Back Home Again!

In honor of today's 100+ heat, I thought I would post these 3 pictures of Cinque Terre, where I was exactly 1 week ago. Cinque Terre is a string of 5 small villages at the base of huge mountains that crash into the Mediteranean Sea. They are connected by (a) an 8-mile long footpath, (b) local train service, and (c) ferry boat. Lucy and I walked the 1.0 km trail from the first town to the second, took the local train for the rest of our outbound, and returned by ferry. It was gorgeous, and I offer these pictures as temporary relief from the heat today!

Meanwhile, I ended up with only 2 runs over the entire 13-day vacation, which is to say we had a great vacation. Yesterday and today, I logged quick treadmill workouts in the new Lifetime Fitness club we McClaves join (read expansive and expensive. Good-bye Runner's Edge, hello KC Track Club workouts!) and their air conditioning. 2.5 mile jog yesterday and 4.3 miler today. For today, I set the incline at 1 percent to offset the mechanical advantage and jogged 3 miles at 10:30's easy, then ran 3 quarter mile intervals at 9:30, 9:00, and 8:30 pace each. I'm going to try and work faster tempos into the finishing parts of my runs....really need to increase the intensity of my runs and this may work for me. Today was a very small start, but it feels good to be back home and running again! -- Bill

Just Too Hot!

Was going to get a 25-30 mile bike ride in this morning, but had to meet some clients at 7:00 AM at 75th and Main. By the time I returned home it was just too hot to do anything. I may get in a short 3 miler this afternoon, and then again, I may not................Mike

Going easy in the heat

Got up at 5:20 this morning and was out running 20 min. later. It was already 76.5 degrees and humid. I did 6 miles and took it easy all the way, averaging 9:47 per mile. Now I can sit out the worst of today's heat and all of Friday's, and hope for a let-up on Saturday. -- Rob

In the cool of the day

I had a real good run this morning. Got up early and was on my way by 5:40 a.m. Although it was going to get into the 90s later in the day, it was still about 65 when I started out. The air felt cool and there wasn't a whisper of a breeze. Gorgeous.

After a day off, my legs felt pretty fresh, but I took it slow for the first three miles while I got loose. I'm pretty much resigned that it's always going to take that long to loosen up. That's OK, since starting slow almost always means I can finish strong. In this case, my first three miles were 10:10, 9:48 and 9:20, and my last four were 8:55, 8:42, 8:58 and 8:56. The overall average was 9:16.

I planned to run 6, but since Thursday's run promises to be in much warmer weather, I decided to go 7 today make the Thursday session shorter.

Granddaughter Angela, who has wanted to run a 5k for months, reported today she ran 2.5 miles without stopping. The impressive part is that she has to motivate herself and get out there and do it on her own, and she is. I promised her a pair of running shoes if she liked running and could stick with it, and now it appears I'm going to have to make good. I will, and gladly.  -- Rob


This is Angela, of course, from her soccer photo.

Slowest Seven Miles Ever!

Since I started later than I wanted to, I decided it best to just take it really easy and not stress the ole Bod any more that necessary. I walked, exactly, the first half of mile one and the last half of mile seven by design. I wanted to run six miles so I thought it best to begin and end the run with a good walk. Splits reflect how slow my run was, but remember it was pretty warm out there. Splits as follows: 14:30, 11:08, 11:31, 11:24, 11:04, 10:44, and 15:16. I was frying that last mile!! At about the mile and a half mark, I ran into a cyclist headed to Los Angeles. He was looking at his Gamin and had those huge saddle bags over his back wheels, so I knew he was on a trip of some sort. He evidently started in Maine and was in the KC area when he had an emergency call from home. He flew back home to take care of whatever the emergency was and was resuming his ride to meet up with his college buddies in Oswego, KS. Sound familiar, Bill? He had already blown two tires and was down to his last two tubes. He said there was enough cycling stores on the trip to take care of any of their needs. I think a 100 mile bike ride over two days will do me just fine!............Mike

Bad Start, Decent Finish!

Had a bit of a concern before beginning my five miler this morning. I bent over to tie my running shoes and got that sharp pain in my knee again. Although it went away a quickly as it came, I still, was more than a little upset, since I hadn't felt that pain in two and a half weeks. I decided to give it a go anyway and got through the fiver with no difficulty. I, of course, started out by walking a half mile before starting my watch and even then it was a slow jog just to test the knee. Splits as follows: 11:48, 11:18, 10:57, 10:54 and 9:23. I ended the run with a nice walk of over a quarter mile to get the blood out of my legs and let my heart rate come slowly down..........Mike

A great 8

I went down to the river hoping to do some sightseeing while getting my run in, but the park was closed even to pedestrians. Part of the trail in the park was covered with water, but not because the river had gone over its banks - it's still contained. We had a heavy rain last night, and I guess the ground is too saturated and the little feeder creeks too full to absorb anything.

