Seasons Greetings and all that crap

Have a holly jolly Christmas, it's the best time of the year.
I don't know if I'll run slow, but I hope I'm not pulling up the rear.

Have a holly jolly Christmas, and when you run down the street,
say hello to friends and foe even the ones you can't beat.

Oh, no the last mile goes to where you can see.
Gatorade waits for you;
Drink it once for me.

Have a holly jolly Christmas, and in case you didn't hear,
oh, by golly have a jolly Christmas and runron is running in the rear.

Oh, no, my bleeding toe hurts all the way to the knee;
if a doctor waits for you;
see him once for me.

Have a holly jolly Christmas,
and in case you didn't hear,
oh, by golly, have a holly jolly Christmas this year.

Merry Christmas
See ya on the road, runron

Sorry, that's all I got. Maybe next time I'll have something more profound to say.
But then again, it's me, so probably not

Let the 5k's begin

The first race of the 5k season went off with a bang... I'd like to thank the local talent for running the half-marathon instead of the 5k... This allowed old runron to finish 11th overall, (yes there were more than 11 runners in the race) and 3rd in my age group, (yes there were more than three runners in my group)

5k's are really my kind of run, but why is it that there is always this one guy?.. In any race... In any town, that runs goofier than you... Is older than you, but you can't catch him....It happens every race. But yesterday this old man kept a good twenty yards ahead of me the whole race... To see him in the mall or out walking his dog, you'd think he belongs in a home... A rest home... But there he was shuffling ahead of runron like he's out for a Sunday stroll.

With about a half of mile to go, the old man stopped, he was spent, I could tell by the way he was gasping for air and grabbing at his chest.... So what did I do?... Blew by the old geezer thinking victory is mine... See ya later grandpa.

Not so fast...Lazarus came back from the dead and passed me...I mean, he just had a heart attack twenty yards back, I saw him... How could it be?

Then with about a quarter mile to go, he stopped again... Another heart attack, (Yes) he's all mine now, I think as I puff out my chest while stepping over him, nobody comes back from the dead twice... Right?

Coming down to the final leg, the finish line is in sight. I'm starting to wobble just a bit, but the sweet taste of victory is forming on my palate....Suddenly, from out of the grave, the old man claws his way passed my deflating ego and I lose to a dead man.... At least that's the way I saw it...

See ya on the road with more stories of the 5k season.
runron

Start a new

Well I'm finally recovered from that marathon in Tennessee, (or Georgia, or where ever I ran that thing). You'd think when Tennessee drew up it's borders, they could've made it a straight line.... Like Florida, you're either in or out... Anyway I'm off topic.

Knee is fine, it's amazing what some flat running will do... So the beginning to my 5k season will start next week...Since to holiday season is here, it's going to be hard to train, eat, shop, eat, post blogs, eat, see family and eat, eat, watch football while eating, eat, work, eat... and so on... But the point is, focus is in order as well as self-control. There will be times over the next few weeks, I'll have to force myself to go out for a run... But as long as there are no mountains I should be able to get the job done..

All this writing has made me hungry. I need to go eat.
See ya on the road, runron.

Post marathon blues

First I'd like to thank the great state of Tennessee for giving me knee pain... Your hills, oops mountains, have caused me deep pain... or to get technical, patellofemoral pain or a possible patellar ligament injury.... Translate, my knee hurts.

I've been on the shelf for over a week. Not able to put one leg in front of the other for fear of fire shooting through me left knee cap.(Crap) Now what? The Turkey trot 5k is out... And maybe the Reindeer run as well.... By the way, do all cities have a Turkey trot and Reindeer run? Anyway, I went over a year without an injury... Of course I was running in a flat state, the state that I love.... My state, Florida.

I'll trade a 95 degree day with a heat index of 120, for one of those hills, (mountains) any day...

Then my brother said he wants to run another marathon, (what have I created?). And he wants to do Tennessee again.... Apparently he just ran down hill in the race Tennesseans have the nerve to call a marathon.... Look what they did to my knee... It takes a sick mind to lay out a course that goes up hill... check that, up the side of a mountain.... But I'm over it....

I mean what kind of twisted mind lays out such a course?.... Boston would label that race unsuitable for man... It's a good thing I'm able to forget about it...

Does the race director get kick-backs from orthopedist?.... I'm glad this race didn't have a lasting affect on my ego...

Thanks Tennessee. You've won, this old boy days are over, no more marathons.
But I was thinking the other day... Ya think it's too late to sign up for Disney?

See ya on the painful road, runron.

It's over...Really over

I'm here to announce my retirement from marathons...The day started off with 38 degree weather and a head full of dreams...Although it warmed up, my dream turned into a nightmare... Without boring you with pace times and mile markers, let me just say, all was going well until mile 20...
I guess you could call it a wall, but a head-on collision with a freight train seems more suitable in explaining what happened.

I may be late coming to the dance on this one, but did you know Tennessee has hills? I mean mountains.... By the way, Florida is flat. In fact, Tennessee laughs at Florida when it comes to giant boulders that rise into the clouds. And most of the mountains in Tennessee happened to be on this race course... At least that's the way this Florida boy saw it... mile 21, 22, and 23 were uphill... That's right, 3 miles of continuous uphill running... Back-up, 3 miles of continuous shuffling along trying to imitate some form of my former self.

Allow me to go back to mile 20 and the freight train. I first felt a little tingle shoot up my thigh.... No big deal, little tingles are part of running, it comes with the gig...But what happened next, came out of a Steven King novel. My thigh contorted into several shapes until finally cramping up and shutting down. Which left me with the for amentioned 6.2 mile hobble.... I have never ran more painful 6 miles in my life,(or hobble, limp, shuffle, crawl.) At one point, I doubled over in pain. A guy on a bike, who was a marathon volunteer, ask me if I was OK? Now the guy was supposed to help runners who needed water. (i.e. have water with him.) I said I'm cramping up & I need water. He said the water stop is about a half a mile up the road... One more time, he said the water stop is about a half a mile up the road.I think he was also the guy who told me this marathon is flat...

So making a long story somewhat shorter, I missed my 4 hour goal by 6 min. and 2 sec.
My last marathon is a memory. I'm no marathoner, but I'll still run (in Florida, where the land is flat and the heat is not painful)however, it will be 5, 10, and 15k's.

I did get a chance to say hello to Brian before the race, I'm sure he did much better than yours truly.

See ya on the flat road, runron.

Feet's don't fail me now

What kind of idiot would drive 586 miles to run 26.2 miles?... All in front of this computer typing these words, say I....That would be me.. Or Mr. Idiot, to you.

The days are getting short and the big clock on the right seems to be speeding up and I guess all systems are a go. So, what's my gripe of the day?

Raw sewage, that's right, raw sewage. I'll let you use your imagination on the details... But let's just say the aforementioned words came tumbling out of the ceiling at a job site runron was at today. Fortunately, I was out of crap-shot.... but my toolbox wasn't.... The toolbox stands about a 18 inches high and is about 24 inches wide... I guess you could say it's about the same size as a toilet... A big toilet... Except, toilets don't have jigsaws, cordless drills, routers, and everything else a carpenter uses... At least mine doesn't... Or didn't....So I had a crappy day, need I say more?

