Big, slow six

Wondering whether or not to rest the knee, or go ahead and stick to some kind of routine, I opted for running a slow six. Really wanted to ride the bike, but they were calling for wind gusts up to 40 mph. Easy decision! Walked the first half mile like yesterday and picked it up a little. It just seems like it takes me longer and longer to warm up. Anyway, I got in a six miler, but ended up walking a mile and a half of it due to having sore buns! I've had just about everything a runner can have in the way of afflictions, but today was a first. Somewhere around the 4 mile mark my gluteous maximus stiffend up and got so tight I had to walk. Have no idea what caused that problem, but after walking a half mile or so, it seemed to be better. I'm just glad it wasn't my wenus minimus!.........Mike

Highs and lows of our lifestyle.

I had rested the knee for the last three days and decided today was the day to test it. Note to self: Do not run right after a huge sandwich and a whole bowl of popcorn! At any rate, I started out the door and hadn't gone 20 steps before I felt a slight twinge in the knee. I kept going with the thought that if it happened again I would hang it up. However, after walking the first half mile, I took off on a blistering pace and finished the first mile in 14:54. Mile two was incredibly fast at 12:29. I then settled into a decent rythym and ran mile three in 10:30. I was feeling pretty darn good so I just let it fly and ran the last mile in 8:30 flat! So there! BTW, I walked one full minute after each mile as well. Can't wait until next week when can can all finally run our monthly MRC together. Won't that be swell? Swell? Did I use the word swell? Jeez, I never use that word. I much be watching too many B&W Little Rascal movies! I'll tell you what's going to be swell, and that's when we toast each other with a cold one after finally running our 4 or 5 miles together!........Mike

In the haze

It was almost cold this morning for my run on the river trail. The temp was in the mid 50s, and the river area was hazy, almost foggy. The breeze made it feel like upper 40s. I was wearing long sleeves and tights. And yes, that makes me a weather wimp.

I thought it might rain, so that got me going a little faster than I might have otherwise. I split the run up into two parts and ran each one as if they were separate runs on separate days. Mile one was the slowest, followed by two faster miles, then mile 4 was like mile 1 and was followed by two + more faster miles.

I finished with 6.23 miles for the day and 20.3 for my first full week back. -- Rob

What is up with this body?

Man, I just don't understand it. Am I going to be able to run or not? A week ago I was having some pain in my knee. Even though I was able to complete a couple of short 3-4 miles runs, I still had some pain in my left knee. Now it seems like the entire knee is unstable and I'm having trouble going up and down stairs. Listen to me, complaining about a lousy knee when people in Joplin are losing lives, limbs and loved ones. Big deal, a sore knee! God please bless the people of Joplin as well as those families in Tuscaloosa, Reading, Sedalia, et al. Every day is a true gift!....Mike

Adding a little to the workout

I thought I'd missed all the perfect running days of spring, but I was lucky and today was one of them. I got home a little late because of problems at work, but still got out for a nice 5 mile run on Line Creek Trail. It's hilly, but I'm not hurrying these days. Very enjoyable.

My pace was 9:27 per mile, and the distance was my longest by .36 mile since the accident. -- Rob

Honey, My Running Won't Let Me Garden Anymore

Well, that's my new anthem anyway. Not that it will be effective at all (it won't). Background is that I ran a nice, hilly 10 miler with Runner's Edge Saturday morning and then spent most of the rest of Sat. & Sun. weeding the gardens. This caused my legs to be very very sore first half of this week. I'm in Las Vegas for a major convention Sun-Wed. and ran Monday and Tuesday mornings along the strip. Very interesting morning runs -- half runners like us and half bleary-eyed gamblers getting in from an all nighter. I much prefer our fabulous KC trail system! On my way home now (Wed. evening) looking forward to more easy runs and next weekend's Hospital Hill!

Rob -- great job recovering and returning to running fast so quickly! -- Bill

Waiting it Out!

Wasn't sure if I was going to be able to get my run in today or not. My first concern was my left knee and the second concern was the unpredictable weather. It certainly looked like something was going to occur in the KC area, but it looks like we dodged another bullet. Ran an easy three with a half mile walk at the beginning of the three miles. I thought a walking warm up may help me avoid the knee pain. All in all, the run went okay with only a slight pain occuring in the knee a couple of times. Another week and we'll be exactly 6 months from the Dallas Whiterock event. I'm really concerned with whether or not I'll be able to participate in this race. I just hope I don't waste another entry fee!...........Mike

Dodging the storms

It rained like crazy about 1 this afternoon. I happened to be returning from lunch when the storm clouds rolled in over downtown Kansas City. Everyone's got a heightened sense of storm awareness, what with the shredding of Joplin, Mo., and little Reading, Ks., so that probably explains why people were standing out in the middle of busy Grand Blvd. taking pictures of the ominous clouds.

