Running Fast Feels Good -- Final Tempo Run

Fast is a relative term, but whether fast is 5:00 mpm or 12:00 mpm, it actually feels good just to occasionally let loose and run fast over a distance. Today was my last tempo run before the Ukrop's 10K on Saturday. Another person from our running group ran with me -- it was good to have company -- thanks, Drew. It was hard but just felt good -- especially when I finished (LOL). I actually ran negative splits:

1.26 mi x 11:22  (warm up)

1.00 mi x 07:21

1.00 mi x 07:17

1.00 mi x 06:58

1.74 mi x 13:03  (cool down)

The third fast mile (6:58) was a real shocker when I hit the lap button on my watch. I really thought I had slowed down and I had to run in place for a few seconds at an intersection to wait for a car to pass.

If you haven't tried speed work, give it a shot -- whatever is fast for you.

Run well, y'all,

Bob

Too Busy to Pray?

OK, I must confess, that I didn't think about this while running this morning. Of course, it hadn't been posted when I ran this morning. :)

This takes the cake. Check out this post on the Dallas Morning News' blog site: Too Busy to Pray?


The point of prayer is not that you ritualistically say your prayers every day. Nor is it the specific words that you pray. It is the relationship that is fostered between the individual and God; it is the submission of oneself to the Creator of the Universe; it is the acknowledgment of total dependency on the Sustainer of Life; it is the recognition of the need for the Author of Salvation. Paying someone else to do that for you doesn't cut it and certainly paying for a computer to do that for you won't gain you any grace. I don't think God would be impressed.

Taper week before the Ukrop's 10K. I ran 4.5 pretty easy miles (8:45 mpm or so) this morning. A short tempo run tomorrow morning. A couple more easy 4-milers on Wednesday and Thursday. Then we'll see what this old body can do on Saturday. I'll race with my wave and then loop back to the beginning to run/walk the course with my wife and daughter. Should be fun.

Run and pray well, y'all,
Bob

Next to Last Tempo Run

Could this have been the last cold day of the season? At 6:40 AM it
was 26° and 70% humidity. I plan to do a shorter tempo run on Tuesday
or Wednesday -- the race is Saturday (Ukrop's Monument Ave 10K). So,
this was the next to last tempo run:

1 x 8:43 -- warm-up
1 x 7:29
1 x 7:22
1 x 7:14
1 x 8:06
1.1 x 9:43 -- cool down

I'm pretty pleased. I've downgraded my expectations for the race.
While I'd love to break 45:00 and set a PR -- and I'm not giving up on
the hope -- I suspect my time will be closer to 47:00. We'll see.

Run well, y'all,
Bob

Worse Than Raintree

I thought I would help you all feel better the next time you run hills (Short Pump Posse, think "Raintree" -- it could be worse). This was about mile 5.5 to 6.7 of my 12-miler on Wednesday morning, Greenville, SC (a total climb of 115-120 feet -- and, yes, I know, there are even worse hills than this): Map of the climb

This is looking back at the first 0.1 mile of the climb -- the cars at the bottom are at the beginning of the hill:

Elevation:

Run well, y'all,
Bob

12 to Start the Day

12 miles this morning at an 8:42.5 mpm pace. Tons of hills in
Greenville, SC, and lots of traffic between 6:30 and 8:30. Here's the
route:

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=1268543

Off now to a Trustee meeting and confirmation of new employees. God is
blessing -- 7 families for Africa!

Run well, y'all,
Bob

Good Morning for a Run

We were traveling from Virginia to South Carolina today, so I got up
earlier enough to get a run in before driving 7 hours. I was a bit
apprehensive because the weather report called for rain all day long.
But, I hit the sweet spot -- out the door at about 6:40 and did 8.2
miles at a 7:59 mpm pace (Sweet!). Nary a drop of rain until after I
finished -- but it rained almost the whole trip.

Instead of taking our usual route (I-95 to I-85), we headed west on
360 and then took 29 down to Greensboro (not exact directions -- don't
try to follow those). It was great. We did the trip in 6 hours 37
minutes and the best I've ever done on the interstate highways was
about 6 hours 30 minutes and the other route was a whole lot more
interesting.

I'm in Greenville, SC for the next 5 days. That means running some
pretty nasty hills.

Run well, y'all,
Bob

Last Treadmill Run ... Maybe

The weather prediction was for rain and wintry mix this morning. Sure enough, when I got up at 5 AM, it was raining. Too cold for running in the rain so I headed to the YMCA. We're ending our membership in anticipation of moving back overseas in the late summer -- plus, we almost never use the Y anymore. So, this was probably my last treadmill run for awhile. That's no great loss except for days like today when I want/need to run but am not willing to do so outside -- and it has to be nasty for that to happen.

I was bummed when I left the Y, though, because it was snowing. I would have loved to run in the snow! But, even if I had known it was really going to snow, I could not have waited. I ran 4.55 miles and did some treadmill fartleks, bumping the speed up to 8mph several times -- the variety makes the treadmill less tedious.

Run well, y'all,
Bob

TIART -- Only in Running ...

Runner's Lounge's every-Thursday readers' forum, Take It and Run Thursday, is about things that are acceptable in the sport of running that might not be acceptable in normal life -- interesting and peculiar things that running brings into one's life. I'm looking forward to checking out all the entries but thought I'd add mine first so I can't be accused of plagerism. I call mine acceptable unacceptables:

Acceptable unacceptable #1: Going out in public with bed head. Under no other circumstances, except an emergency, would I consider going out in public without taking a shower. But I'll almost always head out to run without that morning ritual and, depending on the weather, might not even wear a hat. Of course, at 5:15 AM, it's pretty hard for anyone to see anyway.

Acceptable unacceptable #2: (OK this one may gross out some of you, but, well, today's TIART is all about lowered standards when running.) Wiping your nose on your bare hands, gloves, or shirt tail/sleeve. It's gotta be done.

Acceptable unacceptable #3: Amy suggested you easily pay $100+ for a pair of shoes you may wear a few months as an example. I haven't, yet, paid $100+ for a pair of running shoes but do pay $60-$90 for a pair of shoes that I'll wear 5-7 months. But, I also put 500-700 miles on each pair of shoes -- something I certainly do not do with most of my street shoes. I suspect I actually get more miles per $ out of my running shoes.

Acceptable unacceptable #4: Going outside in nasty weather -- 5°F, snow and ice, rain. Not only going outside and running but enjoying doing so.

Acceptable unacceptable #5: Closely kin to #4, wearing shorts in 30° weather.

Acceptable unacceptable #6: Paying for the privilege of exerting oneself to the point of exhaustion -- race fees.

Ain't running fun?

Run well, y'all -- and be a little crazy,
Bob

?Bankruptcy? -- Transparency in Life and Government

[WARNING: Rant on]Now, I recognize that there are nuances of the law that the average person does not and cannot understand. Sometimes (most of the time?) I think lawmakers and courts do that on purpose so that they have job security. I'm one of those average people. But, this article in the Richmond Times-Dispatch this morning, caught my eye:

Filing: Peanut Corp. has $4.8 million in debts, $11.4 million in assets

The infamous Peanut Corporation of America has filed for bankruptcy. According to the article, the Peanut Corp. of America has $11.4 million in assets and only $4.8 million in debts. That seems clear and straight-forward -- PCA has more assets than debts, in fact, right at 2.5 times as much in assets as debts.

Then, I looked up the definition of bankruptcy. The Merriam-Webster's Online Dictionary lists this as one of the meanings: utter failure or impoverishment. That also seems clear and straight-forward -- bankruptcy means you have nothing, you can't pay your debts.

What I fail to understand -- in my simple, straight-forward way of looking at the world -- is how PCA can file for bankruptcy.

First of all, the evidence seems to point to PCA suffering from a bankruptcy (i.e. utter failure) in ethics (along with the regulatory agency that was supposed to keep a check on cleanliness) in its production of peanut food products. Now, that hasn't gone to trial, yet, so they have not been proven guilty...yet.