Back to this marathon thing... You know how I've been complaining all summer about the heat?... There's one thing you should know.... I hate to run when it's cold... I'm from Florida, if it's in the 60's I'm freezing....Now I see where Tennessee is in the 30's at night?.... How cruel are the marathon gods?.. I mean come on, you want me to go from running in the beautiful 90 plus temperatures with sunshine so inviting it bakes your skin to a crispy tan. Where humidity caresses your forehead and leaves little droplets of sweat to reward you for a good workout. The oven-like warmness at 6:00 a.m. that gently greets me for a 20 miler...From all of that, to bone-chilling cold... I'll have to deal with numb toes and fingers... When I eventually break a sweat my shirt will freeze.... My teeth will chatter, not to mention what cold weather does to my bladder...
It's true what they say... Hot weather is uncomfortable, but cold weather is painful.
I bet there will be snow flurries and I'll get lost in some haunted battleground for days on end. (I'm running in a historic Civil War battleground) I'll have to survive on sports beans and extra packs of gel, until spring.... Of course spring in Tennessee probably comes around July 4th...

My Father-in-law lives up there, maybe I'll place a call and see what he can do about the temperature.... 30 degrees at night....Summer where did you go my friend?

See ya on the frozen tundra, runron.

The Long and Winding Road.

With taper in full bore, I write these words... Due to unrelated running issues, my time in front of this computer has been limited. Hopefully it will change soon.

Taper time is alway greeted with relief and fear. Most of the hard miles are in the stable and the horse has been hosed down.(relief). However, it brings on a different set of circumstances. (fear).

Am I ready for 26.2? I'm sure this goes through the minds of all middle-of-the-packers. Did I train hard enough? What about that Tuesday 8 weeks ago, when training called for a 6 mile tempo at a 7:29 pace, and I ran a blistering 8:02? Or the 20 miler when I could only muster up a weak 18 miles? How about the cross-training days, when I either skipped a workout altogether, or made a flimsy half-hearted attempt, just to say "I did it"?

Point is--I feel I'm not ready for this marathon... Oh I'll run it, but my goal of under 4 hours looks bleak. 4 hours is a long time to do anything... A football game last under 4 hours... A double feature at the movies, is under 4 hours... The time between breakfast and lunch is about 4 hours.... A nap on the couch is 4 hours (I take long naps).... Woman having conversations on cell phones while driving last... wait, that's more than 4 hours... But you get my point, 4 hours is a long time to run.

So while most sane people will be watching football games, movies, waiting for lunch to arrive, taking naps, and talking on cell phones. Old runron will be out putting one foot in front of the other, convincing myself I'm having a good time.

Well friends, time is short, and my ego is getting shorter as the seconds click off the big clock to the right.

Maybe a miracle will happen, and I can join my friend, Rob Henderson in Boston for some race he's all worked up about. But that's another day in another story.

See ya on the road, runron.

Taper Time... Or is summer over?

You probably haven't heard me say this before, but man is it hot... The big clock on the right tells me I have a little more than 19 days before I feel the cool crisp air of Tennessee... Finally, thank you.

I'm either getting old, or tired, maybe both, but this is the hardest training program I've done... Now, it's almost over and I can see the end... Which got me to thinking.
I think this is it.... runron will retire from running marathons.

To run 26.2 miles takes a lot out of a person, and I'm not built for the brutal mileage required to prepare for such a task.

However, I do like to run, which I'll continue to do...I'll do the 5K's, 10K's, 15K's and maybe a half-marathon in the future.... But a full 26.2? I'm done after this one... It's just not in me... Running is supposed to be fun, and it is when taken in small dosage... but these bites of 20 milers cause me to overdose and I'm afraid of burnout.

Some may think I'm a quitter, and that's fine... But I've thought long and hard about this... I'm doing what I need to do.

I think guys who run two or three marathons a year are a special breed.... my hats off to you guys... guys like Steve Runner and the Cranky Runner. you two are my age and run like you're 20. I know how hard that is, because I've tried.

So don't feel sorry for old runron, I'll be fine, and I'll still be out on the road, just not in 3 hour bites like I did this morning. I still post about the heat and what bothers me. Maybe even post more due to extra energy.

That's my thoughts now as I sit here, just after a 20 miler. Of course all this could change if I run a 3:20 marathon and qualify for Boston.... Naw, I'm done.

See you on a shorter road, runron.

All is well

Sorry for the delay guys... unfortunately I have another life, which brings me stress and a whole list of other things I can't stand.... If were up to me, I'd run all day and blog all night.... But real life gets in the way.

Now on to the complaint of the day.... Is summer ever going to end? I know I'm in Florida but this is ridicules. As I type a ten mile tempo run waits me... It's in the nineties for the love of Pete!

What are the marathon Gods thinking? It's not just here, I read about Chicago this weekend and saw pictures on T.V. of runners looking more like a death march, than a marathon.

Heat kills and I was sad to hear it took a fellow runner in Chicago.... It kinda puts things into perspective... We walk a thin line of training well, to complete collapse... No 20 miler is worth dying over, but to run a marathon you must put a few of them in... I don't know anything about the man that died, except he was 35 (9 years younger than me)... I'm sure he trained well and put the mileage in, maybe it was his first, or his 100th marathon, I don't know? My hope is that he died doing what he enjoyed.... Which in the end, isn't that all we can ask for?

I'm not a writer or a runner, I fail miserably at both. But I do know I'll keep putting one foot in front of the other... And place one finger at a time on the keyboard... And try to make sense of it all.... If you were in this brain, you'd realize what a daunting task it would be..

Just a 15 miler this weekend.... With that and the news of a cold front coming to Florida.... All should go pleasantly this week...Of course a cold front means temperatures will dip down into the eighties...Brrr..I need to pull out my winter gear..

To Brian, Thanks for your concern. I am alive and look forward to the Marathon... Maybe I'll see ya on the road.

To the rest, likewise, runron.

Back on track.... I think

Finally, finally...I got my first 20 miler in. I think I've found a second wind... Or maybe a last wind, but definitely one of the two.

It's about time I quit whining and start doing... I suppose running like anything else has it's ebbs and flows...And I've been stuck in ebb with not much flow... Until yesterday.

Call it runner's high, or whatever hocus-pocus you want, but something clicked on my ten mile run and it felt effortless... Well, as much as a ten mile run can... Anyway, my pace was under my predetermined time and it really geeked me up for my marathon. Which is coming on the downside of my training.

It's time to forget about who owes me money... It's time to forget about the heat... It's time to forget about the pain that shoots from my chest and down my left arm...

Because it's time to get my game face on... I got a marathon to run..

See ya on the road, runron.

(Some of my words above were written for effect, so don't worry mom, there is no pain shooting down my arm.... yet.)

A month of Sundays

What's my problem? It's been so long since I've had a good run, I don't know what one feels like anymore.... I've been holding off, not wanting to write a post until something breaks in my marathon training... But the only thing breaking is me.

Seems lately, all I use this forum for is complaining... Which I do so well.But that's not the point... See--the legs are tired, the mind is tired, and the rest of my body is shot... I can blame it on age, heat, or even burnout I guess. Although, I'm considering one other option------ Stress.

I don't know who reads this slop I put up here. And right now I really don't care... Because sometimes I just have to vent... Click out now... I'm going on a rant.