So, I parked the truck and ran out and back alongside Highway 9, going a little ways down a couple side roads to get 8.11 miles in. I didn't take along any kind of fuel belt because I had planned on looping past the truck a couple of times, so the whole run was done without any hydration along the way. At 77 degrees it was just on the verge of being too hot to do that for a run that long, but I drank before I took off and made out just fine.

As is usual these days, it took me a good three miles to warm up, and after that I felt real good. The first three miles were pretty slow, and the last four fast by comparison. I was an average of a minute faster per mile in the second half over the first half. The overall average was 9:20. -- Rob

Another Storm, Another Run

Well, I didn't get stuck in the storm this morning, but it sure was humid! Just a nice easy four miler after a Sunday rest day and Saturday's ten miler. Didn't even start the Garmin! I didn't want to be tempted to pick up my pace even if I felt good, which I did. I believe, right now, that my main issue is with my weight. However, I've lost ten pounds in the last three weeks, so I'm making progress. Can't wait to see where I am in my training this time next month...Mike

My Perspective on Saturday's Run.

Although Rob has already blogged our experience with the rain, wind, lightning, chill factors, unlit outhouses and the ones that gots lights, I wanted to add my perspective from a purely personal experience. Yesterday was the longest run I've completed since March 15, 2009 which was the Little Rock Half. I had entered and completed a few 5ks, but any serious training had been hampered by various physical concerns and, I'll admit, some apathy, probably due to just getting tired of fighting hip problems, knee problems, along with the obvious weight gain. I had just lost interest in any kind of training routine or commitment to stay in or get into shape. I had pretty much resigned myself to the fact that I would probably never run another marathon or even a half-marathon. Then the Hilly Hundred conversation began, along with a commitment to enter with Rob and Sean Joyce (A Brother Knight of Columbus), and subsequently, Mitchell Krasnopoler our newest MRC member. Upon committing to the HH, I began some running, along with some cycling, with the intentions of just getting in good enough shape to complete the two day 100 mile bike tour in Indiana. Then the Dallas White Rock interest entered the pictured. I don't know who started this conversation (I believe it was Bill), but I began to wonder if I could pull off another marathon. There was only one way to find out! After running several, slow 3 to 6 milers, and only two 8 milers, while fighting a knee problem, I was extremely apprehensive about jumping up to yesterday's ten miler with Rob. Although the knee hasn't been an issue for two weeks now, I non-the-less was pretty worried about making it through the work out. After making it though all the physical and mental challenges of running through a thunder storm, with lightning, I was extremely pleased with the completion and pace of the run. I seriously doubt that I would have adhered to that pace if it hadn't been for Rob's company! Thanks again, Rob! The whole point to this personal perspective is that I now have confidence that I can make it though "The Rock!" The finish time is not all that important presently, but I'll address that around the middle of November.....Mike

Maybe not your ordinary 10-mile run

Where to start?

Let me just quickly skip over the pelting rain, high winds, thunder, lightning and blow driers and say that Mike and I had a great run at Smithville Lake early this morning. We did a long, slow run of 10 miles averaging 9:58 per mile. We walked every mile for a minute and kept a comfortable, conversational pace. In terms of running time, we were out there for about 1:40. In terms of real time, it took us closer to 2:30.

It was cloudy when we started out, but it didn't start raining until sometime in mile 2. It was a light rain and was, we thought, fine. What's a little rain? Feels good, actually.

The rain picked up noticeably in mile 3, and off to the north we could see an occasional lightning bolt. We pressed on, talking ourselves into the notion that it wouldn't get THAT bad. Oh, but it did. By 4.5 miles, it was raining good and hard, and it was all we could do to shun the cover of a little wooden two-holer on our way to the turnaround at 5. By the time we got there it was a gully washer. We turned and, instead of walking, high-tailed it back to that aromatic and lightless johnny.

Lovely place, that johnny. I don't want to get into this too much, but we crowded into one of the stalls to wait out the storm for a bit. Mike used the toilet for a chair for a spell, and his bowels just kind of went into autopilot, burping and belching like they were settling in on an NFL Sunday afternoon with the wife gone. Outside, the rain pounded and the thunder boomed. Surely this would pass soon.

And it did, sort of. The rain slowed down enough so we could make a dash for it. Down the path we went for a half mile before the sheets of rain came again, but this time with some serious streak lightning. We passed one campground restroom where - and Mike insists I recount this - I remarked, "It gots light." I was trying to say "It's got lights," but I think I might have been struck by lightning or something. It came out wrong and now I'll never live it down.

