Turning Point? Maybe!

If I finish Dallas White Rock in a decent time, between 4:15 and 4:45, or if I finish at all, I would have to look back to today's run as the possible turning point.

Left the house at 5:40 AM in order to get a 9 miler in before it got too hot. Ran from the house to 64th street and west on 64th on the Platte County trail, which is pretty hilly. Ran to 9 highway and north to my 4.5 mile turn around point. Walked the first half mile and 10-15 seconds at the end of each mile in order to get some Gatorade in me. Began mile one at a very slow warm up pace of 13:22. Subsequent miles were: 12:31, 11:29, 11:01, 10:13, 9:17, 10:16, 9:44, and 10:52. Walk the additional half mile back home. A ten mile workout with nine miles of running. Total time of 1:38:04 with an average of 10:58 per mile. I'll take it!

The best part? NO KNEE DISCOMFORT AT ALL!!!! Hips started to ache a little bit in mile nine, but I slowed in order to ease the pain a little.

Saturday will be a twelve miler at a slow pace. If I can keep building the mileage, I should be okay at Dallas. Either way, it will be a fun time with the guys...........Mike

So Far, So Good!

Not sure how the knee was going to respond to even a short run today after Sundays workout on the bike. My on the fly schedule, called for a 4 mile recovery run, but I just walked a half mile and ran a slow 3.4 miles at around an eleven minute pace. No problem with the knee and I felt just fine. Tomorrow calls for a 9 miler and I'm going to try to adhere to the schedule. However, Saturday calls for a 16 miler and, at this point, is out of the question. Probably drop it down to a 12 miler. My plan is to try and stay healthy and get in one 20 miler about 3 weeks before Dallas. That will pretty much give me an 85% chance of finishing the race, although I won't be racing. I'm really thinking I can finish this event, if the knee hold up, around 4:30 or so. As slow as that is, I would be perfectly thrilled with just being able to finish.......Mike

speeding it up a bit

Started out nice and slow this morning, then ramped it up a bit to record a good tempo run of 6.2 miles. I opened with a 10:23 mile to warm up, then increased the speed at a comfortable rate. Mile two was 9:38, then came 9:14, 9:03, 8:44, 8:34, and the last 2 tenths at an 8:32 pace. That computes to 9:15 overall. -- Rob

Ride images

Here's a map of the route we took today in the Summer Breeze ride. From the standpoint of aesthetics, I'd have to say the stretch from Grandview south to the first aid station at the 14 mile mark was the best part of the ride. The whole ride was great, though. The map shows a ride of 46.98 miles, but we rode .99 mile after our lunch to get back to the car, giving us 47.97 for the day. We averaged 13.4 mph overall. The fastest mile on my GPS was mile 44 - 21.5 mph. The slowest was 6.9 mph in mile 33 (what were we doing there?).

Representing the Men's "Riding" Club were Rob, Bill, Mitchell and Mike. This photo was taken in low light with a phone just before the ride began.

-- Rob

Getting Ready for the Hilly Hundred

Rob, Mitchell, Bill and I signed up to ride the Summer Breeze group ride held this morning starting at Longview Community College. We all did the short ride of 45 miles which, due to all the hills in the last 5 miles, was plenty. BTW, by the time it was all over we actually rode just short of 50 miles.

What a great time! If I had to ride not knowing anyone it would have been a great ride, but having my MRC buds along just enhanced the experience and elevated the fun part. Sorry I can't say that about some of the conversation. This ride was well worth the $30.00 investment and I would recommend it to any cyclist that hasn't experienced the Summer Breeze put on and hosted by the Kansas City Bike Club.

I'm in agreement with Bill that we should sign up of more of these kinds of rides!......Mike

Who gets up this early on a Saturday?

Got up REAL early this morning, thanks to the cat, which woke up hackin' at 4 a.m. I hustled her onto the tile floor and stayed awake to see if I had to clean anything up. Nope, thank you. I laid awake for half a hour, then decided to get up, get dressed, and head out. I took my time, but was running by 5:15.
This was a 12 mile "long" run, so nice and easy was the rule. I ran at about a 10:04 min. pace for the first half and about 9:22 for the second half. I walked frequently, but not quite every mile. The temp was about 70, so not hot, but not really cool, either.
The run ended a low-mileage week at 21.8 miles. - Rob