There are 3 people who have put me in a foul mood... They will remain nameless (for now). I'm self-employed in a trade that's a little thin right now, meaning work is slower than normal. I've been through this before and I always manage to get by. So this may add to the stress, but it doesn't make me see red in the middle of a 18 mile run, like the 3 unmentioned people above.


They owe me money. Lots of money... Money I need to get by in these thin times... I provided a service the 3 separate individuals, handed them a bill and waited... And waited.. and waited... The first guy, (and its been over 6 months) said he's waiting for a closing. I'm not buying it.... The second guy,(and its been 3 months) said he was waiting for an inspection, then later said, he needed to close on some other property. Property that's not related to my job... The third guy, ( and I have to love his honesty) said he took my money.... One more time, he said he took my money to hire a lawyer so he could file bankruptcy.... He took my money to file bankruptcy. The sound of that sends me up the wall.

I've spent thousands of dollars in material, used my time to fabricate said material, and installed said fabrication... For what! For free... These 3 have lied, cheated, and stole from me... If you can't afford me, then don't hire me... And that's why I'm BREAKING DOWN!

Because of 3 losers, who don't pay their bills, is why I break down on a 18 miler... When you start messing with my running, you'll find out you're messing with the wrong guy!

Running is supposed to relax you, calm your nerves, you know work out your stress. However, when training for a marathon, you put your body through stress. You're not out for a Saturday jog, no sir... Your pushing to the max on long runs, tempo runs, and the lovely speed workouts... Stress, stress, stress... Then pile on mental state of survival, it's a wonder I can still walk up-right, let alone run....
I didn't want to write about this. I actually didn't want to write anything... That's what they've done to me. Put me in such a bitter mood, to where I don't feel like writing a post...

I'll get over it, unless I need to hire a lawyer to file bankruptcy.. Oh wait, someone already used my money for that...

My wife bought me some stress-free aromatic hand soap... I am washing my hands like I'm an obsessive compulsive.

That's my take anyway.
Maybe I'll be on the road, runron.

Summer Repeat

Going through some older post, I ran across this one from last year. I think it applies more this year than last. So at the risk of mailing one in. Here's a summer repeat from last year. Besides, after my long run today I have no strength.... Me tired... Me sleep now.

Oh, before I slumber. A runron salute to the South Florida Bulls.


Top ten reasons you know your marathon training isn't going well.

10 Resting heart rate is 98.

9. Buzzards keep circling you while on a long run.

8. Old lady on morning walk passes you during tempo run.

7. Buy Ibuprofen in bulk.

6. Ipod stuck on just Barry Manilow.

5. Thought Jeff Galloway meant walk one mile, run one minute.

4. The odometer you were using was in kilometers not miles.

3. You hit the wall at mile one.

2. You start to taper 2 weeks into a 16 week program.

And the number one reason you know your marathon training Isn't going well.

Your doctor suggest you take up running to get in shape.

See ya on the road, runron.

Round two

Ok, Last week went well, no near-death experiences on my 18 miler, in fact I hit all my pace times, all in all it was a good day....However, the dreaded 20 miler awaits me this weekend.

Look, I've ran 26.2 miles before... yes all at once.But there's something in my head about a 20 miler in the middle of summer...How simple can it be? I have a 5 mile loop and run it 4 times...And with a short stop after each 5 mile trek, which I douse myself with ice water, maybe take a Gue or sports drink and hit the loop again... Easy. Plus I have a Camel Back to sip water every mile.

It's the last three miles that kill, so here's what I'm gonna do.... I'll run 18, 19, and 20 first, then I'll run the next 17. See I'm not only a runner...I'm a thinker.

See ya on the road, runron.

Things got fuzzy, things got blurry...And then everything was gone.

Well, maybe not that bad, but I do know what the wall feels like... Or at least my wall... It seems like only yesterday I was on a 20 mile run. (cue dream sequence)

Six o'clock greeted the first steps of a 20 miler. No big deal, I ran two of them last year and a 17 miler last week. I'm not one to blame the weather (right) but a 20 miler in August is much different than in October, even in Florida.
I've also learned that a 20 miler is a lot longer than a 17 miler...Don't say 3 miles, I know that. It's longer in the brain, where it counts, which sends little signals to your legs saying "Stop, why are you doing this? what did I ever do to you?"

"You're training for a marathon," brain said.

"Not anymore," legs said.

"Watch me," says the brain as it puffs out its cerebrum.

"You make me laugh, watch this," the legs said, then sharply contracted every muscle in its left side making the brain feel pain and discomfort from cramps.

Continuing my journey with numbed mind and rubber legs, I fought on with only 3 miles to go... just three, no big deal right?

"Still feeling it brain?" legs said.

"You don't scare me, I control you. You move on my command," brain said.

"Just wait, I got a surprise for you just up that hill," legs said.

"I love hill work, bring it on," brain said.

I effort my way up the last hill before I turn around and head home. the pace was a crawl, but it was a run... I think.
So I get up to the top... I stop briefly and kinda sorta put my hands on my knees, you know to regroup before heading back down. Upon raising my head, which is covered in fluid my leg muscles need.... Things begin to grow black, first thought is cloud cover.

"Surprise," legs said. "We ain't running another step. That darkness you see is you- brain, and you're gonna hit the ground, ha, ha, got ya."

"Okay, okay, don't let me hit the ground legs, hold me up," brain said. " just keep me up so I can walk home.... Don't let my wife find me on the side of the road," brain said pleading.

"Say I win," legs said.

At this time I start to stumble.

"Okay, you win, it's over, just take me home."

"What about next week? you gonna listen when I say enough?" legs said.

"Yes, yes, I can do nothing without you," brain said.

"Thank you," legs said.

So I ran a 19 miler and walked the 20th... Oh well, what ya gonna do.


After the run, I jump in the pool. My wife came out to see how I was doing. I told her about hitting the wall.

"Why do you do that to yourself," wife said.

"Because he's an idiot," legs said.



18 miles next week, can't wait.
See ya on the road, runron

"Maybe," legs said.

You'd Think

You'd think after running over 638 miles this year, which is to the Georgia State Line and back (almost, just about, but not quite). I'd be used to running....So why does a simple 6 mile run and only 4 of them hard...Kill me?

They say, you start to go crazy just before collapsing from heat exhaustion...Well today I was a raving lunatic by the time I hit mile 3... Back up to this weekend, I ran 17 of the most beautiful miles, by keeping a 9:36 pace, although my training plan called for a 9:45 pace. I was Barny Fife after that run, strutting around all puffed up like I just caught Mayberry's most wanted.

Well, after todays run, just like Barny, I had one bullet in the chamber and I shot it Sunday, leaving nothing but a clicking sound as I pulled the trigger.

This is the life of a old man trying to run a young mans game... So I'm sitting here between a 17 mile run last week and a 20 miler this weekend...And wondering if walking a tempo run counts, I mean I did get the miles in right?

I need to go now... A pain is shooting down my left arm and the screen looks a little fuzzy....someones at the door, he's dressed in black with some sort of hood around his face, looks to be a skeletal figure and he's carrying a large scythe... I wonder what he wants.... He calling me over, better go check it out.

See ya on the other side of the road, runron

Over the river and through the woods

Having never run a Cross Country race before, I had no idea what to expect... The course was a nice jaunt through the woods and now I know what a rabbit feels like when a hunter is on their tail... A very tired rabbit. Call it lack of course knowledge, or that stupid ego thing, but I blew it.... The old story of starting out too fast and dying at the end.... So much so, I wanted the hunter to find me to put me out of my misery.