Having recently experienced the discomfort of street hospitality, I took my pictures from the sidewalk, then sent them to the editors of our website, who published one of them with a weather story by one of our reporters. They even gave me a credit, which now counts as my once-a-year byline.

None of which has anything to do with my run today, except that the storm had blown over and a new one was on the way by the time I was able to take to the streets. I still got 4.65 miles in, averaging 9:32 per mile. My shoulder and ribs felt measurably better than they did Sunday, so the healing process continues at a steady pace. -- Rob

On the road again

After a one month hiatus, I am running again. Not fast, of course, but running just the same.

The layoff was due to a bicycle accident in which I ran into a dog at 20+ mph. I went down hard on the pavement, separating my shoulder and breaking five ribs. There were other scratches, scrapes and contusions. I banged my head on the pavement twice, but the helmet prevented any injury there.

The bike repair was $220. We won't discuss the medical bill.

A couple weeks ago, I set my sights on May 20 as a return date. I missed it by one day. Saturday, despite the impending Rapture, I headed out on a walk that I intended to turn into a run. Mike and I walked a half mile, then "ran" a mile very slowly. We walked a while more, then ran again. All told, I think we ran about 2 of the 3.27 miles. The overall pace was 13:50.

Then today, I went to English Landing Park, which has a nice, flat, soft trail, and took off on what turned out to be a 4.4 mile run. This really was a run, since the pace was 10:06. It was hot and humid, so that was fast enough under any circumstances.

I estimate I am 80 percent recovered. My shoulder is pretty stiff, and unless I concentrate, that stiffness expands to my neck as I run. I have to try real hard to stay loose. Shaking my arms helps, but it has the unwanted effect of reminding me that the bones in my shoulder don't fit together very well yet. But that's a discomfort thing. There's a low level of pain coming from my first four ribs, the ones that were broken the worst. They apparently aren't fully healed. If you look closely at the x-ray, you might be able to see the No. 1 & 2 ribs broken and overlapping, and the clean break on No. 4 (the pieces don't overlap). The shoulder separation is pretty evident, too. The orthopod told me I would always have a noticeable bump on my shoulder as a result of the injury.

In case you're wondering, the doctor gave me the green light on exercise, telling me Thursday that there was no chance of re-injuring myself. He said I might be sore after a run, but that was all. After I heard that I made up my mind I was going to run no matter how it felt.

I was sore during and after Saturday's run, but it eased quickly afterward. I was sore at times during Sunday's run, but not after. I'm actually sorer now, hours after the run and after a full day of various activities. I'm sure a bit of Ibu at bedtime will be necessary.

It feels so good to get going again that I think I'll swear off and further serious injuries. There are other ways to take time off. -- Rob

Warm, but enjoyable!

Wasn't sure if I was going to run today or not since I incurred the knee problem a few days ago. However, since yesterday's bike ride and the walk/run with Rob didn't result in any discomfort, I ran a four miler at around a 12:15 average pace. Didn't seem to notice anything so maybe I'm past the possibility of it being of any concern. Need to start getting in some longer bike rides!.........Mike

Back at It!

Since Brandon was sick I ended up riding 19 miles on my bike on the Smithville Lake Trail. Nice day, lots of campers, walkers, runners and riders. Upon returning home I joined Rob in a walk and test run for 3.27 miles. We probably walked half and ran half. It was good to see him run again!.........Mike

Better Now!

Well, I have rested this darn knee for Three days now. Yesterday I was limping around the house like some crippled person. I was pretty pissed about it since I felt I was doing everything correctly. However, today is a new day and after 800mg of Ibuprofen, and an ice pack on the knee, I pleased to say I have no more pain in the knee. Non-the-less I elected to rest the knee another day. I had planned on riding with my grandson, Brandon, tomorrow on a 22 mile bike ride on the Little Blue Trace, but rain is in the forecast and even if there isn't the trail will be soft and I choose not to leave ruts in the trail. That always hacked me off when I would run on the trails and some idiot left huge ruts due to his/her inconsideration of the trail and the people that use it..........Mike

Easy 3-Miler

After Saturday's big success with Cows half marathon, I was dieing to get back out running. But work intervened and 4 days flew by without a run. Finally yesterday I got out for an easy 3 miler after work. Averaged 10:13's on the indoors track and felt fine, but I was suprised at the residual heaviness in my legs from Saturday's race. Looking forward to a long run this weekend, and some speed work between now and Hospital Hill.