Second, how can they file for bankruptcy and thus, again in my simplistic view of things, avoid the responsibility to pay some of their debts? They sell the assets and pay their debts. Sure, the company would cease to exist, its investors would lose their money, and management would be out of jobs -- of course, those are the very ones who had the social and ethical responsibility to ensure that PCA produced a safe product. Workers (you didn't really think I would overlook them) would lose their jobs and many people had to deal with salmonella but they should be reasonably compensated from assets that remain after debts are paid. Granted, the $6.6 million of assets remaining after debts are paid won't go far, but it should be used to help those who are most hurt by PCA's (investors and management) irresponsibility.

What would America be like if our leaders used simple, common-sense language -- i.e., meant what they said? What would America be like if our laws were simple and easy to understand? What would America be like if Americans just did the right things? I could go for that! [RELAX: Rant off]

Sort of reminds me of the Sprint Nextel commercials on how things would be if firefighters were in charge:



Run, live, and rule well, y'all,
Bob

PS -- I realize that if anyone actually reads this, there's a good chance you'll disagree with me or, maybe even more likely, you'll know much more about the intricacies of the law than I do. Feel free to comment.

A Hint of Spring

What a change! Tuesday morning, with all the snow on the ground, the temperature was 9°F and never got above freezing. This morning, it was 50° when I headed out for a long run and 58° when I finished -- it's now 74°. What a change. Temps in the 50's are great for running. The problem is that the temperature will only rise over the next several months. (I don't like hot weather!)

The run was really tough this morning. It was a route that had defeated me 2 weeks ago. I finished the whole 12.99 miles (8:28 mpm pace) but did end up walking 3-4 times. I think a lack of sleep is probably to blame. I didn't sleep really well all week and we had a living room full of middle school girls last night -- we hosted the group for our church's weekend youth retreat. They were well-behaved but we didn't get to bed early.

The Ukrop's 10K is in 3 weeks. I'll be ready but I don't know if I'll hit my goal of <45:00.

Don't forget to set your clocks ahead one hour tonight. DST begins at 2 AM Sunday morning.

Run well, y'all,
Bob

DST and Negative Days

Daylight Savings Time begins Saturday night -- OK, technically, Sunday morning. Don't forget to set your clock forward before heading to bed Saturday night (10:00 becomes 11:00) or you'll be late for church Sunday morning.

Some have lamented the fact that DST means it will be dark for early morning runs for a few more weeks. Personally, that suits me. When it's dark, I can't actually see how slow I'm running and can pretend that I'm cruising.

Runners talk about negative splits. Well, the last few days, I've had negative days. Starting Monday, my runs each day got progressively faster:

Mon - 5.1 mi @ 8:25 mpm
Tue - 6.5 mi @ 8:21 mpm
Wed - 6.4 mi @ 8:13 mpm
Thu - 5.3 mi @ 8:07 mpm

Saturday, I'm planning on 12 miles and there's almost no chance whatsoever that this trend will continue! Should be short-sleeve weather.

Run well, y'all,
Bob

Snow Run

I woke up early this morning. I don't know if it was internal excitement about the snow or too much water to drink for supper. Though I would have enjoyed another couple of hours of sleep, I'm glad I woke up because the outside world was beautiful. I estimated about 7" of snow and it was still coming down. I thought about running but decided to wait and see. While it wasn't really dark because of all the reflected light, I just wasn't sure how well I could see -- or, more importantly, how well I could be seen.

By the time I actually went outside to measure, we actually had 9.5" of snow -- I think it's the most snow I've seen in my life (almost 55 years). And, by 9:00, I had decided to see if I could run. I have an old pair of Brooks Adrenaline ASR (somewhat winterized) and decided to wear those to keep my feet a bit drier than my Etonics would do. I also had no idea how close to normal speed I could run, so told my wife not to worry unless I wasn't back by 11:00. Despite slipping and sliding in places and at times feeling like I was going forward only 1' for 2' worth of effort, it was a good run -- 5.1 miles at a 5:24 (I don't know where "5:24" came from -- maybe it was sliding down the hills!) 8:24 mpm pace. Just guessing, but it felt like it was somewhere between 10-20% more difficult than running in dry weather. The picture was taken across the street from our house after I ran -- the whole run looked like that. One guy, who was shoveling his drive, commented that he hoped I had my spikes on!

What fun!

Run well (and safely and dry), y'all,
Bob

Extraordinary Relationships

Today, this is more like Random Thoughts While Not Running. Since about 3:00 yesterday afternoon (Sunday), we've had 7"+ of snow accumulation and it's still coming down. Part of me would love to go for a run but I think my shoes would be full of snow. On the other hand, it's the kind of snow that sticks together really good so I might just have a 7" build-up of snow on the bottom of my shoes! Either way ... who knows, maybe later.

Our Bible study group started a study of Mark yesterday. Mark is everyman's  gospel (generic language, not intended to be gender exclusive -- everyman just rolls off the tongue more smoothly than every person) ... the Reader's Digest gospel. Even though Mark starts when Jesus is an adult -- he leaves out the birth narratives and any mention of Jesus' childhood -- I think it's a great place to start reading the Bible because it moves and doesn't get into a lot of theological discussion. Mark presents Jesus as he lived.

Next Sunday, our group is going to look at Mark 2. So, this morning, I read through that chapter again and was struck by verses 13-17, particularly verse 15:

While Jesus was having dinner at Levi's house, many tax collectors and "sinners" were eating with him and his disciples, for there were many who followed him. (New International Version) [Bob's comment: Note that the NIV puts sinners in quotes -- the context leads me to believe that these dinner guests were sinners in the eyes of the religious establishment. All of us are sinners by God's standards.]

The Message, a modern interpretation, states it this way:

Later Jesus and his disciples were at home having supper with a collection of disreputable guests. Unlikely as it seems, more than a few of them had become followers.

I was struck by how different that particular dinner party was than many Christian dinner parties I've attended or [gulp] we've hosted. I'm currently reading the book, unChristian: What a New Generation Really Thinks about Christianity... and Why It Matters by David Kinnaman of Barna Research, so I'm perhaps more attuned to this than normal. Why did many follow Jesus? I think the NIV translation means many people of all sorts followed Jesus, not just the good folks like Peter, James, John and crowd (though, a really good argument could be made that few of them would have been considered good folks by the religious establishment -- we've sainted them since the first century). I think they followed Jesus because he truly cared about them and he showed it. Jesus never backed away from calling people to stop sinning (see John 8:1-11, particularly Jesus' statement to the woman in verse 11) but he always loved them and was always willing to spend time with them.

What's the point? Those of us who claim to be followers of Jesus have not done a good job of really loving all people. We either tend to be exclusive in our friendships -- spending most of our time and energy on people who are like us -- or we tend to at least appear to make friendships with people just because of a desire to convert rather than because we're motivated by love. I want to challenge believers (myself included) to be like Jesus.

Run (and live) well, y'all,

Bob

A Big Hole

If you came across this in the middle of the road or sidewalk on your run, would it freak you out or what? Interesting time lapse photography:



I stole got this brilliant video from Vanilla at the Half-Fast blog. More 3D street art pictures at Edgar Mueller - 3D Street Art

Run well, y'all,
Bob

Good Long Run

Took off this morning with some trepidation. My long runs of late have been pretty much a wash. Either I haven't been able to do the mileage or I've completed the mileage but had to walk. Last weekend, I had headed out for 12 miles but headed home early for 9 and, even then, walked a couple of times.

This morning, I felt good and planned to do about 12.75 miles -- I don't give up easily -- but just didn't know what would happen. I was running a route that I had run about a month ago and had really struggled, walking some during the last few miles. The temperature was a perfect 47° (cooled down to 44° by the time I finished) and 53% humidity, overcast skies, but a pretty good breeze in my face on certain sections. The route is pretty hilly.