I have a bad habit of passing runners I have no business passing.... only to be repassed (spell check says that's not a word) by them at the end.. I could feel their smirks as they went by... Thank goodness Eddie was not one of them. He blew me away from the start and was probably in his car by the time I finished...Your time is coming Eddie, so enjoy.

Speaking of finished. When the pain was over the stupidity continued.. I waited for runrandall to cross the line, ask for his car key so I could get some towels to dry off. He handed me the key and I did a cool down run to the car...Got the towels, my camera, locked the door, and made sure I had the key, which I placed between my thumb and camera case... We milled around eating hot dogs and recapping the race... Then got that lovely photo you see at the top of the post, by runrandall's Son Ben...

We decided to leave after the bib drawings for an Ipod, which we didn't win.
"You ready to go," I said.
"Yeah, you got the key?" runrandall said.
"What key?" I said.

See ya on the road, runron.

Cha.... cha...Changes.

I decided to do a little house cleaning. The blog was too cluttered with useless stuff like, ads, race results, and things that have hung around too long. Although the red and gray is the color of my alma mater, it's gone.

You're getting the lean version of runron, revamped and refocused. All things change... and change is good....unless you don't have enough change to pay the toll. Anyway, I'm changing.

I'm running a Cross-Country race tomorrow, something I've never done, but sounds fun... If fun is running through trails in August heat with rattlesnakes on your heels...Cold blooded and warm as well... (Eddie)

Speaking of August, I'm in full training mode and the marathon will be here before I know it... That's what I tell myself on the long runs, and I got a twenty miler coming up soon.. I'll try not to whine, or cry about it, but that's no fun.

See ya on the road, runron.

This is for those who know what I'm talking about.
I'm well over half-way through. I still think it's crap, and you should no better than to keep encouraging me. I spend 3-4 hours a day on it and at times it drives me crazy.... I want to get it over with so I can get back to my life, but I'm afraid Rob won't let me..... Rob Henderson I rue the day you went for a run with me..

Another Boring Day

While my brother (Walter Mitty) writes of tells in the desert and make believe adventures.... I'm stuck in Florida, where the heat is real and the pace is slow.... Tempo run, speed work, and long runs..... Added with a weight training and enough bike time to make Lance Armstrong tired... O.K. that's going too far.... But it makes me tired.... All of it makes me tired..... Which brings me to my point. Why do I do this?.... Or why do you read this?... Maybe you don't, and the words just hang on the "Internets" (I heard there's more than one).

I've convinced myself that I like to run... But I also like to argue with myself.... If you could hear what we fight about......

Nice day today, doesn't feel that hot.... Think I'll do 15 miles instead of the scheduled 13 miler.... Man, that first mile was a breeze, yes definitely 15.....Sun will be up soon, I hope it's not cloudy.... the last two miles felt great... . that last mile was brutal, slow your pace down.... Pick your pace up, you're dropping....but it's getting hot.... it's not that hot..... 8 miles down only 5 to go.... wait that's only a total of 13..... we scrapped the 13 and we're going for 15 remember?.... I wish it was cloudy.... 10 down, 3 to go.... 5 to go..... 3 to go... Okay 3 to go.... How about 2?... I said how about 2?... I'm thinking.... Yeah, 2 sounds good....... Can we walk the last one in??

And so it goes.
One foot in front of the other.
See ya on the road, runron.

Yasso 880's

How I spent my summer vacation.... Or who is Yasso and why does it matter?
Some of you know the theory behind the Yasso 800s and I want to be a believer as well... To my non-running friends, Bart Yasso came up with a plan to predict your marathon time by how fast you run 10- 800s, with a 400 recovery between each.... Oh yeah, a 800 is twice around a track and a 400 is once. Now everyone is up yo speed.

Speaking of speed, I ran the last 800 in 3:31.... In July.... in the heat.... In Florida.... Which was in the 90 degree range..... And don't forget the humidity.

Perhaps you're thinking 3:31 big deal... Well, Mr. Yasso says that would be a 3 hour and 31 minute marathon.... Now I know this sounds good on paper and who knows what will happen when the rubber meets the road... But, a 3:31 marathon would shatter my first and only marathon time of 4:18.... So I got that going for me, which is nice.

In 16 weeks it will be November... In the cool... In Tennessee .... Which will be in the 50 to 60 degree range..... And don't forget no humidity.... Or should I say humility.

3:31 won't get me to Boston, but it might make the trip back home a little sweeter, which is nice.

See ya on the road, runron.

One more thing... Send out some running vibes to runrandall, who is in Kuwait... His marathon training starts this week as well... Let's all hope he can find a desert somewhere to run in, I'd hate to think I'm the only one training in the heat.... There I go again.. making this about me.

Get back soon runrandall, and see ya in the desert.

Time to get serious

What do you do when your mind says go, but your body shouts no?
I think what I'm going to do, is shut down for 1 week.... From running.... I need to regroup before the bulk of my mileage kicks in for marathon training..

I've just not felt it the last 3 to 4 weeks.... Maybe I need a rest, before I dive in full throttle..
I hate to go into a 16 week program and feel drained on the first week.... Now I know it's Florida... It's hot and oppressive, which has a lot to do with the lassitude I'm going through.

I've whined way too much on the blog, but it's either do it here.... Or drive everybody else around me crazy.... You can always click out and read something a bit more positive..

But if you want to follow along while I go on a 16 week journey meet me back here on the 24th of this month... When it will be hotter and I will be ready to spin my tales of the road.

Think Jack Kerouac with sneakers.... Who?... Never mind.
See ya... "On The Road".... runron

I'll put up a post before before the 24th, but again I need to work on another project and it's taking time away from this blog.
I hope to be in full blogging mode soon. Hang with me.

Nothing going on... but

Pull out the cheese it's time for me to whine...

Marathon training is three weeks away and the heat is killing me....

Have you ever thought you could do something.... And realized you can't..... Humbling, very humbling...

If I hear another Pat Benatar song... I'm gonna scream...

Why does Larry King have a show?

"Streets With No Names" by U2 is the best song ever written.

If the price of gas keeps going up.... We'll pay more for it..

One day we'll all know the genius of Neil Diamond..

When one door closes..... The rest stay locked..

When someone says "I know how you feel".... They do not..

Is tomorrow really another day?

Have you ever thought you could do something... And realized you can't... Humbling.

See ya on the road, runron.

Pardon my ramble....I just had nothing...

The Hot.. Hot Days Of Summer

I'm struggling.... I know what's going on, I think..... Summer's here and I hate it...
It wasn't too long ago I hated the cold weather.... Now all I want is a 50 degree day and a little overcast... is that too much to ask?

I trained in this stuff last year and it didn't seem to bother me as much as this year... What's going on? I'm hitting a wall and official marathon training doesn't begin for another 3 weeks...
I've been trying to build up my base, but it seems to be hitting me in the face..

The little clock to the right of this page, tells the story. At this writing I have 136 days and 23 hours to get ready. The days ahead are going to be tough, filled with 8- 20 mile runs and a handful of 15, 17, and 18 milers... Then some tempo runs that are 8 miles.... one more time, I said TEMPO runs of 8 miles....