I'm bummed to learn of Mike's injury -- it's not at all fair since he took it easy on his recovery runs! Must be God's way of telling him to get out on his bike more often...

- Bill

Runner's Prayer

God, grant me the serenity to accept when I cannot run; the courage to run when I can; & the wisdom to know the difference.

Retweeted by Runner's World

Posted here by Rob

Hardly Worth Posting, But..............

Another day of wrestling with whether or not to ride or run. Just really didn't feel like loading up the bike and driving somewhere, nor did I feel comfortable riding in the streets from home. Various routes flashed through my brain, but, in the end, decided to just run an easy three from the house. Nothing worth reporting, just an easy three miles at a 12:00 plus pace. My plan at this moment is to ride tomorrow, run 5 on Thursday, 8 on Friday and a long ride on Saturday with my grandson, Brandon........Mike

No! Not the pin!

I stepped out my front door this evening to start a walk, but first spent a few minutes chatting with my neighbor, Herb, who had shoulder surgery 15 years ago. Noticing my obviously deformed left shoulder (there's a big bump there and there isn't one on my right shoulder), he raised the spectre of the need for a pin to level everything off and help it heal right. That's what happened to him, anyway. A month with a pin and a month in rehab.

Herb's no doctor - and I don't see mine until Wednesday - but I was freaked out anyway.

Exercise is a good stress reducer, so I decided now was a good time to get some. I took off on a rigorous walk, determined to see how hard I could go before I started hurting. I did 3.19 miles in 48:27 , a brisk 15:11 pace. The best part is that I experience very little discomfort, and what there was was mostly in my ribs, which I now realize are not yet fully healed, although getting close.

With luck and the right exercises maybe, just maybe, I can avoid the dreaded pin. -- Rob

Finally Back into a Routine!

After Saturday's successful 5k, I obviously rested yesterday. Was fighting whether to ride or run today, but decided to shake out the tightness in the legs with a 6 mile recovery run. I wanted to find out just exactly how far it was from my house to the new trails in our area and back. Turned out to be 6.1 miles, so call it six. I have been running long enough to realize that I could overdo a recovery run and hurt something, so I took it real easy as attested by the following splits: 13:04, 12:52, 11:35, 11:23, 11:27, and 10:42. BTW, half of that 10:42 is up steep hills!! Guys, I'm feeling really, really good right now, about my running. I actually feel I now deserve to be associated with other runners. Yeah, yeah I know, but you have to look at it from my point of view. At our April MRC I couldn't even walk a half mile with you guys and the last one was a mile walk to support Rob. Should be a very interesting season of running and biking!......Mike

In Search of Obsure Runs with Interesting T-Shirts

Today's Running With The Cows Race with Mike DeGhelder exceeded my every expectation. I joined this race for the big 2 reasons of (1) getting in a May half marathon race, and (2) nailing what I assumed would be a great T-shirt (it is!).

Mike and I went and had a ball! This race has huge heart -- very enthusiastic volunteers at the many aid stations, a gently rolling and interesting course, and a fabulous feed afterwards.

Lined up for the half marathon hoping to average 11:00 miles without bonking. It was 50 and cloudy with a strong headwind all the way out. 1st mile was 10:28 and felt good. Meet a runner my age named Dan who lost 120 pounds from 340 to 220 over the last year. We ran the first 5 miles with 2 other guys and then all but the last 2 miles together. Our 10:30-ish pace held the entire race! Only 2 miles went over 11:00 and the 8th mile, which may have been a bit short was 10:00 (it caused the lone 11:23 in mile 9, hence my question on the mile accuracy). Mile 12 was my second slowest at 11:03, but that was uphill into a big headwind on a short dog-leg in the course. Mile 13 came in at 9:51 with a strong tailwind, and the last tenth was :54 (9:00 pace). Overall, time was 2:19:12, which was 10 minutes and 44 seconds better than Rock the Parkway! For the first time in a long time, I truly felt like a runner today -- yeah!

I now own a gorgeus T-shirt and a finisher's cow bell. Ended up 6th in my age group which is also fun. Overall -- this was a big milestone for me!

