Just a Couple of Things

Well it still is super cold.  Windchills have been in the negatives.  And although it is supposed to warm up a bit in the next couple days, the extended forecast shows dropping temps for next week again.  I really can't wait for spring.  

Sunday starts my actual training plan for my marathon and longer races.  The last couple of months have been just trying to stay fit, which I feel have been pretty successful despite the cold.  So we'll see how it goes.

Donated plasma today, so easy day tomorrow.  I've been donating for a lot of years, but up until a couple of months ago, it has always been whole blood which limited me to about 5 times a year.  But with plasma, I can do it 10 to 12 times a year.  You never know specifically if your donations are actually saving anyone, but I would like to think that they are doing some good somewhere.  And if I or anyone in my family ever is in need for blood, I would hope my karma would result in it being there when needed.  I intend to continue donating for as long as I can because I find it easy to do.

More Cold Weather

Back to the very cold weather.  Windchills in the sub-zero range.  But we should be very grateful that we aren't living in the northeast.  They are being hit with their 4th major snowstorm in the last month.  Many places there have gotten close to 80 inches of snow.  They are even starting to dump snow into the ocean; a bit of a controversial issue.  

So as long as I dress properly, I am still able to get in some decent running.  But at this time of the year, I am really starting to get tired of the cold.  But it is kind of funny, that even though I really don't like the cold, I have always liked the change of seasons.  I like the variety the changes bring.  But I wish winter could be considerably shorter here in Illinois.  To be totally truthful, summer is my favorite time of year to run.  I run very well in the heat and really enjoy working up a good sweat.  My best marathon took place with temperatures in the 80s.  Needless to say, I am looking forward to warmer temps.  And hopefully, it won't be too much longer.

Frosty 5 Mile

First PSRR Circuit race of the year (since I didn't make down to Kankakee for the Winterfest 5K on account of the 5th biggest snowstorm in Chicago's history last week).  The Frosty 5 Mile in Channahon.  Very happy with the results, with virtually all of my training in the 9:30 to 10:00 minute per mile range.  I ran 37:21 which works out to a 7:28/mile pace.  Especially since I felt that my form was not anywhere in the smooth range.  For most of the race it felt choppy and a bit awkward.  I seemed to gain a little bit of fluidity on the one big downhill which definitely helped.  Overall, I finished 36th out of about 230 and 4th in my age group out of 14.  There are some really good runners in my age group, so I am really pleased with how I did there.  And finishing 36th overall means I beat a good share of what I call the youngsters.  I have to admit, even though I have slowed down quite a bit over the last 10 years, I am blessed that I am still capable to do what I do at my age.  There so many people who cannot even get to the starting line of a race like this.  And here I am planning on running races up to 100 miles.  So, I can't really complain at all.

Planned Races for 2015

So here is the list of my planned races for this year.  It is a pretty extensive list, but a majority of it will be preparation for the Hennepin Hundred.  And, of course, it is not set in stone.  I will feel free to adjust, add, drop or change anything in the list.  It is just a guide and an idea of what I would like to accomplish this year.

Date        Race Name

 

3-Jan      Siberian Express (7.45 iles) – Done  

1-Feb     Winterfest (Kankakee) – Didn’t go because of blizzard 

8-Feb      Frosty 5 Mile (Channahon)  

7- Mar     Manhattan Irish Fest 5K (Work it) 

21- Mar   Mountain Goat 8.8 Mile

11-Apr     Rockdale Ramblin' Run 10K

19-Apr     Race to the Plate 5K (Joliet)  

25-April   Frankfort Half-Marathon

16- May   Starved Rock Marathon 

20-Jun     Dew It 13.1 Mile 

27-Jun     PSRR Cross-Country Open (Plainfield) 

3-Jul        Liberty 5K (Morris)  

17-Jul      Christmas in July 6-Hour Run 

23-Jul      Sundowner 5K (Joliet) 

16-Aug    DNA/PSRR Free 5K (Crest Hill) (And work it) 

5-Sep       Shorewood Scoot 5K       Date not yet confirmed 

12 & 13-Sept    Hennepin 100 Mile 

17-Oct     Forte 5K (Channahon)  

25-Oct     Joliet Junior College 5K   Date moved from May 

15-Nov     Red Eye 8K (Joliet)  

26-Nov     Poultry & Pie Predictor 4 Mile (Joliet) (Work it)