Not to mention the Thursday night speed work.... How's 10x 880 sound for a workout?
Something tells me it's going to be a long hot summer.

See ya on the road, runron

One more thing, my post might not be as timely as the should be... I've been working on another writing project and it's consuming me.... Maybe one day I'll show it to you.

Some days you shoot over par

No matter how much I run... I'm always learning something.
The Moffitt 5 mile run could be compared to the U.S Open in golf.
How?... Let me explain.
Most road races are run in cool weather and pin point distances.
Most golf tournaments are held on courses that are easy for professionals to shoot under par.

This weekend provided neither... Saturday was a grind on the road course... Due to the fact that there were no mile markes and the heat was coming from all directions.

The U.S. Open was full of grinders.... If you didn't hit the fare-way you were out of luck.... And once you get
on the greens.... Forgetaboutit... You had to putt left to go right... All that was missing was a clowns mouth on the 18th green... before you finished your round of goofy golf.

But somebody had to win, even if the score was over par.... 5 over par was the winning score and it was a nail biter to the end... With the worlds greatest golfer coming up short by one stroke...

My little road race was a nail biter as well.... I knew my pace was off, but I didn't know how much, for the fact of no mile markers... So I pushed, I struggled, I fought to the bitter end.
One runner collapsed about 20 yards ahead of me.... He didn't look good when I passed.... Heck, I didn't look good when I passed... But I was upright.

Making the final turn I looked at my watch and I was behind my best 5 mile time and still had a quarter mile to go.... No P.R. for me, I just had to grind it out to the finish.

Crossing the line, I hit my watch and looked at the bad news.... A full 2 min. off my best time.... I'm over par.

But wait... This is the U.S. Open where over par might win..... As I picked up my trophy for 3rd place in my age group, I realized sometimes... over par.... Is par for the course.


_____________________ DAY TWO____________________________________


I felt the pain of running two races in two days the morning of the 2nd day.(what?)
The grand-baby was great.. Had know idea her grandpops was a wreak trying to catch the guy pushing the stroller a few feet ahead.... Then a few yards ahead..... then the speck in the distance.

My son did really well... for a kid that who never trains and runs one race a year, he was outstanding.... He has the talent, but he hates to run.... Can't say I blame him, when I was his age, running was a punishment for all other sports.

Maybe running with a baby stroller is easy for you, but it's a grind of it's own. Try running with your hands in your pockets and you'll get the idea.

But this was an easy, fun, no pressure race, right? I mean it's all about family, who cares where you finish. (Tell that to ego)

I was in 3 categories or I thought.
Father running with son, did that.
Grandfather, was that.
Pushing a stroller, did that.
Alex (my son) and I ran a good race, but not well enough to win that bracket.
Pushing my granddaughter was a good ride, but one guy was flying, so I'm out.
All I got left to play is the grandpa card. And the award for the fastest youngest grandpa goes to..... Some guy that is 59 years old and ran a full 16 min. behind me.... What?

I knew I was in trouble when the lady (at the card turn in table) didn't believe me when I said I was a grandpa.... Now anybody that knows me.... knows I go around to all the races and try to convince race officials that I'm not who I really am.... I love to collect worthless trinkets like there gold...

Next year I'm going to enter the Mothers Day 5k as a 25 year old woman with 10 kids who is also a great grandmother.... Shh, don't tell anyone.

What a weekend and I lived to tell about it.
See ya on the road, runron.

A Runner's Dream Or A Nightmare

Big weekend coming up.... The rescheduled Miles for Moffitt 5 mile run falls on the same weekend of the Fathers Day 5k.... Not to mention Summer is here... A simple warm- up mile feels like the last mile of a marathon... The heat is brutal and it's not even July....

The grand baby will be making her first appearance in a road race... Normally I don't like strollers in a race, but this is what this event is about.. Time is not a factor in this race, just go out and have fun with the people you love.... Or your family.

So after a heat riddled 5 mile run on Saturday, grandpa will turn around on Sunday and put in a 5k with a stroller in hand.

I never run two days in a row, let alone race. My knees are telling me not to, but Ego is ready to roll.
If I make it, I'll tell you about it next week.

See ya on the road, runron

You mean there is only 13 miles in a 20 mile run?

As the rain fell on dust covered road, the clock read 6:00 A.M.... A scheduled 20 miler was on the menu. Thoughts went back to a day when a morning like this was made for sleeping in... I was a man coming to grips with who I was and what I've become.

Silent whispers of "Forget about it" are ignored as I pull into runrandall's driveway... I can't put into words the excitement one feels before a 20 mile journey.... Sleeping is for the other guy, I'm on a mission.

"You ready?" I say to runrandall as we hit the start button on our watches.... Sightless rain hits our heads as we begin before the sun lightens a cloud covered morning..

"Supposed to have 40 m.p.h. winds by 8:00" runrandall says as we make our first turn on Andy Dr.

Doubt starts to creep in a pensive mind and the first thought of cutting the run short was blurted out loud. I responded with, "No run is worth 40 m.p.h. winds". My words did not hang in the air very long before I heard, "right".

Two runners are struggling with the reality that nature is bigger then the pursuit of a good long run... Runs are funny things, some are easy, others become difficult as the miles drift into a misty haze... This run fell between the two... I don't know how much the conditions played on our minds, but by mile 8 we were spent.

When you run a long distance everything hurts... I can deal with foot pain, leg pain, back pain, but when pain shoots through your stomach with every foot strike... You turn into a walker. Blame it on the pre-run bagel or the price of oil... All I wanted to do was go home.... One problem, we were 6 miles from refuge with only the sound of passing cars to soothe wobbly legs.
The harbor of the driveway I was looking for flickered through my head as the labored journey draws to a close... One more turn and we are back to wince we came.

The day started with expectations of a 20 mile pre- marathon training run... And ended with a child crying for his mommy...

One thing I have learned about long distance running... Some days you eat the bear.... Other days the bear eats you.... I hope I gave him indigestion..

See ya on the road, runron.

Sacrifice

The word sacrifice rolls off our tongue a lot this time of year... I ask you to let it sit there and think about it.

If it not for sacrifice, would this country have been born?... What about slavery?... Do you think the Nazis would have stopped in Europe?... No, they would've goosed stepped their way to our borders.

As long as we've been a country, we have ask men to sacrifice themselves for us, or U.S.

So many have unselfishly put their college dreams on hold... Kissed their girlfriends goodbye... Told mom and dad not to worry and trotted off... Never to return.

What about the young father who got a letter from home, he's showing his buddy a picture of his new born baby... Only to have them both pay the ultimate price in a foxhole on foreign soil .... Sacrifice.

Today there is a mother who will not come home.... Sacrifice.

Young men and woman fight our wars, while we sit safe and secure bickering over how to get out, stay in, we're not fighting hard enough, we're fighting to hard.... And this is with every war... Deciding on going to war has to be the toughest decision a man can make and all wars are unpopular to some, but some have to be fought.

We all want freedom... The freedom to write blogs... To worship who we want, or not to worship at all... To question our government... to make a living how we choose... Read the books we want to read...

Someone once said "Freedom is not free".... Sacrifice.

Those who gave us this freedom didn't ask for much in return and it can never be repaid... But this Memorial Day weekend when you have the day off... Take a moment away from your cook-out, running, watching the big race or any other freedom you might enjoy... And think of those who did not come home.

