Two Kinds of Quiet and Other Random Thoughts

(From Random Thoughts About Change)

Since I call my blog "Random Thought While Running," I decided that, perhaps, today I should post some random thoughts. Some of these I had while running; some I had while eating lunch; some I just had.

• The quiet when my wife is not here (she's currently in the US with her Mom) doesn't have the same quality as quiet when she's here. The latter is full of love and support and life. The former is just quiet.
• SQUIRREL!
• Reading a book in order to write a review of the book is quite different from reading a book for pleasure.
• SQUIRREL!
• Did you know that there are life lessons to be learned in the app, Bejeweled 2 (iPhone)? I'll write about those another day.
• PIZZA! (Just arrived from Pizza Inn in 50 minutes rather than the 1 hour that I was told. Tikka Chicken and Hawaaian. Yum!)
• When you're tired, molehills become mountains. True in life and just as true when running.
• SQUIRREL!
• Loquats are slippery when you run across them.

Now, it's time to eat that pizza and watch a movie.

Run well, y'all,

Bob

Nairobi, Kenya

Confidence Builder Run

I've been really slack on running the last month or so. It's a combination of it being the rainy season here in Kenya and getting to bed way too late. So, when I have run, my mileage and endurance have been way down. Anyway, this morning I headed out for about 3.5 miles before going to church and planned to run a route that has a hill that I just don't like. I was determined to run the whole route, but I've been determined before and .... Well, it was short and it wasn't fast (9:40 mpm) but I beat the hill and ran the whole way. Huge boost to my confidence. Run well, y'all, Bob Nairobi, KE

Could You Run With Ryan Hall?

Could you keep up with Ryan Hall for 60 feet? Can Ryan keep up with himself? ASICS challenged people to virtually race Ryan.

 

Run well, y'all,
Bob
Nairobi (315x560)

Great Fall Run

Since I started seriously running (don't confuse seriously running with anything remotely resembling elite running — LOL), I had been pleased to find that after running in Nairobi, Kenya (5700') for a while, then come back to close to sea level in the US, my pace would drop by about 30 seconds per mile. Then, in July of this year, when I came to the US for my parents' 60th anniversary, that just didn't happen. I was disappointed but I really think it was the heat and humidity.

This morning, I'm back in Richmond, VA, for a meeting — arrived last night. After 32.5 hours of traveling (house to house) and 6 hours of sleep, I would have been satisfied with something close to Nairobi pace. But, I was back to not only the faster pace — 8:57 mpm versus about 9:30 mpm in Nairobi — but I also found that I didn't feel nearly so wiped out by the distance (4.76 miles). It was the perfect temperature (for me) at 48°F — a lightweight long-sleeved running shirt was just right. And, my ankle felt great — I turned it pretty badly on Monday for the second time in a month and hadn't run since.

Plus, as I was running on Ridgefield Pkwy and crossed Gayton, I saw an eagle perched on the cross on top of the steeple at the Gayton Rd Christian Church. What a neat sight — I would love to have gotten a picture but my camera and phone are not waterproof. Not much colour on the trees, yet, but I did see a tree on Pleasant Run Rd that was showing definite hints of red.

I think I'm going to enjoy running during the next 10 days or so.

Run well, y'all,
Bob A

Fast-Paced Marathons

No, the title does not refer to me. I have not run, and do not have much desire at all to run, a marathon. But, I was curious about the make-up of the elite of the elite of men's marathoners. My source is Track and Field All-Time Performances.

The top 25 all-time fastest marathoners are:

• 16 Kenyans
• 8 Ethiopians
• 1 American

Of those top 25 times:

• 3 are less than 2:04
• 12 are between 2:04 and 2:04:59
• 10 are between 2:05 and 2:05:23

The top 2 times are world's best, not world records:

• Geoffrey Mutai, Kenya, 2011 Boston, 2:03:02 (downhill and point-to-point)
• Moses Mosop, Kenya, 2011 Boston, 2:03:06 (downhill and point-to-point)
• Haile Gebreselassie, 2008 Berlin, Ethiopia, 2:03:59 — official World Record

The only American in the top 25 is Ryan Hall at #15: 2:04:58, 2011 Boston (downhill and point-to-point)

The runners who have been in the top 25 the longest are:

• Paul Tergat, Kenya, 2003 Berlin, 2:04:55
• Sammy Korir, Kenya, 2003 Berlin, 2:04:56

The youngest in the list (at the time he ran) is Lelisa Gemechu Feyisa, Ethiopia, #25, 2010 Rotterdam, 2:05:23 — he was 20 year, 2 months, 10 days.

The oldest in the list (at the time he ran) is Haile Gebreselassie, Ethiopia, #3 (WR), 2008 Berlin, 2:03:59 — he was 35 years, 5 months, 10 days.

Frequency on the list:

• 3 times: Geoffrey Mutai (Kenya), Haile Gebreselassie (Ethiopia), and Tsegay Kebede (Ethiopia)
• 2 time: Patrick Makau (Kenya)

Gives us something to aim for, no? LOL!

Run well, y'all,

Bob A

Nairobi

It's All a Matter of Perspective

Kenya Airways Boeing 767-300, 196 economy seats, 20 premier seats, 86,880 KG load capacity, 90,770 litres of fuel, flies at Mach 0.80, 62,100 lbs of thrust, 47.6 metres wingspan, 54.9 metres in length, range of 11,306 KM. This is not a puddle-jumper of an airplane — it's pretty good sized.

PERSPECTIVE: Descending into Johannesburg on a Boeing 767-300, the plane banked and the wing covered several square miles of landscape, businesses, and homes. If I had been in the air above the plane, the plane and the wing would have seemed small compared to the earth. If I had been on the ground, looking up at the plane, it would have seemed barely larger than a speck. Problems look so big when they are close -- in our face. But, often, it's a matter of perspective. The problem I face today may be relatively small in the scheme of things. See Matthew 6:25-34 (especially verse 25 and verses 33-34) and Genesis 50:20 for some interesting Bible references to the idea of perspective.

I was thinking about my running this morning when I came across those notes (above) that I had made on that plane ride. I have been running regularly now for 8+ years. Up until about 2 1/2 years ago, I was reasonably fast for my age — not age group winning fast, but satisfyingly so. But since that time, I have often felt like the more I run, the worse shape I'm in. But, it is a matter of perspective. I am running and that's good for me — Fox News did a layman's piece about 50+ year olds running that cites the evidence for that. I can't find the percentage of 57 year olds who run, but I'm in a pretty small percentage of that age group. I'm not that slow, just slower than I was at 54. I can run 4+ miles without stopping on most days — and 4 miles is not a short distance. So, buck up, Bob, and quit complaining!

This morning in Nairobi it was 61.5° and 72% humidity. I ran 4.14 miles at a 9:43 mpm pace. I wanted to quit from almost the first step, but I didn't. I ran! It's a matter of perspective.

Run well, y'all,

Bob A

Nairobi, Kenya

"For what you see and hear depends a good deal on where you are standing: it also depends on what sort of person you are." -- C.S. Lewis, The Magician's Nephew

High Altitude Training Centre, Iten, Kenya

After I wrote my post yesterday about the secrets to the success of Kenyan runners, I came across this video on the blog, Sweat Science. Interesting look at the running culture of [some of] Kenya and how some of Kenya's best train.



Ankle sore but much better. Decided to run after the morning worship service and it felt good. The run was hard. My wife asked me why — "missed 5 days running, middle of the day versus early morning, mainly because I'm old and fat" — the last made her laugh! 4.04 miles at 9:28 mpm.

Run well, y'all,
Bob A, Nairobi