It was hard but I ran the whole way -- a total of 12.9 miles at 8:23 mpm (1:48:16). That's almost the pace of my best half marathon. One thing that I think helped, besides the weather and my strong inner desire to complete it, was Gatorade'ing and Gu'ing. I decided to take a good swig of Frost Gatorade every 2 miles and eat a Gu (Chocolate Rage) at the halfway point of about 6.5 miles (do you really eat a Gu?). I seemed to feel the Gu kick in at about the 7.25 mile point. There was never a point where I was ready to walk -- there was a point at about the 5.5 mile point when I seriously contemplated cutting it short and heading home, to the point of calculating the approximate miles by doing that. But, I didn't do it.

So, I feel good about the run this morning and feel like maybe I'm back on track.

After running, we helped our daughter move -- she changed apartments. I was concerned that I would be in agony but the constant moving, even the up and down stairs, seems to have kept me from being too stiff and sore.

One month until the Ukrop's 10K. I'd love to set a PR and break 45 minutes. It's a pretty flat course and maybe my last chance ever to run this race.

Our Bible study class begins a study of Mark tomorrow and I'm leading. So, I'd best finish preparing.

Run well, y'all,
Bob

ZZZ-Mailing

If I ever send an e-mail that, the moment I hit "Send", I decide should not have been sent, I now have a plausible defense -- "zzz-mailing". This is great! The concept surely applies to other forms of communication, too -- zzz-Facebooking, zzz-blogging, zzz-training. I should never have to take responsibility for anything that I do, say, or write again -- Oh, you heard me say **that**? I must have been zzz-talking.

On a running note: I must admit that there's is a bit of perverse satisfaction in running in really cold weather, especially when you see the look of someone's face when they learn you ran this morning when the temperature was 19° (or 5° or whatever). There is definitely the personal satisfaction of having done it. But, I'm ready for some morning temps in the 30°s. I am most definitely NOT ready for summer -- I don't like hot and running in temps greater than 70° or so is more miserable than running when it's 5°. But, a tiny bit more warmth wouldn't be bad. This morning: 5.9 miles, 49:45, 19°F, 57% humidity.

Run well, y'all,
Bob

Tuesday at Tempo

Cold tempo run this morning -- 18°F when I left and 17°F when I finished. Goal was 6 miles total -- 1 warm up, 4 @ 7:27, 1 cool down. I got sidetracked on the first fast mile because of traffic and lost some seconds, but the whole thing was a real struggle and the first half of the last fast mile was uphill -- ughhh. Anyway, it was actually better than I thought. Here's the breakdown:

Tempo Splits
1.0 x 8:42.68 (warm up)
1.0 x 7:59.92
1.0 x 7:18.63
1.0 x 7:13.69
1.0 x 8:08.63
1.1 x 9:20.74 (cool down)

I am so bad at regulating my pace.

Run well, y'all,
Bob

Look Familiar?

This is an advert from the Flora London Marathon, but I've felt this way after a half marathon and even, one day, after a 7-mile training run. Oh, the joys of running:



Run well, y'all,
Bob

Cletus Take the Reel

If you like corny parody, then this might be right up your alley -- a parady of Carrie Underwood's, Jesus Take the Wheel. Personally, I love it:



Run, and fish, well, y'all,
Bob

Track Blowouts

I got to add another country to my list of Countries in Which I've Run -- Turkey. I was in a meeting last week in Belek, Turkey and ran 4 mornings. It was flat, flat, flat. The only hill was in the hotel parking lot. Actually, it was a good thing I ran -- those were the only times I even stepped outside the hotel. I saw a beautiful sunrise on Wednesday -- sunrise ahead of me, snow-covered mountains ahead and to the left of me.

Another set of track intervals/repeats out of the way. I got a call from our emergency answering service about 11:10 last night -- fortunately, it wasn't a major emergency but it did get my adrenaline going a bit. So, I was really tired. Fortunately, I knew there were people who would be expecting me so I got up and headed out in the cold (26°). The goal was to do the warm-up by running to the high school, then do 4 x 800 meters @ 3:20 with a recovery 400 meters between each, then to do the cool-down running home. On the recovery lap after the 3rd 800 meters, we decided to just do 400 meters for the last lap. These things are HARD!

Here are the splits:

1.50 mi x 12:31.87
 800 m x 3:20.08
 400 m x 2:27.49
 800 m x 3:18.90
 400 m x 2:28.83
 800 m x 3:21.01
 400 m x 2:31.62
 400 m x 1:33.52
1.50 mi x 13:10.99

Run well, y'all,

Bob

Snowfall

Well, Richmond is not a winter wonderland, if you define that as a place that has lots of snow. So, it doesn't take a whole lot of the white stuff to get me excited.

The prediction had been for snow but I really expected rain. So, when I got up and heard the sound of water falling, I got mentally ready to to to the YMCA and hit the treadmill. Grabbed my driving license and keys, opened the door, and was quite surprised to see the grass, steps, vehicles covered (albeit ever so lightly) in white stuff ... and more of it coming down with no rain mixed in. (The temperature was 33° so what I had heard earlier was melting snow falling off the trees.) Snow! Turned around, put the keys and license on the end table, grabbed my blinking light, head lamp, and gloves and headed out for a run in the falling snow.

Met up with couple of guys from our informal running group. They were running roughly the same route I had planned to run, so we stayed together and had a great run of 5.3 miles. (Thanks Drew and Owen.)

Run well, y'all,
Bob

Tempo Run

Today's run was a tempo run -- I had planned to do this on Tuesday but there is rain and freezing stuff predicted and I didn't want to miss the speedwork this week. The goal was 1 mile warm-up, 3 miles @ 7:26 mpm, and 1 mile cool down. I did it but wow! I had a cold last week and that's really sapped me. Here are the splits:

TEMPO SPLITS:
1.00 x 8:40.95 (warm-up)
1.00 x 7:28.46
1.00 x 7:21.32
1.00 x 7:15.26
1.26 x 11:25.64 (cool down)

To meet my goal time for the Ukrop's 10K, I have to maintain the pace of my 3rd tempo mile for the full race. I'm glad I still have 8 weeks to go -- even then it will be tough.

Run well, y'all,
Bob

Riddle Answer: The Opposite of Progress...

If con is the opposite of pro, then what is the opposite of progress?

Congress!

Run well, y'all,
Bob

Should I or Shouldn't I...?

Should I or shouldn't I workout today? If you'ver ever come to that moment in your day when you have to decide, but you cannot, maybe this will help (click on the chart to see it full size and actually be able to read it):This chart is stolen from courtesy of Merry, co-blogger of Cranky Fitness, a humourous, often irreverent blog on matters more or less related to fitness and health. I've only reproduced the chart -- you really need to click on the link and go read the real thing. It's worth your while.

Run well -- well, just run -- y'all,
Bob

Virginia Blood Services is Way High Tech

When I saw this placard, today, I knew that I had to post a blog. I'll make Paul Merrill proud because this is the kind of thing he seems to have a gift for seeing.

It seems that the Virginia Blood Services has made a break-through discovery. Maybe they're located in northern Virginia and have taken advantage of their proximity to the CIA, Pentagon, and other government agencies. I wonder if donating blood online is more or less painful than donating via the traditional process? A process this advanced would have to have been developed on a Mac. Will it work under Tiger or only under Leopard? I wonder if there is a Windows compatible version? Does it require Vista? What happens if you get the blue screen of death during an upload? OK, enough.

Run well, donate blood, y'all,
Bob

Track Repeats

Another day of track repeats. A couple of folks from my Wed/Sat running group joined me. That made the repeats more bearable -- I knew somebody else was suffering with me and we pushed each other a bit. Thanks John and Lynde.

The plan today was 2.12 miles to the track, 3 x 800m with 1 x 400m between each, 2.12 miles home. The target pace for the 800m intervals was 3:20. Here's the breakdown:

2.12 mi @ 18:01.32
800 m @ 3:33.27 (+0:13.27)
400 m @ 2:37.82
800 m @ 3:26.79 (+0:06.79)
400 m @ 2:46.32
800 m @ 3:18.73 (-0:01.27) (Av. 3:26.26 (+0:06.26))
2.12 mi @ 18:07.94

All in all, not too bad.

