathing got easier, my legs felt lighter, everything improved. My splits improved with each mile, from an opening pace of 9:49, to the last mile at 8:41. Overall, I averaged 9:10, running 7.3 miles in 1:07.

Turned out to be a really nice, enjoyable run.-- Rob

Felt Good to Get Out!

Well, I finally decided that I needed to get off my fat a-- and get a run or ride in. I didn't feel like burning up $100.00 worth of gas to drive to Smithville, so I just ran 3 from the house. Walked the first quarter mile and then ran two minutes and walked a minute for the first mile. For some reason, I decided to just run the last two miles very easy. Mile two was 11:43 and mile three was 10:15. Yeah, it's slow, but I'm 83 years old!...... Mike

Putting the Tire Store to Good Use

Late Friday afternoon, our office receptionist handed me a note during a conference call that said "Lucy called. Katie is on the side of the road with shredded tire." As it turns out, that is more information -- and more specific -- than Katie offered Lucy when Katie called her. I believe the phone call went something like this: Katie: "Mom, my car was driving wierd, and now it won't go anymore." Lucy: "Why don't you get out and check your tires. Maybe one is low or flat." Katie (1 minute later): "Actually, there is no right rear tire. It's sitting in the ditch and the car is resting on its rim." Teenagers -- you got to love them if nothing else for their inquiring minds! So today, while Goodyear was straightening out the rim and putting on a new tire, I took my running clothes and headed north from Stateline & 103rd along the Indian Creek trail. Nice little 50 minute run in gorgeous evening sun. Hit a bug swarms, but nothing that Rob hasn't already endured. Overall, a nice way to put the tire store to good use! -- Bill

Run strategy

We had house guests Saturday, and soccer games to attend in the morning, so I didn't get out for a run until 3:30 in the afternoon. It was 87 degrees by then, and I was still feeling the effects of a serious overdose of Oklahoma Joe's barbecue and fries. Still, I felt like I really needed to burn a few calories.

I carefully considered the weather conditions and my nutritional experience in formulating my training strategy for the day. I went out way too fast and was in oxygen debt by the end of the first mile, assuring that the rest of the run would painfully uncomfortable. Good thing I was planning on something short. Overall, I averaged 8:52 for 4.3 miles.

Today (Sunday) I wanted to get a long run in. It was over 80, and there was a strong wind out of the south, but I figured if I really did keep it slow, and stayed hydrated, I'd be OK.

I went to the levy trail, where going out I had to work against a cross wind. It was so strong at times that when I'd pick up my right foot the wind would blow it against my left leg. I kicked myself in this way several times. The trip back was brutal, with the wind mostly in my face. I decided to get off the trail and run the roads, since they were a little more protected. I just plodded along, not caring much about the pace.

The run ended up at 8.1 miles in 1:16:15, or a 9:25 pace.

Trolley Run on Sunday. -- Rob

Bugs and dogs

Beautiful day. I picked the challengingly hilly but scenic Line Creek Trail for my run. Out and back I can squeeze 6 miles out of it. This run had the added excitement of multiple swarms of flying bugs to run through, and an irritated Shetland Sheepdog who wanted me out of his territory.

Of the two, the bugs were the worst; they're too dumb to chase away. Mouth, nose, eyes, hair. I finally snorted one into my sinuses and had to blow snot rockets for a quarter mile to get it out. Nasty. Glad I wasn't running at the Plaza.

The dog looked real mean until I made an aggressive move toward it, then it turned and ran off (Mike taught me this: pretend like you're picking up something to throw at the dog. They stop every time). I had to do that twice, though.

Despite all that, I had a good run, going 6.1 miles in 56:02, a 9:12 pace. I covered my uphill stretches at an 8:55 pace, far better than other times I've run the course.

Looks like I will be in the Trolley Run in a week and a half. I did pretty well in it last year (29:36/7:24 and 10th of 161 in my division), but right after that is when everything went downhill physically for the rest of the year. I won't run it so hard this year. -- Rob

Slowly Coming Back

After many visits to the physical therapist, my back feels fine. I have slowly been increasing my mileage - both walking and running. After getting inspired by the Rock the Parkway runners, I went out Sunday for a combined 5.25 miles. I began with 1/2 mile walk, followed by a 4.25 mile run and a walk to the finish. Maurice the poodle, accompanied me on this gentle rolling route around Lake Miola. Best of all, my back still feels fine!
Looking forward to running with the MRC gang this evening as last month I could only walk (and Mike D was kind enough to walk with me).
Watching the Rock the Parkway runners with Mike at mile 6 was great fun. Congratulations to all the runners. - Ken

Rock the Parkway (Rob)

I did as well as I could reasonably expect - better, probably.

Last year's Rock the Parkway was held in a light but steady rain on a 40 degree day, making for an overall miserable experience. This year the temp was about the same at the start, but it was rising under partly sunny skies. There was no hint of rain.

The race had sold out, so it was crowded at the beginning and for the first couple miles. That was OK with me, as I knew I needed to keep the pace under control early if I was going to feel good at the end.

My first two miles were 9:21 and 9:35, which was about right. Maybe should have been a tad slower in the first mile. Things thinned out a bit after mile two, and my pace improved to 9:07 for mile three. Quite by accident I had found myself in close proximity to the 2 hour pace group, so I made it a point to stick with them for the first half of the race. Two hours seemed to be something I could reasonably aspire to.

After mile 3, all my splits were under 9, and after mile 6, I started to put some distance between me and the pace group. I kind of felt like the pace I'd set was a little too ambitious, but I just kept going and tried to stay comfortable. I was worried about my stamina, so I made a point not to charge any of the hills and not to overdo it on the downhills, which tend to tire my quads if I race down them too fast. I also walked for 30 seconds every couple miles, and that's reflected in my splits, which jump around from the 8:35 range to the 8:50 range.

The last mile to the finish is a gradual downhill, and that was my fastest split: 8:06.

The overall time by my watch was 1:55:44. I actually ran 13.18 miles, so the average pace was 8:47. Chip time and pace will be slightly different, since it will assume 13.1 miles.

I count it a successful return to racing after a year off.

Congratulations to all finishers, and thanks to the volunteers and supporters (Mike and Ken among them). -- Rob