We went a bit farther until it got just too frightening, and then spotted yet another fine restroom establishment. We scurried up the hill to it, and literally struck it rich. It had lights, real toilets, and sinks. It was clean. Best of all, it had two wall-mounted blow driers. We hung around there for probably 25 minutes drying our hair, shirts and shorts. By the time we left we were warm and dry. Great place. We'll be back the next time we're in town. Maybe they'll have complimentary hot chocolate by then.

The rain let up finally, so off we went again. It came down relatively lightly for the next couple of miles, but quit completely for the last two miles. Somewhere in those last few miles we ran a couple at near 9 min. Pretty good for a couple of old men.

They say you should run in a storm at least once so you know what it would be like for a race. Now that I've done it I can truthfully say it's ... probably not worth the effort. Still, we got the whole run in, and to a runner, that's all that counts.

Hope everyone else had a good run today, too. -- Rob and Mike

My last few runs

Today 6/23 4.9 miles http://connect.garmin.com/activity/94429528
I decided to run the other direction from my usual morning run. I was pleased to find a path near the medical center that I didn't know about. I'll do this again. I was in my new trail shoes, just to try them out. Almost 5 miles is good for me before work, though I did arrive later than I hoped to. Great weather and a great run.

6/21 4 miles http://connect.garmin.com/activity/94431371
a hot afternoon run. This was after a long day walking a power plant site. I told my colleagues I wanted to run before dinner. One said the day of walking was plenty of exercise. I disagreed. We did go to a great brewery restaurant for dinner. I enjoyed my meal guilt free.

6/20 2.3 miles http://connect.garmin.com/activity/94429538
A short run. I did not feel like running, but wanted to get one in anyway. I'm glad I did.


-- Mitchell

Taking it easy

I wanted a rest day before my long run on Saturday, so I went out tonight even though I had run a pretty hard 7 on Wednesday morning. Because of that run, I took this one easy, walking for at least a minute after each mile with the exception of miles 6 and 7.
I only had one split under 9, and that 8:57 for mile 7, which didn't include any walking. The total run was 7.3 miles, and I averaged 9:32, which is plenty good enough.
The plan for Saturday is to do 10 long, slow miles. -- Rob

Threesy

Left the Garmin at home and just cruised between 3-4 miles. Don't know exactly how far or how fast, just wanted and easy run before resting tomorrow and running ten with Rob on Saturday morning. If I do anything tomorrow, it might be a short bike ride.......Mike

Still Hangin'!

Well, today makes 6 days in a row that I've either rode, biked or ran. Haven't done that for over a year, and it shows! Just ran 5 easy miles on a hilly course averaging just over 11:00 per mile. Was going to get out earlier, but I had to stick around to watch the installers put in our new replacement windows, so the late start put me into a little warmer part of the day. Just glad to get it in! Will run an easy four tomorrow, rest or bike on Friday, and run ten on Saturday. At least that's the plan......Mike

Color Me Gelato!

Lucy and I are in the middle of our 13 day 25th anniversary trip to Vienna and Italy this week. We departed last Wed. 6/15 after a week of horrible travel for me and very little sleep. This promptly gave me a cold for the first week of our trip which I'm just recovering from now. Finally got in 2 morning runs this Monday in Venice and today in Florence, Italy. Both runs were slow but beautiful affairs. In Venice, I ran for 30 minutes on side streets and over little bridges -- Venice has over 400 bridges in bright morning sunlight. At 9 am, the crowds were already out, and I was the only runner I saw the entire time (sorry pedestrians!). Today, in Florence, I ran 20 minutes over to the Piazzale Michelangelo, located just over the Arne river on a very high hilltop that overlooks the entire old city of Florence with its huge cathedrahls and museums. OK, my blogs are more about what I see when I run than any time issues... Anyway, the run up to the Piazzale is through a gate in the old city wall, then up 60 "platform stairs" (so named by me because you run 3 steps on each one, then step up to the next one). Very steep, hard uphill climb. It was gorgeous view from the top, then an easy run back to our hotel. I've probably only run 6 times since Hospital Hill with this trip and all it took to get to it, but I'm looking forward to more runs for the balance of the trip! -- Bill

Beautiful morning

Got up for an early run again today. Just a stupendous morning. I don't know what the temperature was, but even now, over two hours later, it's just 65 with low humidity. It must have been in the upper 50s earlier.

I got out early enough to give myself time for at least a 6 mile run, and longer if I felt like it. I started with two easy miles, and then settled into a goal-pace run for the next 5 miles. Overall, I ran 7.2 miles and averaged 8:51. My last three miles were under 8:30. -- Rob

Four Out of Five!