Run well, y'all,
Bob

The Opposite of Progress...

Great joke/pun/whatever from the movie, Reservation Road, (and totally out of character with the serious and sad nature of the movie...

If con is the opposite of pro, then what is the opposite of progress?

Any answers or guesses?

Run well, and laugh often, y'all,
Bob

25 Years of Macintosh

Tomorrow, 24 January, marks 25 years since Apple introduced the Macintosh. Though I've used Apple computers for 23 years, I didn't jump to a Mac until about 1994. Our first computer was an Apple IIe. We splurged an bought a whole megabyte of RAM and a revolutionary 3.5" disk drive. Four years later, we debated switching to a Mac but they were too slow -- processor speed and RAM hadn't caught up to the demands of the graphical interface. So, we stayed with the Apple II and bought an Apple IIgs. Each of those original computers was used for more than 10 years.

Since then, though, it's been Mac all the way. There are 4 in our house -- a non-working PowerBook G4, an iBook G3 that acts as a print server* on our wireless network, my 2006 MacBook Pro, and my wife's 2008 MacBook.

The Mac was introduced during the Super Bowl 1984 with this commercial -- a slam at IBM's everything-looks-alike corporate image:



Happy Birthday, Macintosh!

Run (and compute) well, y'all,
Bob

*I was surprised the other day by how cool this setup is. My wife had printed something, went upstairs to get the document, and came down with a database that she hadn't printed. I didn't recognize it at first. Then I remembered that earlier in the day, at my office downtown, I had tried to print a document and hit "Print" too quickly sending the document to the default printer, this iBook print server, rather than the one in our office. I thought it odd that that document wasn't stuck in my print queue but didn't think much of it. Turns out that the document had been sent via the internet to our house to that iBook. I had no idea that was possible.

A Dream Come True

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. I have a dream today. --Martin Luther King, Jr. (28 August 1963)

Martin Luther King Jr's dream hasn't come completely true but tomorrow, 20 January 2009, is a huge leap toward that dream.

Now, I don't agree with Barack Obama on a number of issues but wow! Tomorrow is an incredible day.

I'll reserve the right to disagree, just as I have disagreed with George W Bush. But, I will pray for President Obama -- that he will have wisdom that exceeds his experience, that he will have the courage to do the right thing, that he will seek God's will in every decision he faces, that he and his family will be protected both physically and spiritually.

Run well, y'all -- Govern well, Barack
Bob

A Frigorific Run

I knew it was coming, but when I looked at my wireless frigorimeter this morning and saw that it was 5.4°F and 44% humidity, I knew it was going to be a frigorific run. But, I was prepared and pulled on my stuff and headed out the door to meet the group that was crazy enough to run this morning.

It didn't take long to recognize that I had overdressed. I had not run in temperatures colder than 12° and had been cold during those runs. Here's what I wore:

Layer 1:

Asics boxers
LS cotton-feel tech shirt
Lite wool socks
Lite wool gloves

Layer 2:

Under Armor Coldgear tights
Cheap poly-cotton sweat shirt
Balega Trail-buster socks
*Insulated gloves

Layer 3:

*Medium weight poly-cotton warmup pants
*Heavy fleece jacket
Acrylic knit toboggan cap with ear flaps
Etonic Jepara 2 SC shoes

Items marked with "*" are the things I would change. I think I would wear a light-weight glove -- maybe the convertible half-finger/mitten gloves. I would wear my light-weight wind pants rather than the knit warmups. And, I would go with my lighter-weight fleece. Yesterday evening, I tried to buy a head covering that would cover everything except my eyes but the VA State Police got to Dick's Sporting Goods before I did and bought all that they had (there were probably 75 of the coverings in the store on Thursday evening).

I had frost on my jacket before the end of the first mile. I think that means that my gear is wicking the sweat away from my body and that's a really good thing. When I finished and was cooling down, I passed some folks who were beginning their 10K training. One of the guys commented that I looked like I had been in the Arctic.

The run, itself, was pretty tough. My legs felt dead -- don't know if it was the weight of all the extra stuff or the short night of sleep or just one of those days. Ten miles is a long run but it's not like I don't do those on a regular basis. Our overall pace was 8:33 mpm, about what we were shooting for but it included 3 or 4 walk breaks for me. Oh well, it was still a satisfying run -- to do it in this kind of weather.

Run well, y'all, and stay warm,
Bob

TIART -- 5K/10K

Runner's Lounge sponsors a Take It and Run Thursday each week, inviting lounge participants to contribute by posting on their own blog and posting a link on the Runner's Lounge site. This week's topic is 5K and 10K races.

When I started running again 5 1/2 years ago, my goal was to lose weight and get in shape -- I wanted to be more healthy. I wasn't particularly interested in racing except for one race. I had seen a blurb somewhere about a Candlelight 5K run in Greenville, SC. I grew up in Traveler's Rest, just north of Greenville and my parents now live in Greenville. The run was originally scheduled for early March and start time was 9 pm. The original course wound through the old, historic section of Greenville, through Cleveland Park, and was marked by candles in bags along the course. All in all, there was a lot of appeal for this particular race both in its uniqueness and its nostalgia. So, I determined that if I were ever in the US when this race was run, I would visit my parents and participate.

When we took a temporary position in Richmond, VA in May 2005, I knew my chance had come. So, I signed up for the 2006 race. When I signed up, there were only about 4 weeks remaining until the race and I had done nothing toward getting ready. I was participating in the Runner's World Beginning Runners' forum at the time and got some prep advice from others. They said the best thing I could do was to run 5 x 1km repeats at goal race pace. I made a beginner's mistake and set my goal for too quick a pace and couldn't maintain that pace for 5-1km intervals. Fortunately, the race was rescheduled for early June and I had some more time to prepare. Though I didn't hit my "Wow!" goal, I was pleased with my time (22:46), coming in 76th overall and 5th in my age group.

Since that race, I've run in two 10K races and three half marathons. All of those were chosen because of something unique about them. Whatever success I've had in those subsequent races came as a result of what I learned in my novice preparation for that first 5K race -- the value of speedwork. As I've prepared for each 10K and half marathon, I've continued to do track work (either 800m or 1600m repeats) and longer tempo runs. Besides training my body and mind to run faster, I think one of the big benefits of speedwork is that it breaks the sameness of normal training runs that tend, at least for me, to be at a steady pace -- speedwork provides some needed variety. So, my advice to new runners who are getting ready for a 5K or 10K is to do some kind of speedwork during each week leading up to a race (except for a lower mileage rest week every 3-4 weeks).

Run well, y'all,
Bob

Be Careful What You Chase ...

... you might catch it.

This is hilarious. In all my years (you don't want to know how many) of watching Road Runner cartoons, I had never seen this one.



Run well, and fast, y'all,
Bob

My Most Dreaded Workout -- I Won Today!

I'll make no secret about it -- I don't like track repeats. They're just plain hard. Basically, you run almost as hard as you can, jog slowly, and then do it again, and again. I'm now following a training plan to get ready for Richmond's Ukrop's 10K. I would really like to break 45 minutes. The plan called for a track workout session this week and today was the best day for that.

So, 5:10 and 28°, off I went to the track. I was supposed to do a 1 mile warm-up, 3 x 800m intervals at 3:20 each with a 400m recovery job between each, and end with a 1 mile cool down. I didn't want to do the warm up/cool down on the track (running in circles is barely tolerable for the repeats themselves), so I ran from home. My warm up and cool down were more like 1.8 miles each.

I surprised myself on the intervals:

800 x 3:22.05
400 x 2:31.63
800 x 3:19.42
400 x 2:30.06
800 x 3:16.25

The first 800m was a touch slow but the last 2 800m's made up for it. Hard but quite satisfying.