Duty.. Honor.. Sacrifice.

Ron

A... Day... O...

I've been trying to come up with something to write, but my brain is dead... I think the memory starting to go... I'll be out on a run and all kinds of things will hit me... Then I get back here and it's gone... So let me go back... back in time, it was just the other day... I was on a long run and...

"I wish there was a device that could track my running motion, oh I don't know, like with satellites or something... Yeah, satellites that's it... And this device would clip on to my waist and record my miles, pace, elevation, and even calories burned... Kind of like every time my body is in motion... It tells me the lingo... What A DAY O that would be.... The love and joy of using this device would be shouted from Florida to Rocklin, Ca 95765... Yes it would be a lovejoy...

This device would be backed with a support staff that had the customer in mind, oh I don't know... Maybe read and answer all the questions the customer ask?... Not just the first question... I know I'm a dreamer... It's a shame we can't Go(pen) in the future and have this kind of device and service.

If a company thought they had this idea, I'm sorry they are sadly mistaken.
You ever heard of pa sana non grata, Jeffery? Do me a favor and Google that... For an unbiased opinion of never again."

See ya on the road, (cause it can't see me, right Nathan) runron.

Smoke Gets In My Eyes

I got the news yesterday.... Oh boy. The Miles for Moffitt five miler was cancelled... I guess when there is so much smoke in the air, what were they supposed to do? ... A fund raiser for cancer research would look silly having runners gag and cough their way over the finish line.

The Florida drought has cost me a green yard and dying landscape... Not to mention this area is a powder keg, waiting for some idiot to throw a cigarette down and start an inferno that will affect my home or yours.... Now it's really getting frustrating.... It's affecting my Hobby... My passion.... My reason to live... (Okay, that's a little over the top).... My races.

It seems the fires in Georgia are the cause of the smoke and ashes falling in my neighborhood... My neighborhood is a good 200 miles away... What's a runner to do?

I've said in the past, I'm not a very smart man... If you follow this blog I'm sure you agree... But the other day the news said to avoid outside activities, due to health concerns over the air quality... Ego Ron had to get a run in... One more time... EGO RON had to get a run in... I mean the wildlife are not staying inside... I see birds, squirrels, dogs, cats, all outside doing activities and they are not dropping dead... And my lungs are bigger, right?..

So off I go for a quick 5 miler... felt pretty good.... For the first 3 miles... Why are my lungs burning?... As I stepped over a dead bird on the side of the road.... Uh-oh!

I later heard on the radio, that running in this stuff for a half hour is like smoking a pack of cigarettes.

I'm going out for a long run... Anybody got a Marlborough?
See ya on the smoky road, runron.

Thanks Steve

There is this goofy podcast I like to listen to every week. Goofy is his words not mine. Anyway, I look forward to running while The host (Steve Runner) talks about running... I know I need a life.

You're probably thinking... "Let's see, you mean there is a show devoted to nothing but running, WOW, that runron sure knows how to live on the edge, I bet he even stays up past 9:00 p.m. once and a while".

At least that's what non-runners are thinking. If you are a runner and have not heard of Phedippidations, then you're in for a treat. For the past year or so, I have been entertained on the road by the huffing and puffing of one Mr. Runner. See, he does a lot of the show while he runs. Kinda makes you feel like you have company while you run... And I guess you do.

Steve does his homework, and you learn something each time he goes out the squeaky door. The great thing about his show... It's free, go to Itunes or his website and take all you want he'll make more. In a day where everybody wants to sale you something, it's refreshing to find guys like Steve who does things for the love and passion of what they believe. No strings attached.
I've been wanting to write about Phedippidations for a while, but haven't.

Why now runron?.. O.K. without being self-serving... (Isn't that what you say when you really are being self-serving)... Steve read my first marathon story on his show. I was the hit of my group running club.... By the way, my group has one member... Me... But it really made my day.
You can hear episode 95 First Marathons by clicking on his site (see above Phedippidations)

I wrote what Steve read, and I must tell you, he made it sound a lot better then the writer wrote.... The writer wrote?... See what I'm talking about.

So if you want to hear a Pro, listen to Steve. You can always come back here for a dose of a struggling writer... Where the right words get lost between his head and fingers.

I should have told you about his show long ago... I'm sorry it took so long.

If there are any other podcasters out there and would like to mention me on their show.... Did I ever tell you about my first marathon?....... Quit while you're ahead runron.

Run long and taper Steve.
For the rest, see ya on the road, runron

In My Day- A Dash Was 100 Yards

It was a day of P.R.'s... A day of sweat..
And a day I didn't think would happen.... About 20 hours before the Draft Dash, I was minding my own
business installing a counter top....
(This is why I don't like to work)...
When out of nowhere my back went out... This is the 2nd time in three weeks this has happened.

Just to catch you up, when this happened in the old days, (about 2 or 3 times a year) I would be flat on my back for a day or two. Then a few days of slow walking before I was back to normal.

The new and improved runron's back has not gone out in two years, until 3 weeks ago! At least now when it happens, I'm not flat on my back. It's a somewhat manageable pain... But I do walk funny... That's what people say.... I think I'm walking fine, but the first thing someone says... "Oh, hurt your back?"... So I guess it shows.

Back to yesterday, (insert joke here)... (see, I said back to yesterday... forget it) Panic set in about 10:30... I can't believe this is happening... I have been looking forward to this race since last year.... My goal? to finish in the top 100.... There are about 1,500 to 1,600 hundred runners... I didn't count them, that's what the lady at registration said... So finishing in the top 100 would be quit a thrill for old runron.. I was feeling the thrill is gone... there is no way I can run tomorrow.... Goodbye top 100... I'll show up, maybe jog it in... I mean, just being part of an event is enough.... Right?....

WRONG.... I was steamed, I went to bed steamed and I woke-up steamed.
4:45 a.m... I get out of bed... This is not good.... O.K. all I need to do is loosen up a bit.... I'll put on my shoes, go out side and see how it feels to run a little bit..... I know I'm in trouble when I can't get my socks on... This is not good... After about 5 min. of meditation and some teeth grinding, I got my socks on..... Now I'm staring at my shoes.... This is not good... I don't want to make a long story longer, so lets just say I'm finally out the door... And this is not good... Every step of an light jog brings pain down my spine.... I'M STEAMED.

The only thing I know to do is put on a back brace and hope for the best... Swing by runrandall's house and he limps to the car..... We look like two guys who need to go to the emergency room.... Not a race.

runrandell has been bothered by a bad ankle for sometime, so this was nothing new to him... The conversation centered on pain the whole drive.... Imagine two old lady's in a car for an hour... That's what you would have heard.

When we arrive there is no relief... We decide to run around and see how we feel... I can say this, the pain was the same if I ran slow or fast... runrandall felt better when he got loose..

On the way to the starting line, who did we see?.... Eddie, yes... Yes it's true.... We exchange pleasantries.... And my back is starting to feel better (not really)

Show-time... The few seconds before any race, seem to last forever... You try to focus, clear your head and think about breathing.... I'm by runrandall and Eddie is a little bit ahead of me, but I can see him.... "If only I had a healthy back" I thought as the gun went off.