Well, I've either rode or ran for the last four out of five days! I didn't count all the walking I did Sunday. Ran an easy, easy three miler at English Landing Park this morning. I was going to run in the neighborhood, but wanted to check out the Mighty MO at English Landing. It's getting higher and higher with each day. They haven't closed the park entirely yet, but I expect within the next few days they won't have any choice. Part of the loop is already impassable and you have to turn around and go back. No biggie, since it's right at the parking lot. Anyway, my splits were 11:57, 10:55 and 10:58. I'm really in no big hurry to pick up the pace yet, and take a chance on an injury. I want to really ease into this training by slowly building my mileage and endurance. I have all kinds of time for strength training and speed work.....Mike

Footnote: I found out that the deer eat fermented papas and stagger around at Park University!
Now that just has to be hysterical!!!

Still Plugging Away!

I wasn't real sure as to what to do today with regards to training after Friday's 20 mile bike ride, Saturday's 8 miler and the almost all day walking on Sunday. That Sunday walk incorporated walking over uneven trails with rock, ruts, tree roots and logs. My knee was being twisted north, east, south and west! Hard to believe it didn't scream at me! Today, I decided not to take the easy 3-4 mile run that I usually do, early in the week, and jump up to beginning the week with a 6 miler. I walked exactly .33 of the first mile and then began a very slow jog. I purposely took that approach in order to warm up slowly and not take a chance on the knee, since I felt I put it through quite a bit of testing in the last three days. This is obviously evidenced by the 15:12 first mile. I stuck to walking a bit after each mile and hitting the Gatorade. Miles 2-6 were as follows: 12:38, 12:24, 10:24, 10:30 and 10:20. It was pretty hot and humid during my run, but I was just more than pleased that the knee wasn't an issue for four days in a row now.
The knee is an enigma at this time and I'm supposed to go in for an MRI this week. I'm just wondering if I have got past it being a problem at this point, since I've pretty much put it through the ringer the last four days.........Hmmmm, what to do, what to do? I wouldn't mind knowing what the problem is, if it's still there. On the other hand, I don't want to pay for an MRI if it shows nothing!..............Mike

Out early

I finally managed to get out of bed early enough on a week day to get a short run in before work. Had to, since I expect the business day to last well into the evening.

It was 75 and humid at 6 a.m., which wasn't great but probably the best the day had to offer. I walked a half mile, then ran 1.5. That made the return trip 2 miles for an overall 3.51 miles. I did it in 32:11, a 9:11 pace.

Check out this story about extending the Katy Trail. -- Rob

Lots of Walking.

After Friday's 20 mile bike ride and 8 mile run with Rob on Saturday, I knew Sunday would be a rest day. However, after walking 4-5 miles on the rocky trails at H. Roe Bartle Boy Scout Camp in Osceola I felt that should count as some sort of recovery work out and eligible for a blog entry. My grandson, Brandon, was in the 8th day of a ten day camp out at Bartle and Sunday was visitor's day for the family. The highlight of the day, besides the pot luck buffet, was the Warrior Dance put on by the Scouts. They did the dance of joy which ended in screaming and yelling by the warriors. Mindy, my daughter, who's a scout leader, warned my about the screaming so I was prepared. However, the girls sitting behind me were not forewarned and it scared the heebie jeebies out of them! Funny stuff. At any rate, after walking from camp to camp and activity to activity, plus walking down to the point where you can look out over Truman Lake and back, I figure I walked somewhere between 4-5 miles during the visit. After his dance, Brandon had a one hour guard duty where he was to prevent spectators from visiting areas that were, at the time, off limits. He was not allowed to speak unless it was an emergency. It was pretty comical seeing Brandon be silent for an hour. All in all, a very fun family day.........Mike

10 mile bagel run

I did the Columbia Maryland Bagel run again today. That's two weeks in a row. And I ran with Ben Stein again. But not the Ben Stein. My friend is just a regular guy. I told him that Mike asked if it was the Ben Stein. He laughed because he gets that a lot. He did meet the other Ben Stein. When he had a game show on Comedy Central, my friend was on it, with a few other Ben Steins.

Anyway, running with Ben meant I ran faster. I ran sub 10 minute miles 9:37 average, which is great for me. I did the 10 miles on little sleep because I got into Baltimore late last night. The bagel runs mean a lot to me. I reconnect to running buddies and even when we are not talking, it's great to be in a weekly group. And doing it weekly is very reinforcing. It's something to look forward to. When it's over, I still have most of Saturday for my family and myself.

Here are my splits.

Split	Time	Distance	Avg Pace
1	0:09:22	1	9:22
2	0:09:11	1	9:11
3	0:09:03	1	9:03
4	0:09:15	1	9:15
5	0:09:45	1	9:45
6	0:09:19	1	9:19
7	0:09:36	1	9:36
8	0:10:19	1	10:19
9	0:10:13	1	10:13
13	0:09:35	0.93	10:19
14	0:01:41	0.19	9:00
Summary		10.12	0:09:37

-Mitchell

Busy, But Productive, Morning.