Run well, y'all,
Bob

Running for Dollars (Zim Dollars)

[The picture comes from CNN's web site.]

A news snippet I caught on CNN this morning: the situation in Zimbabwe continues to deteriorate. Personally, I don't know how it can get much worse. The economy is in absolute shambles. Inflation is estimated at an unbelievable 231,000,000% (no, that's not a typo -- it's 231 million percent). That's totally unfathomable to me but this example helps. When the Zimbabwe government printed a new $10 billion note 3 weeks ago, it purchased 20 loaves of bread (if you could find bread). Now, it will purchase a half loaf of bread.

The government announced that it is printing a new $50 billion note (again, not a type -- that's a B). That will currently purchase about 2 loaves of bread. That note is worth US $2.00 today. At the current hyperinflation rate, within 24 hours after its release, the new $50 billion note will purchase a few crumbs of bread (1/316,438th of a loaf) -- a full loaf of bread will cost Zim $15,821,917,808,200,000.00 if the price of bread rises like everything else. That's almost Zim $16 quadrillion!! Sheesh!

[DISCLAIMER: I reserve the right to have my figures wrong. This is so bad that I'm having trouble figuring it out.]

And that's just one facet of the economy. I haven't (and won't) even mentioned the political situation and all the horrible things that are going on in that country. Pray for the people of Zimbabwe. I honestly don't know how they are surviving. Some very courageous colleagues of mine continue to live and work in Zimbabwe doing what they can to provide hope to the people of that beleaguered country.

Running seems somewhat trivial when I think about the people of Zimbabwe. None the less, I did run this morning -- 11.7 miles at an average pace of 8:14 mpm. Great run in chilly (36°) weather.

Run well, y'all, and pray for Zimbabwe,
Bob

The Latest from Apple (thanks to The Onion)

According to this video by The Onion, the newest innovation from Apple is the MacBook Wheel -- What could be simpler? (Caution: language can be a bit coarse on The Onion's site.) I really like the predictive sentence technology.

I am a confirmed Apple user. Our house has had nothing else for almost 23 years. We started with an Apple IIe, moved to a IIgs, then a Mac Performa, and a series of Mac laptops. While we have had our share of problems, usually they just work. Maybe my next Mac will be the Macbook Wheel (ROTFLOL -- NOT!).

Run well, y'all,
Bob

Are You Fit?

Have you ever talked to someone who says, "I'm in pretty good shape" but in the next moment you see them walk across the room huffing and puffing from the exertion? I suspect that most of us wonder if there's an easy, non-embarrassing way to determine if we're fit or not. Sure, one could go to the local high school track, run a mile, and then compare the results to some fitness chart. You could go to the local YMCA or other fitness facility and see just how much weight you can lift. But, there's a problem -- I don't think most folks want to test their fitness in a public place because of the fear of what others might think. Whether that's from a fear of failing or just a basic self-consciousness is not really important. Wouldn't it be nice to have some simple things that you could do at home so that you could know if you have a minimal, basic level of fitness?

Well, Howard Schneider, fitness columnist at the Washington Post, thought it would be a good thing. So, he gathered some personal trainers in the DC area and asked them. He came up with a basic list and wrote about it in an article on Tuesday, Figuring Out How Fit You Really Are. (Read the whole article by clicking on the article title. You might have to register an account with the Post but it's free.)

Schneider came up with this list of things you can do at home or inobtrusively. HUGE DISCLAIMER: I am not a physician nor a certified fitness trainer nor even an uncertified fitness trainer. I cannot and will not take responsibility for what might happen if you follow the suggestions below. You should always get your doctor's opinion before beginning an exercise program. And, if you have a problem that would be aggravated by anything that follows, by all means DON'T DO THEM! Be smart about your health.

Check your aerobic capacity: Walk up a flight of steps and check your breathing at the top. Two or three steps aren't enough -- it needs to be enough steps to make it a test. Say, Schneider says, like the steps at the Woodley Park Metro stop in DC. Maybe a floor or two in your apartment or office building. If, at the top, you can carry on a conversation without gasping for breath, then you're in decent shape. If you have to stop midway or are breathless, then you need to make and stick to a cardio-fitness resolution.

Check your lower-body strength: do a wall squat. With your back against a wall and your feet shoulder-width apart, slide down and move your feet out until your knees are at a 90-degree angle, with the hips parallel to the floor. Hold it for a minute and you have decent leg and glute strength. Use a support to get into and out of the position if needed. Don't aggravate a known knee issue by trying this.

Check your upper-body strength: if you can get your carry-on into the overhead compartment of a plane without assistance or you can carry your groceries up the steps without resting or you can lean over a sink to shave or wash your face without your back hurting, then you have at least minimal lower-body fitness. The one that I fail on is, Can you get out of bed without rolling to one side and pushing up with your hands? Maybe I can but I don't because I have had back problems and I don't want to aggravate my back. So, I roll to my side and sit up.

Check your flexibility: Can you touch your toes? Can you wash or scratch your back?

Check your balance: Can you stand on one foot for 30 seconds and switch to the other foot for 30 seconds without having to hold on or put your foot down?

OK, I've just hit the high points. Read the article. If you do something you shouldn't do or fail to do something you should have done when you test yourself, I'm not responsible.

These are minimal and non-scientific standards. Just because you meet minimal standards, don't let that be an excuse not to do better. Better fitness is one component of better overall health.

Run well, y'all,
Bob

Running Slow, Running Fast

It seems intuitive -- the faster, harder, longer one runs in training, the faster, harder, longer one is able to run in a race. Therefore, on a daily basis one should run as fast and hard and long as possible. After all, that's what we do with other skills -- when practicing to type, one types as fast and accurately as possible -- once one learns the keyboard, slow typing doesn't have any benefit.

Well, not so in running. It turns out that running slow helps you run fast.

Earlier this week, I came across an interesting article on the Runner's World site, Slow Down to Speed Up. The journal, Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise published a study that was done to determine how hard competitive endurance athletes train and how that relates to their running performance. As a group, the runners in the test trained 71% of the time at a low intensity (60% VO2 max or at heartrates <140 bpm), 21% of the time at a moderate intensity (60-85% VO2 max or 140-171 bpm), and only 8% of the time at a high intensity (>85% VO2 max or >171 bpm). The results were interesting:

...the runners who had logged the most time training in the low-intensity zone fared the best. The reason why low-intensity running yields such great dividends is that it is aerobic conditioning at its best: It improves heart and lung function while it puts less stress on the ligaments and tendons that are vulnerable to injury at higher intensities.

I'm using a Runner's World Smart Coach training plan to get ready for the Ukrop's Monument Ave 10K at the end of March. This week's plan, the first week of 12, calls for these miles and speeds -- a rough correlation to the training patterns (not the speeds) of the fast guys and girls:

• Monday: 4 miles @ 8:53 mpm
• Tuesday: 4 miles @ 8:53 mpm
• Wednesday: Tempo run -- 1 mile warm up, 3 miles @ 7:26 mpm, 1 mile cool down
• Thursday: 4 miles @ 8:53 mpm
• Saturday: 9 miles @ 8:53 mpm

It's hard to run @ 8:53 mpm. OK, yes, and it's hard to run @ 7:26 mpm, too. My most comfortable and natural pace is somewhere in the 8:00-8:20 mpm range. Every single person is different so what feels comfortable or hard for you may be faster or slower. The article was a great reminder of the value of making myself run in the lower intensity zone even when my body feels like stepping it up.