The body is an incredible machine... I wouldn't believe what I'm about to say, except it happened to me... I felt no pain.... Let me repeat.... I was running with no, none, not a bit of pain.... Unbelievable... 3 hours ago, I was thinking I would have to mail it in... Now I'm running the pace of my life....

The mind is running... The body is just along for the ride... Where's Eddie? I've lost him in a sea of runners... I guess he off on a fast pace. Oh well, he's not my concern today.

Mile one check watch... 6:11 pace... Slow down boy, you're out too fast.... Back is feeling great... Everything else is starting to hurt.... I did something stupid... I was so concerned about my back, I didn't take in any fluids the previous hour and it was starting to show...

About that time I feel someone close to me... I was picking up a vibe from another runner, I could not see him, but I knew he was there... Finally he makes his move.... "Eddie".. Right by me is Eddie... The man I have made my enemy, the evil one... And he's passing me.... Don't panic, just stay on his heels and take it home.... One problem, his heels are running away from me...

As Eddie slowly drifted out of view... I shouted in my head, "This isn't over Eddie, I get you one day. You try running with a back brace on!" But that's no excuse, my back felt fine... I was just running out of gas and I needed water.... I use to laugh at people getting water on a 5k run... Today they can laugh at me, I need sweet relief in the form of H2O.

This is going on too long, so let me cut to the chase.
I made it.. Not only did I have a P.R. I came in 91st making my goal of top 100.
runrandall had a P.R. as well

We had a nice talk about our race in the E.R.

See ya on the road, runron

Bike Day

I knew it.. I knew it... It was going to good.... I've been trying to avoid writing about this thinking it would go away. Last week I said I've been injury free... And before the post was dry I went out and injured my calf... How does one do that?.. I mean, there was nothing unusual about the run... I went through the same routine before every run.... 5 min. on the treadmill, some lite stretching, then start out slow and work my way up to cruising pace... Just a little 7 mile run.
So my running has been on the shelf the last few days... I think I'll be ready to go Saturday for the Draft Day Dash... I'm not going to run until Thursday and then it will be to shake the rust off and see how I feel...
Up date later in the week.
See ya on the road (on a bike) runron

Lets get Serious

Something came to mind during a 7 mile long run this weekend. The following was written in my head while trying to keep a 7:44 pace and listening to music at a volume that is not safe for the ears. I hope I can make my thoughts clear... It sounded good in my head.

The world we are living in is becoming more confusing.
There has been a lot of flap over this Don Imus thing. I have been listening to Imus off and on for years, and I'm surprised it took this long for him to get fired. Most of the time he talks about how bad he feels, or who is an idiot today. Nothing ever made him happy. He was pretty much an old grump who sat there and complained about everything.

Had the sponsors not pulled out, he would still be doing the same thing.

Let me talk about words.... Words are powerful.... All wars start with words... And all wars end with words. Let me go in a little deeper and for the rest of this post I will refer to the N-word as apple. (I just feel stupid typing the N-word)

I like to run with all kinds of music. If you looked at my Ipod you would find everything from John Denver to N.W.A. For those of you that don't know N.W.A. is a Hip-Hop group that uses the apple word a lot, in fact the first letter in their name stands for apple.

When I search for new music to download. I find it hard to get hip-hop songs that don't have the apple word. So whats a runner to do?.... I guess what I really want to know is what do the hip-hop artist want me to do? Is it O.K. for a 44 year old white guy to listen to a song with the apple word? What if I sing along? I'm sure the artist enjoy my money. I don't have any stats to back me up, but I would bet the majority of hip-hop songs are bought by white kids.

When apple and other degrading names are spoken so freely by one group it tends to water down it's meaning. Making grumpy old men like Imus think he is hip for knowing the lingo.

The only shoes I have ever walked in are white. I could not begin to understand what it is like to be another race. There are a couple of hip-hop songs I really like to run to, when they pop-up on my Ipod it really gets me going. Click on the name and wait for the song to come up on the left hand side of page. That is if you really want to hear what I run to.

One is called Hip Hop Is Dead by Nas. The sample is the old Iron Butterfly song, In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida to a rap beat.
The other song is Let's Go by Trick Daddy. The sample is from an Ozzy Osbourne song. Both have a lot of energy. As a 44 year old white guy, I have know idea what the artist are rapping about, it's a world I don't understand and I'm sure someone from Compton does not understand mine.
If you just watched those two videos, I'm sorry, but I like it when I run. They are tame to what's out there and I don't think apple is used.

So what message is being sent? I don't think apple should be said by anyone. As far as what Imus said, that was just stupid. I really don't think he knew how bad it sounded.... Why? Because hearing it from Spike Lee movies or Rap artist has made it comfortable to demean woman.
I'm all for free speech, but with that freedom comes responsibility. We should not look at our government to police us. We have to police ourselves. What we say has consequences and I don't see how we can have it both ways.

I wonder what Martin Luther King would think of all this? Something tells me his dream did not include African-Americans calling each other apples as a term of endearment. I'm not an expert on Dr. King, but I think he said something about the content of your character, not the color of your skin. And when any of us say apple or call women names our character goes out the window and all we have left is the color of our skin.

There will always be racist and I can't say if Imus is one, only he knows that. If we as a community get offended when things like that are said. Then we should also be offended when it is said by any race. What is right is right and what is wrong is wrong. We can't have shades of gray depending on who said it. That's not fair.

Sometimes I feel the only group you can say anything about, and get away with it. Is us goofy white guys. The next time you watch T.V. look at all the commercials making fun of the dumb white guy. I guess we're the safe haven for all to take a shot. Am I offended? No, it's just an observation.

I'm setting here, thinking about hitting the delete and not posting this. If you're reading this I did not chicken out.
Not that I said something outrageous. It's just I don't know if what I'm trying to say is coming across the way I want it to.

I need to get back to writing about running and leave this to someone that knows what they are talking about, but it was on my mind.
I do welcome all comments on this post, good or bad.

See ya on the road, runron

Great Job Eddie

I'm working on a post for later in the week.
But I have to give a tip of the cap to Eddie. Well done sir, you're making it hard for me.

It's Official

Last week I signed up for the Chickamauga Battlefield Marathon Hopefully all will go well over the next 7 months or I'll be out 40 bucks... I hit 44 this week, which means not only am I an old guy.... But I'm the oldest age in my running bracket (40-44)... I have one year left to try to keep up with the young whippersnappers in my age group.... The good news is next year I will be the young whippersnapper in the 45-50 group.... It really didn't hit me until I just read what I wrote... I am a year away from competing against 50 year old's!.... WHAT..... ME?... I don't feel so good.

Maybe I should go back to the couch and junk food.... Is there an age group for power T.V. watching and marathon Big Mac eating?

I've been checking out times of the older gentlemen and it is no picnic... I got a lot of work to do... No rest for the weary... I feel like all my runs are speed work, This Furman First 5k plan is brutal... I can see the improvement in my times, but every run is a push.... I'm looking forward to marathon training and going out for some long slower runs... Ya know 4 hours is a long time to do anything... Let alone running... But then again time is relative and the body can adapt to do amazing things... If we give it a chance... Find out what you like to do. And do it with passion... You might be surprised by the outcome...