Rob and I headed to English Landing again this morning (6:15) to get in an 8 mile run. I was somewhat apprehensive due to the possible knee problem flaring up again and possibly having to walk. It never was an issue! We walked a minute after each mile and keep that in mind when you look at the spits. Rob was kind enough to keep me company, although I know he can run a faster pace than what we were doing. Still, the pace wasn't slow, for a training run, and I was more than elated that I had no trouble with the knee. Splits as follows: 10:51, 10:48, 10:28, 10:37, 10:48, 10:11, 9:53 and the last mile (12:08) I decided to use as a cool down by incorporating jogging the first half and walking the last half. I usually finish the mileage goal and THEN cool down a half mile or so, but today, in the interest of time, I did the cool down mile in the last mile while Rob tack on a ninth mile to his run. After our run, we picked up trash along I-29 with our Knights of Columbus buddies till around 9:45. It was ten o'clock when I returned home and I felt like I had already done a days work. It seemed like it should be 4:00 PM, not 10:00 AM! Nothing a nice little nap won't cure!.........Mike

He's Back on the Bike!

It was really rewarding to see Rob back on his bike again. The last time we rode together, as you recall, was a disaster and almost a tragedy. After waiting out the rain we headed out to the Little Blue Trace trail to check out the newest part of the trail. What we thought was going to be an additional 2.5 miles turned out to be four miles. The new trail is just terrific, with lots of shaded areas and enough turns and undulations to make it interesting. We figured that if one were to ride the entire length of the trail and back it would be right at 30 miles. This would be a great place to build endurance for long rides without working the hills just yet. One could ride the entire length of the trail twice and get a 60 miler in. At any rate, we rode 20 miles and called it good. Rob hasn't been on his bike for exactly two months and he was butt weary, so we called it quits. I was pretty much done as well since it was getting pretty warm. We rewarded ourselves with a healthy lunch of Buffalo Chicken Wings, onion rings and Diet Coke. Hey, you have your training food, we have ours!.........Mike

Hope you got out today

I planned to get up early this morning to run, but by the time I woke up it was a bit too late to get out for 6-plus miles. I could have done it, but I didn't want to be rushed on my run or afterward getting ready for work. I kind of regretted that decision when I went out to get the paper: it was a beautiful, cool, calm day. A perfect running day. Plus, now I was kind of rolling the dice, since thunderstorms were forecast for the rest of the day. I might end up on the treadmill.

I got lucky, though. By the time I got home - later than usual - the sky was clearing, the humidity was dropping and the temperature was in the middle 70s. I went down to the river trail planning to run at least 6 miles. With no hills to climb and perfect weather, I felt really good all the way. I opened with a 9:27 mile, cut that to 9:00 in mile two, then finished fast enough to average 8:50 for 7 miles, my best for a distance like that in a very long time.

Those hot weather runs can be tough, but they help make runs like this one possible. It's a good payoff. -- Rob

Nice Company!

After visiting the doctor regarding my knee I have discovered pretty much nothing! He worked my knee in every direction and couldn't produce any pain in order for him to isolate the problem. The X-ray showed no ligament damage, no meniscus damage, and no bursa sack inflammation! His best guess is some possible cartilage damage due to natural detioration. Great! He's scheduled me for an MRI next week in order to find out exactly what the problem is. However, rather than wait for the MRI, and a June 30th follow up, I did what any runner would do. I freaking ran! Although I only ran 4 miles, it was a quality run due to not having any flare up of the knee. I even hooked up with a young lady named Natalie who was training for a half-marathon, but she didn't know which one yet. Ran with Nat for one mile of the new Gower trail and we separated. I'm glad, because it was hard keeping up with her. Splits were 11:58, 11:02, 9:00 flat (this is the one on the south hilly ass trail with Natalie), and 10:04. Just happy I could run without the knee giving me any problem.....Mike

anoher Wed. Trail run

I completed another trail run at Shawnee Mission Park. It went really well today. I am feeling much more confident about my footing. I did not even have a close call on falling. I guess my neurons are making the connections from doing it a few times.

details at http://connect.garmin.com/activity/92692594

I actually got a bit faster in my last 2.5 miles.

-- Mitchell

Here are a few of my recent runs. I don't download my Garmin every day. And I was in Maryland without its USB cable. Do you guys like the garmin activity page?

Today, 6/14 http://connect.garmin.com/activity/92490907
I ran an easy 3.0 miles, but I did it in my Vibram Five Fingers KSOs! I'm working up to 4 miles in my VFFs. So maybe you'll see me in them next month. Notice that I got faster as I got used to them. And I usually slow down.