By the way, because of weather and schedule, I changed up the days a bit on the training plan. I did the tempo run today (Thursday) after having run 4 days straight. My 3 fast miles averaged about 7:36 mpm -- not my target but considering a 14+ mph head wind and the fact that I haven't done any speed work since October, I was pretty pleased:

• 1.00 x 08:47.43
• 1.00 x 07:56.54
• 1.00 x 07.41.12
• 1.00 x 07:11.52
• 1.26 x 10:18.29

Run well, y'all, and slow down sometimes,
Bob

The Button

I like having a treadmill available to use for mornings like this morning but I don't particularly enjoy running on the treadmill. At 5 this morning, it was 36° and lightly raining. I wasn't interested in being wet and cold (I don't mind cold and I will run in wet and warm) so off to the YMCA I went. Little did I know that I would find yet another reason to dislike the treadmill. My plan, changed when I realized it was raining, was to do a relatively easy 4.5 miler. Even though I was watching and listening to the local news, I get bored on the t'mill so I started at 7 mph, bumped it to 7.2 mph after 1 mile, then up to 7.5 mph after 2 miles.

Well, watching the news, I wasn't paying quite as close attention to my running as I otherwise would have done and I outran the treadmill. That's normal for me but I usually notice. Not today -- I ran right up into the front rail. Well, you know what's right in the middle of that front rail, don't you? Yes, the Emergency Shut-off Button. Right, the one that when hit, immediately stops the belt dead in an attempt to throw you off the front -- and which then resets, erasing all your data.

I hit The Button! I managed not to get tossed off into the elliptical machines in front of me but for a split second I could not, for the life of me, figure out what had happened. What a pain. I had just glanced at the mileage so I knew that I had run 2.93 miles but I had only the vaguest of ideas about the time (though I think I can figure it out). I pushed Start and nothing. Oh yeah, the thing has to reset. So, there I stand, huffing and puffing, waiting for it to reset and let me run again. What a pain! Give me the outdoors.

The only good thing was that, in the few seconds that it took to reset, I got my second wind and was able to finish a total of 4.6 miles feeling pretty good.

The predictions are for rain again in the morning. So, I may get another shot at The Button tomorrow. Joy!

Run well, y'all,
Bob

My Review of Etonic Jepara Running Shoes (For Men)

A couple of years ago, one of the Richmond running stores, Runner Bill's Sports, recommended I try the Etonic Jepara SC. At that time, I had used about 3 pair of Brooks Adrenaline ASR's and was going through them very quickly (250-300 miles). They always felt great for the first few miles but then the cushioning compacted or something and they felt hard and stiff. I found that the Jepara SC was heavier but had GREAT cushioning in both the heel and forefoot. Over the next couple of years, I used 4 pair and got 700+ miles out of them. Then, Etonic changed the shoe and replaced the Jepara SC with the Jepara 2 SC. Bad decision. The new shoe feels longer, stiffer, and seems to have less cushioning. But, the original Jepara SC seemed not to be available anywhere in my size. Over Christmas, however, I looked again and found them in my size at Sierra Trading Post for about $56.00 -- I snatched up 2 pair. I would buy more but am concerned that they would deteriorate some just sitting on the shelf. Sierra Trading Post asked me to write a review (as I'm sure they ask all their customers) and I did. That review is below with some slight editing. By the way, my one purchasing experience with Sierra Trading was an excellent experience -- they delivered exactly what I ordered and did so on time and with no hassle. They even included a return shipping label just in case:

Originally submitted at Sierra Trading Post

Closeouts . Rated best shoe for motion stabilizing by the Running Network, Etonic's Jepara running shoe helps keep the foot on a neutral plane while maintaining ample cushioning and breathability as you transition from heel strike to toe off. Perfect for mild over-pronators Microfiber and air...

Etonic Jepara Running Shoes (For Men)

Etonic Jepara SC (NOT J2SC)

By AllenKenya from Richmond, VA on 1/6/2009

 

4out of 5

Sizing: Feels half size too small

Width: Feels true to width

Pros: Absorbs Shock, Stable, Comfortable, Durable

Cons: Need better arch support, Slightly heavy

Best Uses: Endurance Training, Pavement, Running

Describe Yourself: Competitive Athlete (Well...not exactly but the next choice down was casual/recreational runner -- I'm somewhere in between -- maybe a competitive running enthusiast.)

Arch Type: Low Arch

I buy a full size longer and 1 width narrower than my street shoes (my street shoes are Rockport ProWalkers and are 11EE; I buy Jepara SC in 12D). Great cushioning in heel and forefoot. Durable -- I get 700 miles out of these versus 300-400 out of other brands, even though I'm at the break point between being a "normal" and "heavy" runner (180#). I have flat feet and think the Jepara SCs need a bit more arch support. The Jepara SC is far superior to the new Jepara 2 SC in both fit and comfort. A tad heavier than other shoes but cushioning and durability make it worth the weight.

Etonic Jepara SC (men's)

Tags: Picture of Product

(legalese)

Totally NRR: SUMO Paint

I was lazy on the 2nd 3rd day of this new year and didn't run. (Apparently I was so lazy that I didn't even know what day it was!) Well, OK, in my own defense, I stayed up too late playing a game of Carcassonne (and lost, no less). So, this is totally and completely not running related.

Reading a technology blog this morning, I found a reference to an online image editing program, SUMO Paint and checked it out. No one accuses me of being an artist but I decided just to fiddle around with the program and came up with this:



Yeah, I don't think I'll quit my day job but it was fun to play around with for a few minutes.

BTW, I'd recommend Carcassonne, too. It's a good combination of light strategy, lotsa luck, and a reasonably quick play.

Run well, y'all,
Bob

Establishing the Exercise Habit

I wonder how many people have made a New Year's resolution that includes starting an exercise program or, more specifically, that includes starting to run. I would guess it's a pretty large number. I haven't been to the YMCA for a while, now, but in the last 3 New Year's that we have celebrated in the US, the number of people in the Y balloons in early January only to taper off sharply by February or March. Lots of people make that resolution but it seems that most don't stick with it.

That's been my personal observation but a blog and an article that I read today both confirm my observations: a blog on Diet Blog, Making Exercise a Habit, and John Bingham's article in the current Runner's World magazine, Up and Over. Ali Hale, in today's entry on Diet Blog, says that three times as many people join a gym in January as in December ... and lots of them won't be back again after the first of February. She goes on to give some excellent suggestions on how to transform a desire to exercise into a habit of exercise.

Bingham talks about a tipping point in a beginning exercise program -- a point at which you can't imagine not lacing up your shoes to go out for a run. He says that the failure rate for beginning exercisers seems to be very high. They start with faulty expectations and unrealistic goals, and they fail miserably and give up. They don't stick with it long enough to get to their tipping point.

After 5 1/2 years of running, I think I have the habit established. While I enjoy my planned days off, if I miss running on a day on which I would normally have run, it's rarely a good thing. I think there are lots of ways to get the habit established. Hale's 4 suggestions are excellent:

Fit exercise into your day
Make it regular
Keep track
Involve other people

Those have been the things that have helped me make running a habit -- well, those and my natural obstinacy.

Fit exercise into your day: Early, early morning is the best time for me. There are no meetings scheduled for 5:15 am, I don't get caught in the office at that time of day, I'm not generally mentally or emotionally exhausted at that point. The only downside is that I have to either get to bed at a decent time or run on less than optimal sleep.

Make it regular: This is where my pig-headedness works to my advantage. I made up my mind that I was going to run and I just do it. Regular doesn't have to mean sameness. I have made running a regular part of my activities -- I run 4-5 days per week, sometimes 6 -- but I try not to run the same route twice in any given week. I normally don't run the same distance on any two days in a week. This week, for instance, I ran 4.6 miles on Tuesday, 9.2 miles on Wednesday, 8 miles today, and will likely run 10 miles on Saturday -- no two routes are anywhere close to being the same. I'm always looking for a new route or a new twist to an old route so that I don't get too settled or bored. I probably have 150+ bookmarks for various running routes in Short Pump. On the other hand, some people like to run the same route or a small number of routes every day. They don't have to think about it -- they just get out an run.

Keep track: Again, I've been pretty obstinate about this but I keep a pretty meticulous record of my running -- distance, time, pace, weather, route, brief notes, monthly totals, annual totals, totals since I started running seriously (again), averages, etc. For the last 2 years, I have used an online Google Sheets spreadsheet to keep my records. Before that, I had designed and used a ClarisWorks/AppleWorks spreadsheet and an Excel spreadsheet. This allows me to see my progress and is a real motivator.