Arbor Day Farm - Lied Lodge

I ran about 3.5 miles this morning in the dark. Yesterday was my first full day back at work, sort of. I'm at a leadership retreat at the Lied Lodge in Nebraska City. I ran with my boss, Amy, and a collegue, Omar. Omar and I had wanted to run together, and today was the first opportunity. Amy turned around after 15 minutes saying we were too fast. We were not that fast. The first 1/2 mile was in the woods on a path - a mistake in the dark because it was pitch black. We then headed to the local streets where there was more light. Next time I'm bringing my headlamp! It was a good run and I enjoyed talking to Omar.
-- Mitchell

Gaining More Confidence Daily

After a rough night of trying to get back to sleep at 2:45 AM, and almost chalking up the day to another rest day, due to lack of enough sleep, I mentally jump started myself and made the commitment to get some kind of a run in. I had already missed the last two days due to tweaking my knee on a ladder while painting my house. Besides, I got a few winks on the couch before Chris got up.

At first, I was just going to run three or four miles in order to document some kind of run, but after putting on my running shorts and shoes, I felt okay and somewhat rested. Since I hadn't really ran any further than 5 miles since my knee surgery, I decided today was a good day to test the knee with some kind of a distance run. I usually don't wear my Ipod when running, but decided to enjoy a little music as company. My initial problem was finding the right music to run with. I needed something between "Wipe out" and "Beethoven's Pastoral Symphony" so I settled on "Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head." A nice pace indeed.

I walked the first half mile and followed up with a solid 8 mile run averaging 11:28 per mile. Yes, I know that's pretty darn slow, but you should see the route I took. BTW, I walked after every mile for 30 seconds, so there! The knee never became an issue, but I couldn't help being conscious of it. I suppose I'll get over that concern as time passes.

All in all, I was pleased and gained more confidence that I'll be able to finish in Dallas. I'm absolutely not in the least concerned about my finish time. The time limit is 6 hours and 30 minutes and I can do that even if I walk half of it. Hey, I figured that out! If I ran a mile in ten minutes and walked a mile in 18 minutes that would put me at the finish line in 6 hours and 7 minutes!

Now it's time to get ready for the 45 mile ride this Sunday. From there I need to pick up the bike mileage in order to get through the Hilly Hundred in October..........Mike

Nice evening for a run

When I got up this morning I immediately regretted sleeping in because the temperature was a cool 62. It would have be an absolutely perfect morning for a run.

I was lucky, though, because the humidity stayed low during the day and the temperature never got too high. I waited until 7 p.m. to go out, and by then it was a pleasant and relatively dry 81.

As usual, I walked for a while before I started out, and then I went faster than I should have. I really never felt comfortable the whole way, and that's because I failed to ease into the workout. It was only going to be 4 miles, though, so it didn't matter all that much.

I used the Line Creek trail and averaged 8:59 for 4.28 miles. I was going to quit right there, but since I was still a little over a mile from home I recorded the run, walked a couple minutes, then started over. The last mile felt the best of any of them even though most of it was up hill. I did it in 9:10, making my overall pace for the workout 9:01.


Since this is a low mileage week, I've only recorded 9.6 miles all week so far. Seems like hardly anything, but I guess it's good for overall muscle recovery. My long run this weekend will be 10-12 miles. -- Rob

A Solid Workout!

I was wrong about today -- my training schedule called not for hills but a 6 mile "semi-long goal run." Flight plan was 3 miles easy, 2 miles at goal pace, 1 mile warmdown. Stayed up too late last night to make a morning run, so I ran a treadmill inside workout over lunch. 1st mile at 11:06 for warmup, then 2 miles at 10:30's which is a steady run for me, then 2 miles at 9:31 which is getting close to my aerobic threshhold for me, then 10:30 again for the warmdown mile. This was a hard, focused, but very doable run for me so I'm psyched. One step at a time as they say. --Bill

Dog Days of August

I'm convinced that this is indeed our last really hot week of weather! Let's put it this way -- it better be the last of the high 90's stuff!

Made the mistake of running after work outside on Monday -- with the high humidity, I ended up walking half of my 3.5 mile scheduled easy run. Tuesday I got up and ran 5.5 very hilly miles before work -- much better time to run but I'm so slow over hills. Today is an easy day so I ran 4 miles on the treadmill over lunch. Opened with an easy 11:06 first mile, then 2 miles at 10:00's which is pretty much a tempo run for me, then a warmdown mile back at 11:06. We'll see how my scheduled hill run tomorrow goes -- I'm going to try and get it in before work. -- Bill

A Little Scare, but All is Cool!

