2007 - A Look Ahead

I've never really been much of a planner. I do not set long range goals in my life. Usually I try to live by a set of principles and values I believe in deeply and then I just take what comes my way. I could have never planned what happened to me last year. If you would have asked me when I was 18 where I would be at 40 and how I would get there I would have never even come close to picking my current situation. I am not complaining. I like my life and it is good to be Tommy.

With that stated, I have to look ahead somewhat in running or I could never prepare for what the distances require. So this year here is what I am thinking:

On January 14 Jakeb and I are running the Half-Marathon in Houston. Together we have prepared him for it most of last year. Our goal is to finish, but I think Jakeb has a secondary goal of less than 2:00.

This year for Christmas my mom bought me an entry into the Surfside Beach Half-Marathon BUT the week after the White Rock Marathon I put together a training schedule to get me in shape to run the full that same day so I switched races.

Andrea and I both like to do the Bayou City Classic 10k in Houston. I think we will try to do that again this year. No time goals, just a run for fun.

In the summer I'd like to do some speed work and lower my 5k time a bit. My PR is 22:06 which I ran in 1996. I'm not sure I can beat that PR this year but I would like to lower my times from last year. In 2005 I only ran one 5k (the Mosquito Chase) which I finished in 23:34. I think I can do better.

Every year on July 4th our family likes to do the Firecracker 4. Every one of us did something last year and we all have matching t-shirts. I assume we will do that again this year. I will have to talk to the family logistics coordinator - Andrea.

I am thinking about doing Sunmart 50k next year. It is just a thought though. If I don't run Sunmart I will run a marathon again. I really want to move beyond 26.2 - if only once.

I've considered doing some multi-sport events but I am really enjoying just running right now. Besides I hate swimming for competition. My technique absolutely stinks. If I do a multi-sport event it will be an adventure race that has nothing to do with swimming like a run, bike, paddle - we'll see.

And last a reminder from an old Hebrew Proverb - "Man makes his plans but God guides his steps."

2006 Running Year in Review

This has been a good year of running, which I am happy with considering what has been happening in the rest of my life. I have thought through transition and done some soul searching while I’ve run this year. I’ve perpetuated bad thinking but eventually turned it around and started thinking well, all while I put one foot in front of the other.

This year I ran more than ever with Jakeb which has to be the highlight of the year.

I ran two marathons. On January 15th I ran the Houston Marathon in 4:13:41. It was the marathon where I hit the wall and blew up in the last five miles. Then on December 10th I ran the Dallas White Rock Marathon in 4:00:54 improving my PR by close to 13 minutes. It was a tough marathon but good for me.

On March 4th I ran the Lone Star Trail Run. It was my first trail run and I learned some valuable lessons like wear trail running shoes – they’re made for it. And I learned to bring something to carry your own water in, because even though they have it on the course it might be a long time before you get to it. I finished the 25k in 2:31.

This past year while I was on the road I ran in Dallas, Chicago, Lake Conroe, Lake Catherine State Park in Arkansas, and the Arkansas River Trail along the Arkansas River in Little Rock. I dig running in new places.

If I finish this week as planned I will have run a total of 1255 miles. This year was my longest year beating last year by 213 miles (1042). May was the month I ran the least amount of miles with 48. May is also the month I went on a hiking mission trip to the Himalayas in Nepal so I didn’t lack exercise. November was the longest month beating October by a mile coming in at 162.

I am looking forward to what 2007 running holds for me. I’ll post more about that soon.

Fog

I sweat like a pig when I run, but this morning during my five miler the moisture on my skin was more from the water in the air than it was from the liquid that seeps from my pores. My goatee had drops of water in it from the mist that hung in the air. It reminded me of a Stephen King novella I read once.

I felt abandoned by the rest of the world and almost claustrophobic as the fog closed me in and my iPod isolated me from any sound other than the Dave Matthews Band. Cars would appear as if from nowhere as the fog concealed them until they were just in sight. It was a good morning to stay off of the road and on the sidewalks where my ankles fear the uneven pavement I can barely see.