Involve other people: I've done that in various ways. There are a few people who at least act like they are interested in my running. I talk with them about running (I try, more or less successfully, not to talk about running with those who really don't care). There have been a couple of people over the years with whom I have run occasionally but in the last year, I've joined up with a group of runners in the Short Pump area of Richmond and that's added a wonderful dimension to my running and has helped me gain some new friends. For a couple of years, I participated regularly on the Beginners' Forum in the Runner's World forums. I got a lot of encouragement from that and was able to give encouragement. Over the last 2-3 years, I've participated, more or less regularly, in the running blogging world. This blog, though initially started so that I could record those non-running related thoughts and contemplations that I have while running, has become my external accountability for running. It's as much for me as anything else but writing about my running is a motivator.

Those things have helped but I don't think they're enough to keep the average beginning runner going. They would not have been enough for me. Bingham, I think, has hit the nail on the head. Most people start running (or any other fitness or weight control program) with unrealistic expectations and faulty assumptions -- they don't get to the tipping point.

I think that one thing most people either don't realize or forget is that exercise is not fun at first. Those of us who have made exercise a habit talk about it in glowing terms -- I love running; I feel so energized after a run; Man, the feeling you get when you hit the "runner's high" is awesome!. Professional athletes make it look easy -- we see the end results, not the very hard work that they do to get to that point. We're bombarded by the hype of infomercials about instant results without any effort. Then, when we start exercising we find out that it actually takes effort. While I almost instantly liked the results of walking/running, it took a full year of running before I could say that I liked and enjoyed the running itself. Health and fitness are not pursuits with instant gratification.

Running is hard. Sometimes it hurts. Lifting weights or swimming or the elliptical machine or the stationary bike or aerobics or Pilates or eating right are hard. Sometimes they hurt, often they're inconvenient, usually you have to give up something else that you really like in order to do them. Even eating right is hard -- loading up on HFCS-laden soda, eating a bag of chips, eating chocolate cake, fast food all taste good (OK, there might be some argument about some fast food but I think Taco Bell's Crunch Wrap tastes really good) -- and at first, when you cut calories, you sometimes get hungry and just want to eat something you know isn't good for you.

That fact catches people off guard -- it surprises them -- they can't figure out why it's so hard, why they are exhausted after a run and not rejuvenated, why they are huffing and puffing so hard after just a few dozen yards. They then conclude that running (or eating right or something else) must not be for them and they quit.

If you have resolved to get in shape this year, go for it! I'm with you. Just stick with it long enough to get to the tipping point. That means taking the long view -- it may take a year before you can say that you like _____________ (you fill in the blank with whateer you've resolved to do) so hang in there awhile. Once you pass that tipping point, you'll be glad you did.

Run well, y'all,
Bob

Starting the New Year Right

New Year's Eve at the Allens' house is usually pretty tame, and last night was no exception. We watched TV, switching back and forth between the networks to see Times Square through various eyes. As midnight approached, we broke out the fizzy grape juice and went to bed shortly after. I wanted to run today, but decided to just let my body decide how much sleep it needed.

I woke up about 7, then again at 8:45, and finally got up at 9:15. It was too late to get in a morning run because I knew I would be really hungry before I got very far. So I made chai, peeled a grapefruit, and fixed my bagel and neufchatel cheese and sat down to have a quiet, leisurely morning. I really figured that a run was out but that was OK.

Well, after reading some blogs, seeing on Facebook that several friends were getting in their first run of 2009, and then reading a couple of articles in Runner's World, I couldn't stand it. I had to get out. It was chilly (32°) but the sun was out so I decided that my normal 32° weather clothes were too heavy and changed. Good decision. The wind was blowing and it was pretty cool, but I wasn't uncomfortable at all.

I felt like I was running at about a 8:30 mpm pace. However, at the end of what I thought was 3 miles, my watch hit 24 minutes on the nose. Hmmm, I thought, it doesn't feel that fast. I was running a slightly different route than I had ever run so even at the end, when my watch said the total run was 1:02:27, I figured that, at best, I had finished at a pace of about 8:05. After cooling down and getting a shower, I plotted the run and it was 8.0234 miles (according to Gmaps Pedometer). That made it a pace of 7:47 mpm.

I'll take that for a first run of the new year.

Happy New Year and run well, y'all,
Bob

Christmas Hills

Yes, I know it's a week after Christmas Day but, with traveling, I just hadn't posted this to my blog. Watching Clemson beat Nebraska (at least 1/3 of the way through the 3rd quarter), I have time to blog. [Hmmmm. In the time it's taken to write this blog, Clemson has gone from being up 21-10 to being down 23-21. Not good!]

We arrived late to my parents' house in Greenville, SC on Christmas Eve. By the time we got to bed, it was midnight-thirty so, even though we were doing Christmas late (breakfast at 8 and gifts at 9), I "knew" there was no way to get in a run Christmas morning. That was OK. But, I woke up at 5:15 and couldn't go back to sleep. So, off I went.


I only wanted to run 4-4.5 miles. There are lots of hills in Greenville and my normal 4+/- miler included some pretty bad ones. So, I used Gmaps Pedometer to plot a 4.8 miler that avoided the hills -- or so I thought. I hit mile 2.5 and had an Uh-Oh! moment. (The picture shows the middle 1.3 miles of the run -- the part with the Uh-Oh! hills.) I turned a corner and was unexpectedly facing a steep downhill. I may be dumb but I do know that what goes down has to go back up. Sure enough, about a half-mile later, I turned the corner and was facing a mountain! If that wasn't bad enough, I had a bit of a downhill after about a quarter-mile and then another mountain! It turned out to be a total climb of about 100' over a half mile -- @70' up over 0.2 miles, @35' down over @.1 miles, then @73' straight up over 0.2 miles.

So much for avoiding hills. Man, I was breathing hard after that half mile! I should have checked the elevations when I plotted the run.

Still, I got a good workout on Christmas morning -- an unexpected gift. I hope your Christmas run was good.

Run well, y'all,
Bob

It Was a Good Year -- 2008

(Picture: From Chapman's Peak looking back down the road)

Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Closing Out 2008

This is my running summary for the year. It's more for my benefit but perhaps it will be of interest to someone else :) I think the most enjoyable part of running this year has been the group runs on Wednesdays and Saturdays from John Rolfe Commons. I've enjoyed getting to know a number of folks who live in Short Pump -- thanks, guys and gals -- you've made my last year in Richmond memorable.

Number of runs: 232

WARM-UP WALKING AND RUNNING:
Distance: 1569.33 miles
Average distance: 6.76
Total time (hh:mm:ss): 219:27:52.92
Average MPM (mm:ss): 8:23.45

RUNNING ONLY:
Distance: 1536.7307 miles
Average distance: 6.624
Total time (hh:mm:ss): 212:05:56.4
Average MPM (mm:ss): 8:16:52.32

Shoes: 2 pair Etonic Jepara SC, 1 pair Etonic Jepara SC 2 (current)
States: VA, NC, SC, GA, TX, FL, MA
Countries: South Africa, Kenya
Longest Run: 14.9 miles, Richmond, VA training run
Fastest Run: Richmond, VA, 15-Mar-08, 6.2137 miles@7:19.19 mpm
Fastest Mile: Richmond, VA 21-May-08, 1 mile@6:45.44 mpm (4th mile of 5.26 mile tempo)
Favourite Run: Chapman's Peak, Nordhoek, South Africa
Most Exotic Run: Chapman's Peak, Nordhoek, South Africa
Most Fun Run: Hmmmm. Not sure -- maybe one of the group training runs
Worst/Hardest Run: Maymont X-Terra Half Marathon -- I didn't drink enough early enough

RACES:
Ashland 10K Railroad Run, 15-Mar-08, 45:29
Ukrop's 10K (Richmond), 5-Apr-08, 45:43
Patrick Henry Half Marathon (Ashland), 23-Aug-08, 1:53:10
Maymont X-Terra Half Marathon (Richmond), 27-Sep-08, 2:01:25

Run well, y'all,
Bob

Runs With Dogs

My encounters with dogs have usually been good. But, my experiences with dogs and running have not, until yesterday, been pleasant ones. Several years ago, while running in a small Tanzania town early one morning, I had a most unpleasant encounter with a pack of about 6 dogs. They came out from behind the building I had just passed, barking and growling. I decided that trying to outrun them was probably not a good idea, so I stopped and faced them. Sometimes pretending to pick up a rock and throwing it works, but not that day.