After my encouraging three miler on Sunday, I made the mistake of going hiking with the two youngest grandsons. We hiked the nature trail in Parkville which is full of slanted hills, slippery slopes and slimy rocks! I fell twice, but didn't hurt anything. However, when I got back home my knee was dealing me fits. I hit the Ibuprofen and ice and stayed in the recliner for the rest of the day. I would have done that anyway, but the knee gave me some credibility.

At any rate, yesterday was a rest day for certain. The knee ached all day and I was pretty POed about having to lay off a day when I wanted to at least get in a bike ride. However, this morning the knee seemed to be okay and I decided to up the mileage a little just to test it.

I walked half of the first mile and finished it in 15:05. The following 5 miles were 11:01, 10:15, 9:56, 9:38, and 9:38. I don't remember ever running the exact time in back to back miles. Kind of interesting. Tomorrow will be a biking day...............Mike

Low mileage

Mercury was headed up to 97 today, so I got up early for my run. I was on my way by 5:45, walking a quarter mile before breaking into a jog and ramping up from there. It was about 71 and humid at the time.
After a first mile at 9:59, I ran 9:06, 8:47, and 8:36. The last .3 was done at an 8:16 pace. With those times, the run qualified as a tempo run.
This week is a low mileage week on my marathon training schedule, so there's just one more 4 mile run before a 10-12 mile long run on the weekend. -- Rob

Life's Little Surprises!

What a change from Friday afternoon to Sunday morning! On Friday morning I was not able to go to Dallas due to a work obligation, wasn't able to run anyway due to the knee problem and I was pretty down about the whole situation. However, as of Friday afternoon, my work obligation has been postponed to March of 2012 and it looks like I may be able to get through the Dallas White Rock Marathon after all.

It may be too early to tell, but this morning I felt so good, after my little 3.5 miler, that I'm 85% confident that I can finish that race!!

This past week I've ridden 110 miles on the bike and I've really been pushing the hills. My knee just hasn't been an issue at all and the cycling cross training has been advantageous to state the least.

This morning my goal was to walk a mile run two miles and walk a mile. I walked a half mile and, since my knee hadn't been giving me any problems lately, I decided to run the next mile slowly. My first full mile was 11:41, I felt good and picked it up a little and finished mile two in 9:49. I was feeling just super, so I decide to push mile three to a point where I was comfortable but cruising. Finished mile three, with hills, in 8:45! Now I know that's not fast, but it's the fastest mile I've ran after a few months of non-running, but just biking.

Really feeling good about the Dallas trip especially since I received a reduced rate for being a senior citizen! I had a confirmation number and a rate of $104.30 per night, but after my call this morning I received a rate of $76.30 per night! Life is good!............Mike

A long run that really was kind of long

I burned some serious cal today, and yesterday, for that matter.
The schedule called for 14 miles today, so I wanted to get up early and get it done before it got too warm. I had trouble falling asleep last night, then we had a big storm about 2 a.m. that got us out of bed for quite a while. This morning there were trees down all over the place, including on our neighbor's car for the second time this summer. Our trees were unscathed.
Anyway, I slept a little later than I planned and didn't get started until 6:30 a.m. It was cool but pretty humid. The first 9 miles went pretty well. I ran up to my gym, where I took a short break in the air conditioning, refilled my water bottles with refrigerated water, and stood in front of the fan for a couple of minutes.
With the humidity coming on strong, and the temp rising a little, the last 5 miles were a little tougher. I walked about 30 seconds between each mile, kept the pace slow, and stayed hydrated. I finally made it to the end in 2:13:25, a 9:29 pace.  I was pretty gassed by then.
The run probably burned something in the neighborhood of 2000 calories. Yesterday, I had a short weight lifiting session in the morning, and then rode 23.5 miles in the evening with Mike.Between those two I probably burned another 850 calories. I guess I feel like I've addressed my fitness needs for the weekend. Bring on the burgers and pie! -- Rob

Jell-O Legs!

Although, I only rode 19 miles (exactly) this morning, the route I took was a lot more hilly than I realized. Not only was it hilly, a lot of the hills were very long and steep! I just kept cranking those pedals with a mantra of, "Hilly Hundred, Hilly Hundred" which kept me focused on making it up the hill. My mistake was venturing off into unscouted territory and thinking I knew where I was going to come out. WRONG!