It is another typical December in Lake Jackson Texas where the weather feels more like April than a holiday morning. I am not complaining though because the heat and humidity suit me better than ice and cold wind.

It will probably sleet tomorrow.

Dallas White Rock Splits

1 - missed the mile marker
2 - 18:35
3 - 9:10
4 - 8:56
5 - 9:09
6 - 9:00
7 - 8:48
8 - 8:45
9 - 8:38
10 - missed the mile marker
11 - 18:36
12 - 9:27
13 - 8:34
14 - 9:00
15 - 9:29
16 - 9:29
17 - 9:25
18 - 9:20
19 - 9:18
20 - 9:43
21 - 9:27
22 - 8:33
23 - 9:06
24 - 10:09
25 - 8:01
26.2 - 12:05

Marathon web sight says I finished in 4:00:54

I plan to try and run 3 with Jakeb tomorrow morning. My legs are starting to feel normal again.

Dallas White Rock Marathon

I ran the Dallas White Rock Marathon this morning in 4:00:55 (chip time by my watch … unofficial). I wish it my time had been 55 seconds faster but I am happy with it and I cannot complain. It was windy during the second half of the race and the hills from mile 18 to 21 were more than I bargained for. This marathon was more of a mental battle for the entire distance than the other two I’ve run.

Andrea and Jakeb made the trip with me. It was good to have the support of my wife and son. The three of us will attempt the half-marathon in Houston in January.

I saw EQ there. We picked up his packet yesterday and I saw him this morning in the American Airline Center before the race.

I was going to post some pictures but our dial-up is painfully slow. We’re scheduled to get fast Internet later this month.

I may write more later I may not …

Getting ready to leave ...

Today I’m off of work and I am hyped up. Tomorrow we leave for Dallas and Sunday I run the White Rock Marathon. I had a friend who told me good luck and asked if I was ready.

I said, “Yeah, I’m ready. Even though I have run two marathons, the distance still scares me to death so I am a bit nervous.”

Hopefully I will be okay and be the finisher of a four-hour marathon on Sunday afternoon … we’ll see.

Tapering is a pain. I have been eating a lot and running a lot less than I had been.

Since I have felt good I have been running my miles too fast. I think I will have to jump into a pace group so I don’t take off too quick.

Last week I ran 8 on Friday and 6 with Jakeb on Saturday.

I let you know how it goes.

1111.1

Today after I ran my four-miler and posted the distance in my training log, the yearly total reads '1111.1 miles'. It must be a sign ... of what I do not know.

11 Days until the Dallas White Rock Marathon.

Thanksgiving morning run

This morning I ran here … link.

Nice asphalt trail with excellent scenery and distance markers every quarter of a mile. Perfect weather too.

Happy Thanksgiving

Don't stand so close to me, shorts and 20 miles

A couple of weeks ago I was running my scheduled five miles at 5:30 am. At about 2.5 miles in I was lost in John Mayer's cover of Jimi Hendrix's Bold as Love when I was startled to realize that there was another runner right on my heals. I sped up trying to shake this person who was rude enough to run up on another runner and then match him stride for stride for a moment or two. As my pace quickened my heart beat did as well as I found that I couldn't lose him/her. It may be an axe murderer rather than a runner. When I finally was brave enough to look around, I found that there was no one behind me.

The city of Lake Jackson has just completed construction on Oak Drive near down town. It has a wide sidewalk that is good for running. I wish they would have chosen a softer surface than concrete but it is nice to run on none the less. Part of the new construction includes street lights on both sides of the road. The lights on the side of the road where I run casts a shadow in front of me and the light across the street casts a shadow behind me. As I progress down the street the shadows alternate occasionally giving me the illusion that there is someone behind me. This has happened a couple of time since but now I understand what is really going on faster than I did the first time. When it happened the first time I almost had to stop and clean out the running shorts.

