Welcome to Running From Day to Day
I really don't know if anyone even cares about what I write, but I am going
to try to make at least semi-regular posts on my running and any insights that
may go with it. I have never tried
anything like this before, so I cannot even guarantee how inte
resting it might be. But all I can
do is try.
Running Plans for 2013
Its been one heck of long time since I added to this blog, but here I
am. I am going to try do much better in
2013.
So what do I have in mind for this year?
Well, I will definitely run a number of PSRR circuit races again this
year starting with either the Mid-Winter Cruise or the Frosty 5 Mile. Most likely will continue with the Tiger 5K
and the Rockdale Ramblin' 10K. But all
this will be leading up to my long races in the Summer. I have already signed up for the Lake Placid
Marathon on June 9th. This will be part
of our vacation this year. I haven't
signed up yet, next would be my major event of 2013. And that would be the Black Hills 100 Mile
which is the last weekend in June.
So the plans for this blog will be to report on my progress as I train and
prepare for the Black Hills 100 Mile.
Hopefully, you will come along for the ride.
Committed
Had a very good run today. 14
miles. Trying to maintain the weekly
long run so it will be easier to increase it leading up to the June races. And yes, I did say races. I went ahead and signed up for the Black
Hills 100. So now I am truly
committed. The only stumbling block that
I will have to overcome is the fact there really isn't much in the way of true
trails here around Joliet, IL. But I am
confident that I can do it. This is not
my first 100. I do have considerable experience
running ultras. In a future post, I will
cover at least some of my running and ultra background.
Cold Weather Running
Living in the Chicago area means a full year of weather changes. Anything from highs over 100 degrees to the
frigid temps of below zero.
It's winter now and although so far it has been a pretty mild winter with
most days reaching at least 25 degrees, it is not my cup of tea. For whatever reason, I am one of those odd
runners who favors the heat over cold.
Give me 80 degrees any day and I am much happier than below
freezing. But even on the very cold days
I am out there anyway, since I can't handle running on a treadmill and I don't
have any readily available indoor facility.
The hardest part is getting out the door in the first place. Once I am out there and have warmed the ole'
engine up a bit, I find that most days it is pretty enjoyable. And in the early mornings before the sun
comes up, it can be really peaceful.
The hard part this year is that we haven't had any snow yet. Here it is on the back end of January and no
white stuff. Some of my most memorable
runs have been floating along the snow covered trail being the very first one
to leave my footprints in the freshly fallen snow. The snow muffles everything and just brings a
quiet peace to the area. It's easier on
the legs and it can just make things so much prettier. I have really been missing that. If I have to be running in the cold, I would
like to at least get the benefit of snow.
So here's to a wish that we get some nice snowfall soon.
Really Cold Weather
Well, we finally got some snow. So
far about an inch with maybe a little more coming. Still not a typical Chicago. But it was pleasant running on the horse
trails this morning being the first one out in the snow. The rest of the week has been rough,
however. Five straight days of sub zero
windchill factors. But I managed to get
out every day regardless. Already
starting to look forward to spring.
Missing a True Friend
Just recently, my dog, Harlie, passed away.
Harlie was a Weimaraner and just loved to run with me. She was a constant companion for over 10
years. Although my wife and I went through periods where Harlie would drive us
crazy (such as pretty much destroying a whole couch), she was always there at
the door to greet us when either of us
would come home. And rather exuberantly
as well. Sometimes she would almost bowl
us over with her enthusiasm. At 85
pounds, she was strong as can be and when she was younger she would literally
pull me on our runs. But over the years
she got the idea of pacing and would stay pretty much at my side. Normally, after my run, we would then go out
together for her run. The funny thing
was, she was best running in the cold, and I was usually at my worst. I am best in the heat, and she was at her
worst, so the best time for both of us was the autumn when it wasn't to cold
yet and the summer heat had run its course.
It has been a month now, and I still miss her. I couldn't have asked for a better companion.
A Rough Weekend
Last weekend was one of my miserable weekends of my life. I still don't know if it was something I ate,
or something I caught. But whatever it
was, it made things real difficult. The
old digestive system was in overdrive.
Trying to put it somewhat delicately, Basically, I was getting liquid
out of the wrong hole. For over two
days. I couldn't be away from a bathroom
for more than 15 minutes at a time. The
only time I had something similar, was when I had to get ready for a
colonoscopy. But that was on purpose and
was expected. A little easier to take.
The only good thing was that it completely cleaned me out and I have been
feeling quite good for most of the week as my system gets back to normal.
And the timing has worked out pretty well since I have started into my Lake
Placid marathon training. I just don't
want to go through that again.
A Good Week
Had a good week of training this week.
Although it is still early in my training, because of a fairly mild
winner and a steady stream of 40 to 50 mile weeks since the first of the year,
I tried my first back to back last Sunday and Monday. Felt really pretty good with 17.5 miles on
Sunday and 12.5 on Monday. Sixteen weeks
until the Black Hills 100.
Signed up for another marathon on May 19th.
The Chicagoland Marathon in Schaumburg.
I am using the two marathons that I am running as long training runs, so
I am not expecting low times for either of these. I am hoping to comfortably run in the four
hour to four and a half hour range. And
I will have a nice three weeks between each one and the 100. What is also kind of cool of the Chicagoland
Marathon is that it is run primarily on the bike paths around and through Elk
Grove Village and Schaumburg. These are
the same paths I had run many times over the years on weekends when visiting my
wife's parents. Their home was literally
just across the street from one of the bike path spurs. It has been over ten years since I have been
back there. I am definitely looking
forward to it.