Instead of crossing the dam at Weatherby Lake and coming out on 9 Highway, I figured if I went straight, rather than taking a left at the dam, it would come out on FF Highway west of Parkville. WRONG! I ended up at Blair Road and 45 Highway which is very dangerous for cyclists! There is no shoulder to speak of and the highway is a busy two lane, with very steep uphills and downhills. I had to head back east to 9 highway and 45 highway where I could pick up the trail on 45 Highway. Problem was, it was about a mile to that intersection and there was no way I was going to ride the bike on 45 Highway!!

Easy decision! I got off the bike and walked it to 9 & 45. I felt that the walk would do me good anyway. Got on the bike just before 9 highway and rode home. It took me an hour and fifty four minutes to ride 19 miles! To give you an idea of the hills, I averaged 5:59 minutes per mile. Not too many years ago, at the age of 58, I ran the four mile Trolly Trail run in 23:54 which was just under a 6:00 mile pace and faster than I rode that bike today! I suppose part of it was the steep hills and part of it is the fact I'll be 69 next month.

What is getting to me now is the first day of the Hilly Hundred will be about three times further than I rode today and then have to follow that up the next day with a ride twice as far as I rode today. Man have I got work to do!!!..............Mike

ARE YOU READY FOR THESE SPLITS?

My knee was feeling just great, even after an eleven mile bike ride on Saturday and a 30 mile ride on Sunday. I rested Monday and the knee was not of any concern at all.

I was trying to make up my mind on where to ride and how far, but my decision was delayed by the weather. I just didn't know what it was going to do. So, I took a chance and decided to do some walking and, if I felt like jogging (hate that damn word), I would give it a go.

I walked the first mile in 18:18 and slowly ran the second mile in 13:22. I walked the third mile in 18:46 for a total of 50:26. The great news is I'm sitting here in front of this computer and my knee feels just as good as it did when I started! Very encouraged, but I know better now, that I shouldn't push it.

My plan is to run and bike tomorrow, perhaps a twenty mile ride and a 4 mile run. I'll utilize the same plan as today, walking the first mile and running/jogging miles two and three, then walking the last mile. If all goes well, I'll step it up to waking a half mile and running three miles.

We'll see!............Mike

Pushing a little

Nice, cool day today, so even though I technically wasn't scheduled to run I did anyway. I'll just move my schedule around the rest of the week to compensate.
I didn't get going until about 7:15, and by that time the temperature was down in the lower 70s. I decided to go 6 miles, and because of the temperature I pegged it as a tempo run. I felt good because I had had a very easy and short run on Sunday.
I opened with a 9:18 mile, then went 8:52, 8:47, 8:40, 8:21 and 8:27. The last .2 was done in 1:38 (an 8:13 pace, for what it's worth). So, I definitely got a tempo run out of it, averaging 8:43 for the 10k. -- Rob

Fun Running Saturday and Today

Dropped into Runner's Edge run on Saturday morning at 6 am for a really nice 10 mile run with the 11:00 pace group. This is the same group I couldn't stay with back in the winter, but now it's very comfortable. The run went from Nica's restaurant at Broadway and Southwest Blvd. (a stone's throw from Ken's place) east through the Power & Light district, north through the Riverfront market, then out east and back along the river front park. Very interesting course in cooler morning temperatures. Had breakfast afterwards with Eladio's fatuer in law and some runners he introduced. Just a very, very pleasant way to start the weekend!

Today is an easy day so I ran 4 miles on the indoor track at Fitness Plus at lunch. First mile was 10:28 and last one was 10:08 for a 10:20s average. Very light and easy in the cooler weather today. I can taste the fall runs coming on! -- Bill

Success at the Komen race

What a blast we had this morning in the Susan Komen Race for the Cure! Six members of the house of Perschau entered, three as walkers and three as runners. Five of the six had never entered an organized run/walk event before. Everyone finished in great shape. We were among an announced 30,000 people who were on hand down at Union Station.

The run went about how I expected. My granddaughter Angela and son Justin and I started about midway in a huge throng of walkers and runners, so the early going was difficult. I tried to keep the three of us running in a straight line, but Angela impatiently zigzagged through the crowd. She also pushed the pace, and at several points during the opening mile I had to slow her down. The course had changed a little this year, and I knew exactly what was waiting for us in the last mile: the long climb up the Broadway overpass. People look at it and think it's nothing. Then they run two miles to get to it and find out it can be a deal-breaker.

We eventually ran most of the first mile on the sidewalk so we'd have a little room to ourselves, and hit the first split in 11:42. That was a shade faster than I thought was wise. I really wanted to keep it to 12 and hope everyone had a lot left for the finish. It was pretty close, though. At the end of the first mile we walked for about 30 seconds through the aid station.