Closing thought: Mike adds so much to every event we get together for. He went and picked up our race packets Thursday night, and when he realized they were short volunteers, he jumped in and worked till 8:00 pm suppourting them. Today, he dragged me over to meet the race director -- he had told her all about me and our running history! I just can't say enough about how much fun we had going out and running this race today! We must add it to our annual calendar! -- Bill

Couldn't Wait to Post This One!

After slogging out 11:00 training runs with an occasional 8:40 to 8:50 thrown in for one of the miles, I approached the "Running With the Cows" 5k with a reasonable goal of running under 30:00. Then, after a fairly decent two weeks of training, I thought I might be able to run under 28:00, but wasn't all that certain since I hadn't done any speed work, goal pace miles, etc. Well, I can state that I surprised myself with a 26:30! That was my own Garmin time, but they had me crossing the pad with a chip time of 26:24. Don't know how the six second difference came to be, but it just doesn't matter! Splits as follows: 8:50, 8:29, 8:07, plus 63 seconds for the last tenth of a mile to make up the 3.1. Averaged 8:28 with a max speed of 7:09 at some point during the race, no doubt downhill.

Note: This is a race that should be on our calendar each year! These folks put on a heck of a race. The course is super with gently rolling hills and the feed bag is unsurpassed! I've never seen so much food and different kinds of food after a race. It was more like a large family picnic!
Now I'm so charged up (after a two hour nap), that I can't wait to start building the mileage. Don't know which races I'll enter between now and Dallas, but I'm going to enter the Kansas City Half Marathon in Oct. to use as a barometer to see where I'm at. I also have to start building my biking mileage to get ready for the Hilly Hundred!.................Mike

Healing

Wednesday I walked for the second consecutive day, so now I've walked a total of about 5 miles in two days. On the first day my shoulder was pretty sore by the time I got back, but I immediately put ice on it and after that if felt better than it has any day since the bike accident. I did the same thing Wednesday, but the difference was that my shoulder didn't get that sore during the walk, so maybe that's progress.
My ribs are close to completely healed. I can even sneeze without much discomfort.
It seems that walking - and the natural movement it produces in my arms, is good for the healing process, so I'll hit the bricks every possible day. -- Rob

I'm a Runner Again!

Strange how things happen in life. One day your up and the next day your down. The same holds true in our common interest of running and biking. I can't remember when the last time we all ran together, even during our monthly MRC meetings. However, I see a day coming in the next 4-6 weeeks where that may change. Our next MRC is June 6th and I do believe that Rob will be healed up enough, by then, to at least coast through an easy three or four miler. I myself am pretty much back on track and can look forward to some races during the year. My confidence is getting better with each run. Today was an easy five miler following yesterdays struggle to get in some kind of a recovery run following Mondays 32 mile bike ride followed by a five mile run. Really not sure if that was a very wise thing to do since I'm still trying to restart a training program. Still, I'm glad I did it! Yesterday's 3 miler was like running with bags of concrete for legs! Today was much better and I felt like I could pick it up at any time. Stayed in the eleven minute range for the first three miles and the last two miles were 10:19 and 10:13. Just a nice easy run. Tomorrow I'll do the easy three again, rest Friday, then see if I can pull off a 27 minute 5k on Saturday......Mike

Easy Day!

Just a 3 miler to keep the legs loose. Felt like I was running with two concrete sacks for legs the first 1.5 miles. Walked some here and there, especially hills, and called it good. Will do 5-6 tomorrow and maybe four Thursday. Rest Friday before racing the damn cows!... Mike

First Time Ever!

For the last few years, Rob and I have discussed the option of running and biking on the same day. I didn't start out with that particular goal in mind this morning, but after riding 32 miles, beginning at Nelson Island, on the north end of the Johnson Country trail system, and returning, I felt so good I decided during the ride that I would run a five miler after returning home. I was pretty charged up about the idea and all was going just dandy for the first three miles at English Landing Park in Parkville. I even ran the second mile in 8:50! However, towards the end of mile three the wheels starting coming off. Cardio wise, I was fine, but my morning cereal and toast was not enough to sustain me through the entire five miles after the 32 mile bike ride. I was bonking pretty bad! I walked about a half mile during mile four, but was able to maintain an 11:30 pace for the last mile back to the car. Hey, it counts, doesn't it? Soooo, I biked 32 miles and ran five on the same day! Boorah!!!! FYI, during my bike ride I encounterd a member of Runner's Edge by the name of Ron Simon. Ron told me he qualified for Boston next year. Great conversation for about 5 miles. I believe we both welcomed the company. Also, had a run in with a couple of bikers that didn't warn me they were approaching. I just didn't hear them coming and, at the time, I was kind of cutting a corner short making a slight left. The first guy went into the grass to pass me on the left and the second guy passed me on the right. I had no idea they were even there. I yelled, "Did you say on my left or on my right?" I got no response!! About a mile or so later they were stopped at a port-a-pottie. I was going to address the issue then, but decided against it for some reason. About a mile later the first guy passed me again just as I was passing an older couple. I yelled out, "On your left" to the older couple and as I passed them, the other guy passed me and yelled, "On your left!" I thank him and asked him why he didn't warn me the first time they passed me earlier? His comment was, "The other guy is new and I'm trying to train him!" Issue over, nothing more to add