Sat. 6/11 http://connect.garmin.com/activity/92490915
This is my usual Saturday morning run. A great group meets every Saturday and many go to the bagel bin after the run. Hence the name bagel run. It's a Howard County Strider run: http://www.striders.net/bagel-run/
I have been doing this,usually 10 miles for about 10 years. There were periods, when I would barely miss a week. I ran faster than usual to get up to date with a friend, Ben Stein. He's been though a divorce and I'm in a rough time now. (More about that later.) Ben slowed down for me and I sped up a bit. It felt great to be back. I had not done it for over a month. It's been my therapy for a while -- a long run you can depend on every week. And it lets me run a half marathon anytime I want without doing any more training.

-Mitchell

Hot again

Yeah, it was kind of toasty today. A little over 90 by the time I got out. I'm reading the Galloway book Carl loaned me. He (Galloway) recommends that at least 90 percent of a 60-year-old's runs be aerobic - that during those runs you never go into oxygen debt.

Fine. He obviously doesn't have to climb out of my neighborhood just to get going. Eighty percent of my first mile is up hill. Well, Jeff, I did try. I started slowly and expected to keep it that way. For a while I didn't think I had it in me to go fast enough to slip into oxygen debt anyway, but after about 3 miles things started to feel a lot easier and I just naturally increased the pace. I managed to run a negative split for my 6.4 miles, averaging 9:14 overall. Except for a couple of the climbs, I'd say the run stayed on the aerobic side. It was fun, heat and all. -- Rob

Slow Four!

Wasn't sure what I should do today after Saturday's incident with the knee, so I decided to just do an easy four mile recovery run. Walked about a quarter mile of mile one and ended that mile at 13:00, followed by 10:40, 10:46, and 10:44. Pretty consistent considering I was running up and down hills. Averaged 11:19, but it just doesn't matter at this point. I made a doctors appointment for Wednesday regarding the knee. I just really need to know what the problem before I adhere to a running schedule. The longer runs and speedwork can come later. At least that's the plan at this point.........Mike

Weather's good, so let's run

Another cool day, so instead of resting after yesterday's 8 miles, I decided to take advantage of the good conditions and run for the second day in a row. I like running on Sunday because it gets my mileage off to a good start early in the week. Plus, Saturday's run was not a tough one at all, and I felt pretty fresh.

So with the good weather, and legs that were ready to go, I took off thinking "more than 5." I guess I wasn't convinced I really wanted to go for a run, because right away I wished I was sitting on the porch reading a book. That's what pleasant Sunday afternoons are for, isn't it? A half mile down the road that thought was gone, though, and I settled in.

My first mile was 9:45 and the second 9:34. By then most of the big hills were past me, and the splits improved. Mile 3 was 9:14, then 9:03, 8:51 and 8:57. After that I reset my watch and ran .8 mile at a cool-down pace. Total mileage was 6.85. Even though it was relatively cool (67), I was pretty heated up when I got home. A nice bowl of ice cold watermelon helped with that.

I think I'll go get that book now. -- Rob

From Super Discouraged to Super Encouraged!

What began as a perfect morning for a run almost ended after 2.6 miles for me. Rob and I decided to begin our run on the west side of English Landing Park and run out on the farm road. Somewhere around the 2 mile mark I felt that stabbing pain in my left knee. It went as fast as it came so I contiuned. Around 2.6 miles, I was done! I restarted and restarted, but it was no use. I gave Rob my keys as the plan was for him to go back to the car and come pick me up. We had about a quarter mile to highway FF and I just walked with Rob sticking with me. I asked him to give me a little time to see if the pain would go away. By the time we got to FF I didn't feel any pain so I started a slow pace. We make the turn and headed east back to Parkville. I just couldn't believe the pain was totally gone. We began to pick up the pace and made it back to the car. We hit the gatorade and then added on another 2.5 miles for a 7.51 training run and followed that up with a half mile jog cool down. Total time: 1:15:20 for 7.51 miles with splits of 11:12, 10:44, 11:06 (some walking due to my knee), 10:02, 9:44, 9:13, 8:45 and 4:34 for the .51. Didn't time the half mile cool down. Notice how we were getting faster and faster?