Mile two was uphill most of the way. Our crew was feeling pretty good, though, and half way up they were having an easier time than they or I thought they would. Still, I thought I could detect a little more concern on their faces. I definitely didn't have to coach them very hard to keep the pace at 12.

Justin giving the thumb up, me, Angela, Dawn. In front are Kay and Jaden.

By the time we finished mile two we'd crested the hill and reality was setting in. That had been a long, tough climb. We walked about a minute, then cruised downhill toward Southwest Blvd. Angela wanted to go slow on the long downhill and then charge the Broadway overpass, which we could see up ahead. Justin just wanted to maintain an even pace, which is what we did.

As we hit the base of the Broadway overpass, the one-mile walk route merged with us and the street was clogged. We found a little extra room on the sidewalk and went that way. Revived after the downhill, Angela forged ahead, but the bridge hill was doing its number on Justin. He plowed ahead, though, motivated by our proximity to the finish and a strong aversion to crap from his buddies. He made it over the top and down the hill to the corner of Pershing and Broadway. The finish was maybe 200 yards ahead. Angela was 30 yards in front of us, but she came back so we could lock arms with each other and cross the line together. The official photographer better have that picture.

Afterward both were rightfully proud of their first 5k. I said something about how happy and proud I was to be with them when they did it. It was undoubtedly inadequately stated. I just hope it's something they both remember for a long time. I will.

The walkers all did the full 5k, too. That was my wife, Kay, daughter-in-law Dawn, and grandson Jaden. Our support team was my son, Mark, grandson Jace and granddaughter Arianna. Everyone did a great job and had a super time. -- Rob

Hard Thirty!

Since I missed my 30 mile ride yesterday, and only got in 11 miles, I headed out the door to give it a go today. Got started late, due to having the grandsons overnight, and was concerned about the heat. Even though I didn't get started until around 12:30, after church, it was not as bad as I thought. Matter of fact there was a slight breeze that hit me in the chest all the way out and since I was sweating a little it became a nice cooling affect. After my turnaround, the breeze seemed to come from the side, which helped me maintain my cool. Heat was never a factor!

Even though Rob and I rode 30 miles last week, this ride was tougher! The route I took had several long gradual uphills which I had to grind out. I could have gone to a lower gear, but decided I needed the workout. Quads are a little touchy right now, but the knee feels great!

Really looking forward to our group ride on the 28th. This will be our mini-Hilly Hundred with Bill, since he can't make it this year...........Mike

Flat at Wrong Time!

The plan was to ride with Brandon 30 miles on the Little Blue Trace Trail. We got started at 10:30 due to his cross country training and team photos earlier. We were 5.5 miles into the ride when Brandon got a flat tire. At first, I thought we were going to have to walk our bikes back to the car, but then remembered that Highway 78 was only another mile or so ahead. I told Brandon to walk his bike to the highway and wait for me to pick him up. I was cranking it pretty hard back to the car. I know he's 16, but still you worry. He was waiting in the shade for me and we came back home. I asked him if he would like to go see Captain America, so we called Minday (mom) to check on show times at the AMC close to me.

As luck would have it, there was not enough time to see Captain America due to a baby sitting commitment later on, so I was stuck going to see Cowboys and Aliens! Actually, the movie was pretty entertaining. It was a cross between a James Bond movie and an Indiana Jones adventure, hence Harrison Ford and Daniel Craig starring. It was still pretty fun to watch from a shoot'um up sci fi point of view.........Mike

Day before the big race

Ran 8 miles today averaging 9:28. It was cool, but really humid and I finished soaked in sweat. Felt good, though.

Tomorrow I'll run a 5k with my granddaughter and son, each of whom are running their first 5k. The weather really hampered their training, but we're all just looking to finish and have a good time doing it. Besides the runners, Kay, my daugher-in-law Dawn and grandson Jaden are walking the route. So there will be an unprecedented number of Perschaus entered. -- Rob

New Shoes

Over the last 3 weeks, my knee has been hurting and causing me to shorten runs and/or move to the ellipical machine. On Wednesday, I checked my log and confirmed it was time for new shoes. I had 458 miles on this pair of shoes vs. my historic average of hitting knee pain and replacing shoes every 400-500 miles....right on the money again! So I drove out Gary Gribbles and bought the lastest edition of my Brooks shoes plus a similar pair from the Mizuno line.