This is not looking good, I thought to myself. I spread out my arms, palms forward and began talking to the dogs in Swahili as they circled me a couple of times. I watched in horror as one of them chomped down on my leg. He (or she -- determining that really didn't cross my mind at that point) bit once and then the whole pack turned and ran off. To this day I have no idea why they left -- I don't know if, while backing slowly away, I had crossed some invisible boundary line or if God sent an angel to scare them off or if, as I have teased my African friends, they just didn't like the taste of white meat -- but I was grateful. I happened to be about halfway through a 3 mile out-and-back route and had no choice but to go back -- fortunately, I was able to take a loop through town and circle around the dogs. I ended up getting both the post-bite rabies shot and the vaccine (it had to be flown from Johannesburg, South Africa to Nairobi, Kenya on a commercial flight and then from Nairobi to Iringa, Tanzania on a small plane owned and operated by our mission organization.

Needless to say, that has made me quite skittish about untethered dogs when I'm running. Seven or eight years later, I still have the brown marks on my leg where that dog bit me.

(*License information)
Yesterday, I had run about 5.5 miles at Lake Hartwell (GA) and had already had one untethered dog bark at me and another black lab pup follow me for a few yards. I made the turn into my sister-in-law's neighborhood and heard the patter of dog feet coming up fast behind me. Oh, no, I thought as I looked around. I knew there was a good chance it would turn out fine since it was a black lab and my experience with labs is that they are usually more interested in being petted and playing than in chewing on people, still .... This one turned out to be the friendly type.

The really neat thing about this was that she ran behind and to the side of me for the last 1.6 miles of my run. I chatted with her but every time I would look over my shoulder, she would move to the opposite side. Having her run with me, though, had a similar effect to running with other people. My mind immediately forgot about how tired I was and how much I was looking forward to finishing and I got my second wind. It was great. Pearl (I looked at her tag later) just seemed to be happy to be there, running as if this was the best thing that had happened to her all month. When I finished, she was quite happy to be petted and talked to. In fact, she stayed with me while I cooled down and then preferred for me to pet her rather than to get my stretching done. It was fun!

This morning I hit my 100 mile goal for the month and still have 4-5 runs left to do in December. So I have run 100+ miles each month this year -- 1538 miles this year. I ran a totally new route this morning. Later, my brother-in-law told me I had run through the drug-dealer section of Hartwell. Somehow, though, I doubt that the drug dealers or users were much of a danger at 7:00 this morning. I don't plan to run tomorrow, Christmas Day. But, hey, who knows.

Run well, y'all and Merry Christmas,
Bob

* Picture of black lab from Wikipedia. The owner of this JPEG file has licensed it under the Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 2.5 License. In short: you are free to share and make derivative works of the file under the conditions that you appropriately attribute it, and that you distribute it only under a license identical to this one. Official license

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Another New Take on an Old Christmas Favorite

Yet another rendition of The 12 Days of Christmas. This one is by a South Asian animator. We found it last Christmas but it's just as funny as ever:



Run well, y'all,
Bob

A New (Sort of) Twist on an Old Christmas Song

We just happened to notice that the annual Christmas in Washington, DC show was on TV last week (17-Dec). I love Christmas music so we turned it on, especially since Casting Crowns was going to sing. We thoroughly enjoyed the show but a bonus was being introduced to the acapella group, Straight No Chaser -- yeah, we're behind the times. The group began singing at Indiana U in the mid-90's. They've come back together to produce a Christmas album. On the show, they sang their rendition of The 12 Days of Christmas. It was funny (intentionally) but also showcased their talent. Someone has posted the clip from the show on YouTube.



There are a number of other SNC videos on YouTube.

Merry Christmas -- run well, y'all,
Bob

Fun While Running

It was 20° and windy when I finished running this morning. It was COLD and I ran more slowly than normal but it was a good run. Still, there were moments -- like then the wind was blowing full in my face and freezing my nose, lips, cheeks, ears, etc. -- when the thought of being inside and warm were really good thoughts and it was tempting to turn back. I enjoyed the run and was certainly glad I went out. But, if you want to see what real joy is when running in the cold and snow, watch this video:



Run well, y'all,
Bob

International Toothpaste [Virtual] Museum

Now, here's a site that you would never have thought of visiting if you weren't reading my blog! Actually, you probably would never have thought of looking for it -- The International Toothpaste Museum. Touted by its founder -- my cyber-friend, Paul Merrill -- as a completely green museum; [because] you cannot use any fuel to visit. Ahh ... and you thought variety in toothpaste was a choice between the various kinds of whitening toothpaste on the aisle in Wal-Mart!

Paul lived in Nairobi, Kenya for a few years and wrote a great blog on his day-to-day observations of life in Africa. He stopped updating that blog when he returned to the US, but it's still a great site for learning about life in Kenya from a street-level view. Now, Paul brings that same perspective on life in Colorado to cyberspace in his current blog, My Part of Colorado. Take a look and enjoy this well written blog (and don't forget to visit The International Toothpaste Museum).

Run well, y'all,
Bob

An Inexpensive Way to Poor Health

® Jack in the Box Inc.

One of those "found while looking for something else" news items. According to the Washington, DC based, non-profit Cancer Project, buying many of the cheap fast food deals may be a way to fight the immediate recessionary concerns of your wallet but may not be of any help to your long-term physical health. The Cancer Project identified the following as the worst deals for your health, starting with the worst deal:

NUMBER 1 WORST
Jack in the Box's $1.00 Junior Bacon Cheeseburger with 400 calories, 23 grams of fat, "including 8 grams of saturated fat and 1 gram of trans fat," and 860 milligrams of sodium (Jack in the Box's web site claims 803.5 mg of sodium). To their credit, for those who take the time to go to their web site, Jack in the Box does make suggestions for making wise decisions as part of your balanced lifestyle and diet...by substituting or even removing ingredients to reduce calories or otherwise customize your food. [Jack in the Box - Our Food: Lifestyle Choices]

NUMBER 2 WORST
Taco Bell's $0.89 Cheesy Double Beef Burrito with 20 grams of fat, including 7 grams of saturated fat, as well as 460 calories and 1,620 milligrams of sodium.

NUMBER 3 WORST
Burger King's Breakfast Sausage Biscuit with "420 calories and 27 grams of fat, including 15 grams of saturated fat. 1,090 milligrams of sodium."

NUMBER 4 WORST
McDonald's $1.00 McDouble sandwich with "390 calories, more than 43% of them from fat. 65 milligrams of cholesterol, more than 42% of the recommended daily value. 920 milligrams of sodium, 38% of the recommended daily value."

NUMBER 5 WORST
Wendy's Junior Bacon Cheeseburger with "310 calories, 46% of them from fat. Two strips of hickory-smoked bacon, a processed meat. 670 milligrams of sodium."

Hey, let's go for lunch!

Run (and eat) well, y'all,
Bob

(All restaurant/chain names and menu item names are registered trademarks or copyrighted by the respective companies.)

Sources:
Los Angeles Times, Jack in the Box burger tops unhealthful list, by Jerry Hirsch, 9 December 2008
Wall Street Journal Health Blog, From the ‘Worst’ to ‘Least Bad’ on Fast Food Value Menus, Posted by Sarah Rubenstei, 9 December 2008