At 2.6 miles I was so dissappointed and was wondering how I would ever finish Dallas, then after the 8 miles I was convinced, if the knee held up, that I could run a sub 4:00! However, I will accept anything between 4:00 and 4:20 and just be grateful I can do this at all!....Mike

A Morning Run In DC

After our fabulous run, dinner, and beers Monday night, followed by great blogs posts from most everyone this week, my biggest frustration this week was 3 straight travel days with no opportunities for a run. Ended up in DC last night and today where the president of The Palm restaurants took us to dinner last night. I'm game anytime someone else wants to pick up the tab for $33 salmon, $12 asperagus, $15 glasses of wine, and $8 gelatos...to which I think the only proper and civilized response is "But, of course." So off we went for a glutanous dinner. Finally this morning, I got in an hour jog around the national mall. I just love DC at 6 am -- beautiful city with morning runners everywhere. My route took me from my hotel to join the mall at the Museum of Natural History (remember to turn left at the bronze triceratops statue on the return), around the Washington memorial (my man, George!), around the WWII memorial (say a prayer for our soldiers), around the Vietnam memorial (another prayer), past the Lincoln memorial (site of memorable speeches by MLK and Forrest Gump), return up the other side of the reflecting pool (which is drained and in the middle of repairs at the moment), then back to my hotel. 5 miles of national history -- great way to start the day.

My run had me on top of the world, but my hotel bill did manage to sober me back up pretty quickly -- $76 for a day's parking. Don't think I'm in Kansas today! -- Bill

Pretty Warm Out There!

Just before I started out the door, I bent over to pet the dog and twisted my problem knee. I almost chalked the day up, but decided to just walk the first mile of a planned four miler. No problem with the knee the first mile so I began an easy run with splits for the next three miles of 11:48, 10:49 and 9:46. My fastest pace at one time was 7:52 in part of the last mile. I'm just glad the knee didn't keep me from running. This is just going to be a touch and go situation with the knee......Mike

Trail Nerds 4.5 mile

I just completed my 34d Wed. night trail run at Shawnee Mission Park. It's a weekly trail nerd run every Wed. at 6:30 p.m. Trail nerds schedule: http://www.psychowyco.com/id43.html

It's a great group. They don't let you get lost. The trail is rocky, hilly and full of roots. So you have to stay focused. No daydreaming on this trail.

Here are my splits from my Garmin. Actual distance was 4.5 but I logged 4.2 on my GPS. Total time 49:09.

1 12:00
2 11:11
3 12:16
4 11:45

More info at: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/91127558

It was hot, but there was a nice crowd. I'm getting better at the trail -- a few slips and trips, but no falls today.
-- Mitchell (a new member)

Hot

This was the "coolest" day for running all week, but it seemed like the hottest. It was 92 and humid when I left the house. I picked the Line Creek trail, which is a fine route except for the all-up-hill final mile, but I was in the shade most of the way. Breathing was tough going up hill, so I walked the steepest parts. I can still feel those healing ribs when I breathe real deep.

Despite the weather, it was a pretty good run, as I totaled 5.1 miles and averaged 9:19 per mile. Miles 3 and 4 were both under 9. -- Rob

Easy five miler.

I beat most of the heat by leaving the house around 9:00. Ran an easy five miles and didn't bother with the Garmin. I was concerned with whether or not my knee would flair up since it didn't last night. No trouble at all with the knee. It, the knee, felt rather strange and I can't really describe it, but there was no pain. It seems when I turn a certain way I get a sharp pain on the inside of my left knee. As long as it doesn't hurt when I run, I'll keep running....Mike

Hot Run in the City

Guys, we completed a 4 mile run in 95+ heat, without incident last night! Mike, I sure appreciated the Gatorade. I am glad we took it easy and mostly ran in the shade.

Welcome to Mitchell and the new Dan. Great to be with everyone for the run, food and drink.

Remember, Saturday (June 11) morning is a Runner's Edge alumni run so all are welcome at Garry Gribble's 119 & Quivira (6:30 or 7 AM starts). - Ken

Special MRC!

Welcome Dan and Mitchell (he prefers to be called Mitchell) to the MRC. Dues will be collected at a later date. Wait, you already paid your dues by listening to the chocolate peanut joke! The real dues will be paid when you have to listen to it time and time again as we pick up a member here and there. Well, how do you think I feel? I have to tell the damn thing over and over! Anyway, welcome guys, we're glad to have you in the group. I'm going to list my splits, but I'll bet there isn't a whole lot of difference between mine and the rest of the group. Total time: 43:03 with splits of 11:02, 10:33, 11:26 and 10:02. Glad we cut it to four miles, it was getting pretty warm out there. Last night was a special night as we not only added two new members, but for the first time in months, the "Core Four" were able to run together to cover the designated distance.

Last night was a lot of fun until I almost ran over a runner as I exited the parking lot on the north end. As I checked traffic right and left I began my left hand turn towards Wornall. Out of nowhere came a runner who ran around right in front of the my car as I was half way through my turn. Believe me, I looked down the trail before I checked traffic and there was just no one there. Contributing to the near incident was the fact that it was dark and the idiot was wearing a black tee and black shorts! I yelled, "Wear lighter clothing," but it fell on deaf ears. What I found interesting, was that he didn't stop when he saw a car in the intersection to begin with! Instead of going around the rear of my car, he went out around the front. Unbelievable! I guarantee you I'll stop every time if there's a car in the intersection, or I'll proceed around the back of the car. Cars always win those battles! Nuff said!