Ran 8.8 miles in my brand new -- and frankly very clean, very pretty darn it -- Mizunos yesterday on the flat Indian Creek trails. I started at 5:30 in 88 degrees and heavy air (felt like a lot of Ozone) so my outbound was incredibly slow at 11:35's. My return was better at 10:54's as the air got a lot better around 6:30 pm.

Right now, with 2 brand new pairs of shoes with which I will alternate my runs, I feel like that classic breakfast scene in the movie The Big Chill, where Kevin Kline's character gives everyone new running shoes and William Hurt's character says with deep appreciation "I love these shoes. I'm never going to take them off!"

Here's to new shoes!

-- Bill

My son's death

Our son Nathan passed away peacefully August 10, 2011. On August 4th
he went into hospice, the Gilchrist Center in Howard County. His
entire family was with him when he died.

Funeral Arrangements: The funeral will be held at Sol Levinson’s
Funeral Home on Friday at 11:00 am. Sol Levinson is located at: 8900
Reisterstown Road, Pikesville MD, 21208.

We have established the Nathan Krasnopoler Memorial Fund at the
Whiting School of Engineering to honor Nathan. This fund will benefit
the student chapter of the ACM (Association for Computing Machinery).
Nathan loved the ACM and found his niche at Hopkins there. The fund
will be used for the ACM’s new facility.

Please do not send flowers. To donate online, go to http://engineering.jhu.edu/giving
and select “Other,” then enter “Nathan Krasnopoler Memorial Fund.” You
may also send a check, made out to The Johns Hopkins University. The
check or a separate note should indicate the gift is for the Nathan
Krasnopoler memorial fund. The address is Whiting School of
Engineering, The Johns Hopkins University, Wyman Park 409, 3400 N.
Charles St., Baltimore, MD 21218.

Funeral Service and online Memorial Book for Nathan Krasnopoler on Friday, August 12, 2011
http://sollevinson.com/notice.php?id=22533
========================================
We were with him in the hospice room. Our two dogs were there, too. It was a gentle death. I remember listening to his shallow breathing during the night. It's hard to lose a son. But this was the best for Nathan's terrible situation.

I took a short slow run, about 2.5 miles this morning. It was good to be outside and the run gave me time to think. I came up with a plan for Nathan's 21st birthday on Sept. 6th. We'll make some pies because Nathan used to make pies and share them with his friends. My wife liked the idea so much, she cried.

I hope to be back in Kansas later this month. Thanks for all of your support.

Feel-good run

Great to get out and run  a decent distance and not really have to worry about heat stroke. It had been a busy and frustrating day at work, and I'd been looking forward to my run all day. I needed the therapy. The temp was a couple degrees under 80 as I started out. I didn't even feel the need to take any water along.

I started with a quarter-mile walk, then took off at comfortable pace. My goal, honestly, was a tempo run, but I didn't want to overdo it, especially early. Conditions were favorable to push it a little, and I did, but I was able to avoid oxygen debt. I never checked my pace during my run, but the stats afterward showed I opened with a 9 min. mile and speeded up each mile thereafter. I did 6.3 miles in 54:34, an 8:40 overall pace.
It's gratifying to know that those hot-weather grinders actually do some good. -- Rob

Bicycling To Work

This week has started out well for me. On Monday, ran 3.5 miles easy over a hilly course from home in the evening -- nice that it was cool enough to do so. Yesterday, I cross trained by riding my bicycle to/from work. Took off at 6:35 am and reached my office 46 minutes later for an average 14.0 MPH over the 11.5 route. It's a very pretty morning ride -- 6 of the miles are 2-lane country roads and the rest is on very wide laned suburban streets. Cleaned up at work then took my morning coffee, as the Brits say, on our outside terrace which is just gorgeous in the quiet morning. Normally, I have a headwind for my ride home, but yesterday gave me a tailwind (tailwind!) so I set a record for me of 16.1 MPH on the return. All in all, I wonder why I don't do this more often! For now, I'm aiming for 2 rides a week on my cross-training days coupled with a weekend ride. Target is 4 runs and 2-3 bike rides on the weeks I don't travel.

Life is sweet out on the terrace in the morning hours! -- Bill

In Honor of Nathan

No running entry yet -- I'm scheduled for after work today. But a note to assure Mitchell and his family that our hearts and prayers are with you all this week. We know that today begins your family's private period of transition and therefore we simply keep you front and center in our thoughts and prayers today.

Your friends at MRC.

Cool

Hope everyone gets out today as it promises to be one the the better days for a workout in weeks. I made it out at 5:45 this morning. It was 70 degrees and on its way down to 69 by the time I finished.