Really looking forward to the "Running With The Cows" event with Bill on Saturday. My goal is to run between 27 and 28 minutes..................Mike

Walk Day

Wasn't going to do anything today due to yesterday's 8 miler, but ended up walking the dogs two miles on our new trail.....Mike

Really Testing Myself!

After running a decent 7 miler on Thursday, I decided to rest Friday and see if I could finish an eight miler two days after the seven miler. So not to take chances, I decided to walk quite a bit the first mile then walk a good minute after each mile, as evidenced by my slow splits. No matter, it's the first time I've ran 8 miles in a year, maybe more. Splits as follows: 13:16, 11:56, 12:13, 11:53, 12:49, 12:29, 11:44 and 10:21. Not at all concerned with the splits since Iwalked at leas a minute after each mile. Starting to call myself a runner again.....Mike

Picking it up!

Well, well, well, whadda you know, I'm starting to come around and will be able to call myself a runner again! My goal for today was to run 6 easy miles. The plan was to walk a minute after each mile. Due to the circumstances that prevailed, I ended up running 7 miles and only walked a minute and a half at the beginning of the seventh mile. Here's the splits: 11:24, 10:55, 10:29, 10:19, 10:47, 9:53 and 11:00 flat. 1:14:49 total and a 10:42 average. Still slow, but quite encouraging! Fairly hilly course too. Entered the Running with the Cows race on the 14th. Goal is to run under 30 minutes.......Mike

Add On

Don't know what to make of this, if anything, yet, but since I purchased the new Brooks I haven't had a hint of any hip issue. I usually feel some kind of discomfort at some point during any given run, but I've ran four times in the past 7 days and nothing! I'm hoping it's the change in the shoe structure that is alleviating the problem.

I'm considering rejoining the Runner's Edge group for the next session. I really don't need to spend the money, but could really use the structure and support of the group. .....Mike

This Week's Workout

Ran four really slow miles yesterday. Just wanted to get the mileage in. Splits 12:51, 11:57, 11:54, and 11:24. Avg. 12:01 Told you it was slow

Today (Wednesday) I just wanted to get in three miles and plan on a six miler tomorrow. Drove down to the Riverside Trail and ran my three planned miles. However, for some reason I decided to push the last mile, but not all out. I thought, since I entered a 5k in a week and a half, that it might be a good idea to get in some speed work. Here are my three mile splits: 11:53, 10:55 and 8:46. Avg. 10:31.

My goal for the Running With The Cows 5k is just to get under 30 minutes. It seems like just a few years ago I was trying to get under 20 minutes! Oh well, it's just super fine and dandy that we're able to just walk or run at all. A lot of people won't or can't. Count your blessings!...Mike

First Annual Rob Perschau Semi-Memorial Walk & Talk

What a great time we had last night! We all started the event at the same time, held the same pace throughout the event and even crossed the finish line together. When has that ever happened? It occurred to me that, other than Hood to Coast, we have never all entered the same race at the same time. Why haven't we done that? Let's pick a race, even a 5k would do, and all of us enter?

Okay, after last nights get together, I was inspired by Bill's touching story of how he interacted with a homeless person. Hence, the following bit of prose:

For a homeless person, Bill had good intentions,
so he joined a group of care giving Christians.
To give money to them,
you must practice abstention.
Just pray for Divine Intervention
for constipation prevention!

One question regarding last nights menu. Why didn't we have ribs? It would have been fitting considering the name of the event..........Mike

Feeling Good

On Saturday April 30 I completed my first 12 mile run since the end of January. I went out with the 10-10:30 pace group of Runner's Edge and finished feeling good. I trust my back pain is resolved and I will continue to take it easy. Tonight's MRC of walking 1 mile before our monthly dinner should be fun. I so appreciate the treatments from my physical therapist - Quanta Physical Therapy. - Ken