Once again, a huge MRC welcome to Dan G. and Mitchell K. Don't forget to blog every day you train. We love to see what each other is doing......Mike

You can't stop running just because it's hot

Mike and I spent all day at the Kansas Speedway serving margaritas and bloody mary's to auto racing fans who had to endure 95+ degree heat while sitting on aluminum bleacher seats in the direct sunlight. Many, many were under the mistaken impression that vodka and/or tequila would hydrate and cool, and spent a lot of money trying to make it work. All the better for our charities.

I'd been standing for hours and was beat, but when I got home I got thinking about getting a run in and made the snap decision to do a few miles. It was still hot, of course, so I headed to the river trail, where there was some shade and I wouldn't be on the hot, hard pavement. The run really wasn't all that bad. I started slowly to give myself time to acclimate, and kept the pace comfortable. I didn't watch my splits, so when I finished with an average of 9:14, I was surprised. For me that's fast on a blistering hot day. I even had a couple miles in 8:58. -- Rob

Great Ride with Grandson!

What a super day of riding with my grandson, Brandon, on the Katy Trail. I took him to my favorite beginning point at Rocheport and we rode to Columbia via the MKT spur off the main Katy Trail. Had lunch and then made the return trip back to Rocheport. Was a pretty warm ride back to Rocheport in the 90 degree heat, but we made it okay. Totalled 36 miles and just enjoyed being on the trail with Brandon....Mike

A dog day

I would have preferred running outside yesterday, but we had rain and lightning, so I went to the gym and ran on the treadmill, putting in 60 minutes and running 6.32 miles. The average was right at 9:30, but I had a few miles between 9:05 and 9:13.

Today there was no rain for a change, but it was mid 80s and very humid when I got home from work. I decided to go only about 4 miles and to take it easy. I walked out of the neighborhood so I wouldn't have to burn up energy early, then chugged along at an easy pace. The overall average pace was 9:55, and I did 4.23 miles.

The run featured an encounter with a big Lab mix that kind of got my blood moving. I was in my walk phase just about a half block from the house when the dog trotted across the street ahead of me. It paid no attention to me and although it was big - probably 80 pounds - it didn't look or act aggressive. As I got closer the dog's owner called for it to come back, and the next thing I knew it was coming across the street and closing in on me from behind. It came right up to me and then suddenly veered off. Whew! The owner watched the whole thing. His comment as I was dancing away from the mutt: "He's OK, but I know you can't be sure of that."

Truth is, HE can't be sure of that, either.

I wanted to stop and show him what an unleashed dog can do, but I was so relieved that nothing bad happened that I just kept on going. -- Rob

Back on the Bike!

My intention was to ride from Ferrelview to Dearborn and return (35-36 miles), but I had to cut it short (24 miles) due to putting on the wrong sandals! I had just started the slight downhill in Ferrelview and was having trouble clipping in. After a few unsuccessful attempts, I realized I had my casual sandals on and not my cycling sandals. No wonder there are no Rhode Scholars in our family! Anyway, I got a good strong 24 miles in and I pushed the return phase. Riding that route was different than in the past. I had been planning on riding that route several times in the last few weeks, but I think I was just psyched out to a degree, due to Rob's and my encounter with the dog. Those concerns are behind now and I'm prepared for any dogs! I'm carrying one of those small air horns attached to the crossbar with Velcro. It's easy to get to and louder than hell! I just hope it will scare any dogs, coyotes, wolves, bears or backwoods guys that like banjo music away! Entered the Hilly Hundred bike tour in October today, as well as the Dallas White Rock Marathon in December. Everything is ready except me!..........Mike

Running Into Summer

My last 3 runs have been out on the farm roads where we live. Steady 3.5 - 5.5 mile runs in and around a bunch of yard work. My main farm road course has me completely intimidated. It's hilly with no shade and the return leg has 3 significant uphills on it. When I started back running in February, I often walked half the hills. Now I run the distance, but I feel so slow on the uphills, I feel like I'm still back at the 12:00+ mile pace I started out with. So I was surprised when I check my watch and saw that I've been averaging 10:45's on the runs. This is still slow, but definitely has potential. I have a feeling my time will be slow for Hospital Hill -- due to the hills and heat. But I'm definitely psyched to get out and run the course!

Meanwhile: great job Rob on your return to running. And great job Mike on getting past the knee problems....it is indeed summer and it's "just swell" to be running into it! -- Bill