The schedule called for just 3 miles, so I obeyed, deciding there must be a reason the experts called for that distance on this day. I walked out of the neighborhood, which is mostly uphill, then averaged 8:59 for 3.41 miles. It's just amazing what a little favorable weather will do for a run.

Coming up: Komen 5k this coming Sunday. I'll run with granddaughter Angela, and son Justin, each of whom will be running their first races. Kay, daughter-in-law Dawn and grandson Jaden are going to walk the distance. -- Rob

Time To Work on the Biking Mileage!

Well, since the running is pretty much down the tubes, I've decided now is a good time to start building my cycling mileage in preparation for the Hilly Hundred in Oct.

Rode with Rob for 30 miles on the Smithville Trail. The first third of the ride was pretty comfortable with a lot of shade and a wise and reasonable pace. The back two thirds of the ride was much warmer with more sun than shade. We pretty much pushed the back two thirds and made it a good workout. I can't tell you how much this workout meant to me psychologically. I've been pretty bummed out with regards to my running comeback and the ride last week plus the one today gave me a sense of accomplishing something. The best part was there was absolutely no pain in my knee. My ass hurt, but no knee pain.

Looks like a number of us are going to sign up for the Summer Breeze ride with the Kansas City Bicycle Club on August 28th. The timing should be just right for a 45 mile ride. We'll begin working on longer mileage in September..........Mike

8 mile run in Maryland

Another bagel run. I went 8 miles today because I wanted to visit my son Nathan. The social part of the run was disappointing. My usual companions were not there. I did see a few people and told them about Nathan.

The run was very good. Nice weather, low 80's or so. I went at a good not too fast pace. And I kept it up throughout the run. I may have even speeded up for the last few miles. I, as usual, really liked the hills. I'll check my Garmin data when I get a chance to download it.

I hope to do some biking tomorrow.

Thanks for you thoughts during this difficult time.

-- Mitchell

A Very UnImpressive Week (except for MRC on Monday!)

After my week of cross-training last week due to the groin injury (now recovered), I was looking for a decent return to running week. I enjoyed our slow 3 miler in the 101 heat on Monday with Rob and Carl. Tuesday, I did a 4 miler inside at 10:50s. Crossed trained ellipical on Wednesday and caught a early evening 5.4 miler outside at 10:50's on Thursday. Took yesterday off for the Royals game, which was fun but we had a very long return due to road work. Didn't get to bed until 12:45 am. So today, I didn't get out till 9am. I ran into the humidity Rob reported and only made it 6.4 miles into my planned 9-10 miler before starting some serious walk breaks. Ended up with a 9.1 mile workout that included 2 miles of walking...on a flat trail under shade for goodness sake!

I'm hoping for better mileage and pacing next week! It looks like our days of 100+ are finally behind us. -- Bill

Sock swap for a hot spot

I really was looking forward to my long run this week. I thought that, with the break in the weather, it'd be a little cooler and a little less humid than has been the norm lately. I got up early and was out the door by 6:40 a.m. I drew up a training schedule Friday night, and only needed a total of 24 miles for the week, but it also called for a 12 mile long run today. I wasn't going to go that far, but thought I might be able to do 10, and if I did I'd end up the week with a bit over 30 miles.
I headed straight north (on my very zigzaggy course) from the house. It wasn't long before I determined that it wasn't as cool as I'd hoped, and the humidity was over the top. It was mostly cloudy, so the humidity was trapped against the ground which, as luck would have it, was where I was. I had plenty of water and was moving slowly, so I decided I'd shoot for 10 anyway.
About one mile out I began to get a hot spot on the pad of my left foot, something that has plagued me since returning to running two months ago. This time it came despite brand new $9 running socks. Thinking my left shoe might be slightly less snug than my right, I stopped at mile 2 and re-laced. It did no good, but at least by then I was done with uphills for a while and the problem eased.
By the time I reached the 5-mile mark I was pretty well soaked from sweat, and the hot spot was getting hotter. I sat down on a big rock on the side of the road and removed my shoes and socks and then put my right sock on my left foot and vice versa (no, I didn't swap my shoes), thinking that might make a difference. Both socks were soaked with sweat already by then.
The sock swap didn't work either, but the whole thing was manageable as long as I walked up the hills, which by then I was doing with increasing frequency.
At mile 7 I dropped in at the 72nd St. Sinclair station for some much appreciated cold water from their soda fountain. From there I plodded on home, finishing 9.71 miles in 1:36:30, which is a 9:57 pace. That was enough for exactly 30 miles for the week. -- Rob

Mud Slug!