A Great Week
This week it was spring break at school, so I've been home all week and had
so much more time to get in some quality runs.
Also, the weather finally is starting to be a little bit more like
spring. I started out the week with a
nice 25 mile run at a place called Waterfall Glen. It has a nice almost 10 mile loop of
limestone trails with some pretty good hills.
I've been trying to do some more hill work, including downhills, since
the Black Hills 100 has lots of climb and descent. What I was especially happy with is that I
felt pretty good that night and had very little soreness the next morning. This allowed me to get another long one in on
Monday for my second back-to-back of the cycle.
Finally, I finished with a 16 mile run on Saturday (Easter is
tomorrow). This run was at Swallow
Cliffs Forest Preserve with twice as much climb as last Sunday. I've got to keep putting in the hill work at
least once a week.
Overall, I am very happy with this week and I really feel I am on track for
my spring and summer races. Next week
will be a much easier week to let my body recover a bit and, of course, I'll be
back in the classroom.
It's Been Awhile
I know I haven't written anything for quite awhile. It's been busy.
Training has been going pretty well, however. Just finished a 30 mile run
yesterday. I felt a bit tired by the end, but overall it went very well. Staying
under 10:00/mile. A couple of weeks ago, did a my own marathon for my long run
and felt good. What tells me that I am getting there, is both day afters, I
have felt good and able to run 5 to 7 miles. So daily recovery is there. And
this is in weather that has still been pretty cold for this time of year. I
still prefer running in the warm weather (I know that is not normal for most
runners).
My first marathon this year, the Chicagoland Marathon, is less than a month
away now and I have to admit, I am starting to get a little bit antsy to do
something besides just putting in the miles. I have run two shorter races over
the last couple of weeks, however. The Tiger 5K on the Route 66 dragstrip and
the Rockdale Ramblin' Run 10K in Rockdale, IL. Did pretty well in both of them
even though I have been doing no speedwork whatsoever. Figured the races would
be my speed work. In the 5K, ran 23:28 for 28th place out of 291 finishers. In
the 10K, on a very hilly course, finished in 47:58, good for 69th place out of 590.
The last week has been very crazy. My wife had foot surgery and hasn't been
able to drive at all, so I am her chauffeur, taking her to work and back and
wherever else she wants to go. Then over the weekend, my granddaughter,
Addison, ended up in the hopital for a couple of nights because of her asthma.
And finally, my middle daughter, Alexis and her husband, Mark, had to evacuate
their home because of all the flooding that has occurred in the Chicago area
with 5 to 10 inches of rain falling within 24 hours. Fortunately, Addie is fine
now and back home. So is Lexie and Mark. The water level just barely reached
their home and all they had was a bit of water in the crawlspace. So we are
very grateful that things weren't disastrous.
Training will continue with the focus on the Black Hills 100 Mile at the
end of June. Still planning on using the two marathons as supported training
runs with anywhere from 4 to 6 miles tacked on to each for 50K plus runs. And
hopefully, the weather will actually start to turn spring like over the next
couple of weeks.
Marathon Tomorrow
It has been awhile again since I wrote anything. I don't know why. I remind myself during the daenter enter a
few words, but then forget by evening.
With the Chicagoland Marathon tomorrow morning, I just wanted to lay down
what I would be trying to accomplish.
Original goal was to run about4:15 for the marathon and then add 5 miles
afterward for a good solid 50K training run.
But I may have to ease off a bit tomorrow because some hot weather has
finally rolled in this week. By the time
I finish tomorrow, it probably will be around 80 degrees. Haven't had time to really acclimate yet to
the heat. So I will just have to see how
it goes. Mostly, the idea is to run easy
and relaxed the whole time. Stay away
from racing. And most of all, enjoy the
marathon.
A Hot Race
Whew! Definitely a warmer day. The morning started out at about 65 and was
up to 82 by the marathon's end. But I
did very well. Finished in
4:02:41.8. Well under what my goal was,
but did I push a little too hard? I ran
negative splits with the first half in about 2:03 and he second half under 2
hours. I won't know until the next
couple of days as I see how the legs feel.
A little stiff right now, but not too bad.
I ended up 74th out of 286 finishers, which was pretty good since I was
170th at the turn around. Just missed
age group awards with 4th out of 15 in the 55-59 age group. Overall, I am very happy with how I did and
will be even happier if I am able to go out and run 10 or 12 tomorrow.
It was a nicely put on race. The
half-marathon and marathon started together at 7:05 am. The marathon had about 300 runners and the
half had about 500. Once we got a couple
of miles in on roads, we turned on to the Forest Preserve bike paths which
consisted of about 24 miles of the course.
A lot of winding in and out of the forests and into open spaces. Nice and scenic. The only little complaint I have is the
inclusion of 3 out-and backs (2 on roads).
If they had extended the course a bit further on the bike paths, I think
the out-and-backs cold have been eliminated.
Although I do admit it must have made setting up a couple of the aid
stations easier. All the aid stations
were well manned, mostly with kids, and they did a fantastic job.
Overall, the race was professionally put on.