Speaking of running shorts, I bought a new pair last week, which is a rare occurrence for me. I wear my running clothes until they are threadbare. I bought some Nike shorts that are longer than typical running shorts. The bottom thread almost touches my knees and I like them a lot. I have always hated the super short short running shorts for guys. How much faster can shorts with a slit up to my hip bone actually make me? I really would rather not wear something that short. I hear that Lance Armstrong told the Nike reps the same thing when they brought him a pair of running shorts to wear in the NYC marathon. I'm sure Armstrong started a new trend and I have benefited personally.

I ran 20 miles on Friday and it went exceptionally well. I ran it in 2:57 for an 8:51 minute per mile average. The weather was much nicer than the previous Friday and I felt like I could hold my pace forever.

The taper has begun in earnest. I ran a hard 5 miles this morning with Dave Matthews playing in my head. It feels good to know I'm past the hardest part of my training and that another marathon is close to being a reality.

Friday am 20 miles

I ran twenty this morning. It was hot and humid - relative to what the weather should be this time of year. The last five were brutal. I ran it at 9:30 pace. The first half was too fast. I should have quit at ten.

I am going to run 20 again next Friday. I messed up on my training schedule and set it up a week off and didn’t realize it until after my run today. I need another 20 anyway to redeem for today.

20 next Friday and then a taper.

Friday am 12 Miles

Twelve miles seems like nothing now. Just a middle distance run that doesn’t take up half of the morning. It was an emotional roller coaster kind of run though. My mile splits aren’t marked out all that accurately so they vary as far as times go. I am pretty confident in the total distance.

The first mile I clock 8:01 and thought, “a marathon in less than four hours will be a breeze.”

Then the second mile I ran a 9:41 and thought, “dang it I’ll never finish close to four hours. I’m doomed to 4:13.”

Total time – 1:42:24 (8:32 pace)

Overall I’m happy with it and feel confident again. Just don’t ask me tomorrow.

Friday am 20 Miles

The weather cooled off just in time. As I walked out of the door this morning it was 72 degrees and a little humid and overcast. During the first mile the wind switched directions and it started to feel a lot better. I’m not sure the temperature dropped that much but the humidity did.

I felt good for most of the run. I had to run into a four hundred thousand mile per hour head wind between miles seventeen and nineteen and that was rough – it is amazing I survived. But the last mile felt pretty good. I will definitely be sore today.

Instead of keeping each mile split I ran four 5-mile loops and kept my time for each loop. I didn’t want to spend the whole run watch watching.

Here are the splits:
1st 5 – 44:39
2nd 5 – 41:40
3rd 5 – 45:38
4th 5 – 46:08

Total – 2:58:06
8:54 pace per mile

Seven Miles with Socrates

I got up really early this morning and was out of the door by 5 am for four miles by myself. Then I looped around and met Jakeb at the house and we ran 3 more together. Tomorrow is the first of two 20 mile long runs before I start to taper for the Dallas White Rock Marathon. I wanted to be a little fatigued but I hope the seven miles wasn’t over doing it.

Running this year has been good. This is the part of the training where I get more introspective because I wonder if I have it in me to finish my training at the level I desire. I wonder if I have it in me to finish 20 when I am not as rested as normal. I wonder if I can run a marathon in less than four hours. If I fail at either it will not be the end of the world and I will try again.

Training for a running a marathon is a great form of self-examination and Socrates said “The unexamined life is not worth living.”

Thirteen miles Friday am

I ran thirteen this morning. It seemed like it was over before it began. The weather was good and I felt pretty strong. I just ran and did not keep up with my splits.

Total time – 1:53:02 (8:42 pace)

White Rock

I registered for the Dallas White Rock Marathon tonight. I am (or should be) committed.

18 miles Friday a.m.

The cool weather felt great and I felt as strong as I ever have on a long run.

1 – 8:36
2 – 9:01
3 – 7:48
4 – 7:40
5 – 9:21
6 – 9:22
7 – 9:03
8 – 9:25
9 – 9:01
10 – 8:31
11 – 8:45
12 – 8:39
13 – 8:49
14 – 9:22
15 – 8:23
16 – 8:24
17 – 8:52
18 – 8:12

avg – 8:44 pace

I’m happy with it.