If I wasn't already running slow enough, it sure doesn't help when you try to run with one to two pounds of mud on your shoes!

I decided to take advantage of the cooler temperature this morning and get some kind of a run/walk in. I walked 1/3rd of a mile and picked up the pace to around 12:00 mpm. I walked a minute after the first mile and kept the pace as comfortable as I could in order not to aggravate my knee. I was around the two and a half mile point when I noticed a new road under construction (still dirt) in a new housing addition. I thought it would be fun to DISCOVER where it went. The road looked solid enough, so I set out to see where it went. It wasn't too long before I felt like my feet weighed ten pounds apiece! I looked down and there was mud caked about 2" to 3" thick on each of my running shoes. I didn't forget that we got some rain this morning, I just didn't think we got that much! I stopped to scrap it off, then began running again.

At any rate, that was the MO for the next 3/4Th's of a mile, jog and scrap, jog and scrap. I finally ended up on AA Highway, where I figured it was going to end anyway, and did a final scrapping on my shoes. By then, my knee was giving me some difficulty, but not so much that I felt like I had to stop.

I ended up running, walking, jogging and scraping 5.2 miles. My knee is still a problem and I'm not sure how long I can keep fighting it. Tomorrow is biking day and I hope to get in between 30-40 miles. Hilly Hundred is a little over two months away and I need to concentrate on increasing my biking mileage...........MIke

Taking advantage of the break in the weather

This little break in the weather has been great for outdoor exercising. I still wait until the sun gets low on the horizon before I go out, but running at 84 or 85 with no direct sun is significantly more comfortable than the same temperature WITH direct sun. Much less 90 or 95 with direct sun.

I went out without a clear idea how far I wanted to go. No less than 3, and maybe as much as 7. The relatively moderate temperature allowed for a longer run. My splits after the first mile were pretty consistently in the 9:10 to 9:25 range, and I never felt like I needed to walk to conserve energy. I even drank on the run.

Final mileage was 7.1 in 1:06:24, for a 9:22 pace. -- Rob

Cold snap

It was about 17 degrees cooler tonight than last night, so that gave me a great opportunity to get out and run. Of course, the temperature was still about 90, so it wasn't exactly frigid. I waited until about 7:40 pm to leave the house, giving the sun plenty of time to get low on the horizon and eliminating the energy-sapping effects of direct solar heating.

As usual, I started slowly. It took about 2.5 miles to loosen up and get my breathing right in the hot, humid air. I walked about 30 seconds every mile or so.

Overall pace was 9:39 for 5.4 miles. I was quite comfortable for the second half of the run and could have gone farther, but decided there was no point in it. There's still a long way to go to Dallas. -- Rob

I'm Back, yes? No? Maybe?

Went to the doc for my final follow up after the knee surgery. Evidently, the pain I'm still having in my knee is due to inflammation to the damaged cartilage. He told me I could run or bike as much as I wanted, but the pain is just due to inflammation from the aggravation. I could have received a cortisone shot for it, but declined. He said I could just stick to ibuprofen and ice.

Soooo, I decided to get some kind of a run in today before it got too hot. I began at 9:30 when it was hot but not nearly as hot as it's going to be later today. It was already in the 90s when I began so I walked the first third of a mile and then began to run at a slow pace. I finished the first mile, including the walking, in 13:50, but I almost turned around and returned home a couple of times thinking that it just wasn't worth the pain. I turned my watch off and walked about a minute or so then turned it back on to begin mile two. Finished mile two in 10:47 and turned the watch off again for a minute or so while I walked again. Finished mile three in 10:16 and repeated the walking with the watch off. Mile four was getting pretty challenging as the temperature was climbing. However, I finished mile four in 10:37 and called it good. Knee ached, but I took some Ibuprofen and will ice it down.

Perhaps my running days are numbered now, due to the deterioration of the cartilage in my knee. I didn't tell the doctor that I'm having the same kind of pain in my right knee now. I suppose that makes sense, since both have suffered the same abuse and pounding over the years. I haven't had that sharp pain that would indicate a meniscus tear yet, but I wouldn't be surprised if, it too, showed up in the future.

For now, I'll just be content knowing that I've accomplished what I wanted to, with regards to my running. I'll be okay with just riding the bike if that what it comes to, but I really would like to run one more marathon with my son, David, and cross the finish line with him........Mike