Long runs, China, and Garage Sales

I ran 17 on Friday. It was okay but not my best run ever. Jakeb ran the first three with me and I felt like it would be a really bad day but it ended up being okay.

I went to China in 1994 and at the time it was rare for the locals in that part of China to see westerners. I would run through Ningbo, a relatively small place for its 5 million people, with my neon shorts and white t-shirt I had earned back home at a 5K. People would see me on the streets and tap their friend on the shoulder and point at the 6’2” white guy with round eyes. Even though I was out of place I never felt like I was in any danger.

I can’t say the same thing about Friday morning in Lake Jackson. The early morning is not usually too busy but this morning was because all over town there were garage sales. Going to garage sales must be a big deal because in front of every one there were cars parked wherever there was space (in the driveway, in the ditch, in the street). The people who go to these things are aggressive. They are in a hurry to get to the garage sale to buy someone else’s junk. They are so aggressive that they are not in the mood nor do they have the patience to slow down for a runner who might just be trying to get out of the way. I feared for my existence a few times and bailed into front yards and ditches twice. The sidewalks are not safe haven enough because they are fair game for parking as well.

I ran four on Saturday and six this morning. The cooler mornings are making the runs a little easier.

Transition

I have been transitioning to a new job so it has been a while since I've written. I've been running quite a bit (for me). September was a 145 mile month which is one of my longest ever.

Last Monday I ran a 15 mile long run. The cool weather made the run seem almost effortless. I ran the first five alone with no music. I ran the second five with Jakeb. He felt so good he wanted to run the last five with me but I wouldn't let him. Instead he got on his bike and rode beside me as I finished the last five with my ipod playing in my ears.

The rest of the week went well and Saturday morning I ran an 11 mile long run. I ran it Saturday instead of Monday because I no longer have Mondays off. I do have Friday off now so I am switching my long run to the other end of the week. My 11 mile run was not near as easy as the 15 miler. It was hot and humid, I had stayed up later than normal the previous night so I slept late and didn't start running until 8 am when the sun was up. I ran the first four miles way too fast which made the rest of the run rough. Jakeb ran the middle 4 with me and he had a rough time of it as well.

This week has been messed up because I haven't taken the time to redo my training spreadsheet to reflect Friday as my long run day. My day off will change as will my track workout day and tempo day.

Change is good but it is hard to be in-between.

HALLELUJAH

Yesterday morning as Jakeb and I ran in the dark we passed a guy on Azalea who was seeing his wife off for whatever she had to do that day. That is not all that unusual. What was funny though is that he was over 300 pounds and was wearing nothing but a pair of white boxers. As she pulled out of the driveway, he raised his hands in the air and shook his hips like a person trying to hoola hoop. While he did his dance he kept yelling “HALLELUJAH, HALLELUJAH, HALLELUJAH!”

I don’t know if he was trying to embarrass the poor woman but he was embarrassing me. Jakeb asked, “Is he drunk?” He was either drunk or odd for God. It was funny to watch and our whole family had a good laugh about it as we ate dinner last night.

This morning Jakeb and I rode our bikes to the track. He ran two and went home. I did ladders.

2x200
400
800
1 mile
800
400
2x200

I didn’t start my watch so I don’t know how fast I ran. The rate of perceived exertion was “painful” towards the end. It felt good to finish though.

Long runs and new shoes

I ran 14 yesterday and felt pretty good. This morning I ran three with Jakeb and it went so well I tacked on two more after he finished.

My forefoot on the right side has been hurting lately. I got a new pair of shoes Sunday and I think it helped. My foot doesn’t hurt near as bad today as it has the last couple of weeks the day after my long run. I bought some Brooks Adrenaline GTS-6.

Jakeb told me a couple of mornings ago that running is getting easier for him. I feel the same way. The weather this morning sure helped.