I don't want to say this... But here it goes.... It has been 4 months since I've had an injury... Let me back up... A running injury... I sit here with a sharp pain going through my back... Not from running... No.. I could accept that.. What is so stupid about it.... It was a simple act of bending over... Not even a twisted awkward bend... Nope, just a little forward motion from the hips up... And BOOM.... Nearly brought me to my knees... Nothing makes you feel older then to walk hunched over looking at your shoes... Kinda makes me yearn for the day I'm in the 80 to 84 age group... And when I get there, I can assure you I will be gunning for those 90 year olds... Look out boys... old man runron is coming for you.... Now thats a scary sight...

See ya on the road, runron

Bowling Brothers

See I do have a life outside of running, but I don't think I'll win anything with my game. Good to see unrunric out from the comfort of his comments that he likes to make on this blog.... Hey unrun, I got an idea. Why don't you start a bowling blog. Just a thought.

On the running front. Not much going on for the next few weeks... I decided to take 4 weeks off from racing to get ready for the Draft Day Dash 5k... I need to spend time focusing on a P.R.... Doing races can really mess up a good training plan.... Lately I have felt am not getting the best of my workouts, so will see if this 4 week focus helps.

I'm glad we are in global warming, because I just ran a 7 mile tempo run and the temp. was in the 40's.... I'd hate to think what it would have been like to run in an normal environment.... In Florida... In April.... I would have to shovel snow out of the way before I could run... Thank you Al Gore for helping me see the light.... Also for this wonderful Internet you have given us...

You know I got nothing when I start thanking Al Gore. Thats an old writing crutch... Think of something stupid and write about it.... Well I thought of Al Gore.

One more thing... Eddie's got a problem, and I'm not happy about it.... This is not the way I want to run him down... Eddie walk the thin line of training too hard and crossed over the line... Thats a hard lesson to learn... Godspeed Eddie....

See ya on the road, runron

Bolt Run Or Running With The Big Boys

First off, who is the incredible
shrinking man to my right?....
None other then runrandall... I'm
starting to feel him on my heels and I'm afraid there is no stopping him.




If his times get any faster, I'm going to take him out to a buffet. Cause that's the only way to slow him down.... Great job runrandall!

Now on to the race.... You know a funny thing happened on the way to a painful run.... I found out what its like to run with the big boys.... For the first half mile of a 5 mile race...

See it happened like this.... I toed the start line with no runner in front of me.... No jockeying for position... no moving in and out of slower runners.... Just me, runrandall, and about 10 to 15 really good runners.... Then about 200 runners behind us.... I know there is something wrong with that picture... But I was getting tired of running from the back..

The view from the front is much different then the middle or the back.... These guys really fly... And I got caught up in it a little bit... I think a little too much.... O.K. I went all out my first mile... A 6:20 pace, what am I crazy? I wanted a 6:50 pace... But when the bulls are running it's very hard to hold back.

When I hit mile 1 and saw 6:20 on my watch, I said.... "OH.... NOoooo"..... "What am I doing?"
I felt O.K.... But I knew what loomed ahead.... I was just hoping when it happened, there would be a soft place to land and runrandall would be able to identify the body when he found me...

I brought the pace down the 2nd mile to a respectable 6:45 still feeling good.... 5 miles is a long way... And I'm not half done... Guess what else I didn't know... I was running with the wind... I realized that when I made my turn around on Bayshore.... One more... OH...NOooo....

As I made the turn an old man past me... You Know, there is nothing like running the fastest 2 miles you have ever run.... And a 70 year old man passes you.... Does a lot for the ego.
I'm thinking, so this is how it ends.... Start off with the bulls and finishes with the President of A.A.R.P. running me down.

Mile 3 still holding on... Sort of... 7:11 split not bad, but I'm still steamed about grandpa who I can't even see now... I know I'm a grandpa, but he looks the part... Shut-up! I know what you're thinking.

Mile 4 is when I started thinking.. Why didn't I run the 5k? Not the 5 mile..... Why do I do this?... This is the longest 5 miles I've ever run... I hate running... I feel someone behind me... Don't let him pass... Don't let him pass... Don't let him pass... Fine Mr. Hotshot, pass.... Go ahead pass... I'm sure he's going to write in his blog, about the old man he passed on mile 4... Young whipper-snapper, I bet he won't catch the old man who passed me.... Don't let him get you grandpa where ever you are!.. By the way mile 4 (7:32) split... Ouch!

Mile 5 the mile I've been looking for... Time to bring it home... I always like the last mile of a race... Mentally I put myself in my neighborhood and I run the last mile like I was at home, knowing I can run a mile seems to ease the pain... Not really it still hurts.

Looking at my watch I should have only a half mile to go... I pick up my pace and try to find one last gear.... It's going to be close... I want a 35:00 time, and time is running out.... Making the last turn, I see the finish line about 200 yards away... No one behind me.... No one ahead of me... I'm racing on my own.... I start to sprint and I feel pretty good.... At least I think am sprinting.... Down the stretch I come.... Boom, hit the line and watch at the same time.... It's over... Thank you it's over... Some man says "a 7:01 pace, good run!"... I'm handed a card, I fill it out with my name and put it in the 40-44 age box.... There are already 3 cards in the box, so the best I can hope for in my age group is 4th.
I'll post my official place and time when it comes out, my watch had 35:09.

Here's what I know... If you're going to run with the big dogs, it's going to hurt... I don't mean a little uncomfortable... It is a grind on your body and the next mile hurts more then the last... You run on the edge of total breakdown... Running up front is not for the weak minded... There comes a time when you have to will yourself into the next mile, because the body has limits... But the mind has dreams.

See ya on the road, runron.

Pathetic Best Describes It

When I first started writing this blog, it was a way to vent my frustrations without driving my wife crazy..... Also a way to beat myself up.... well, let the beating begin...

What I'm I doing?... Forget the positive crap.... I crashed on the last mile of a tempo run today... If I'm ever going to get better, I need to learn to man-up and run the pace that is set for the run...

It was a simple 4 mile tempo run and I missed the last mile by 30 seconds... And it would have been more, but with a half mile to go I ask myself "WWED" or what would Eddie do? That made for a little push at the end.

Oh I made excuses... It's hot..... It's windy... I'm tired... I just don't have it today... But there is no excuse for that performance... Eddie's got nothing to worry about... Yes I'm acting like a baby... It's my blog and if you don't like it, you can stick it in your ear...

I'm not used to the wheels coming off... And I don't like it... I think I'll change my name to runrhonda... After the run steam was coming out of my ears....

The training plan is based on my recent 5k time... The pace is something I should be able to handle... But not today... What a joke... You should have seen me out there.... Looking like mile 25 of a marathon.... AND IT WAS ONLY 4 MILES!... Pathetic...

I know I'm not a writer.... And apparently I'm not a runner... well I run, or maybe a fast jog... The point is I need to do better.... Runs like today puts things into prospective... I'm not nearly as good as I think I am... There is a lot of work ahead.

If you're still reading this... Truth be told, I needed a run like today.... No I didn't have my best stuff.. That's O.K.
Writing this gives me the kick in the pants I need... A way to motivate... If I was happy with every run, I would see no room for improvement... Sometimes I need to call myself names... Like Rhonda or girly man, to pump me up.

Believe me I know there are more important things in life then running a race... Life is a fragile thing... So what you read in this blog is just for entertainment... I don't want to give the impression that I'm all wrapped up in running... I do have a life outside of running.

Never take anything I write too seriously.... But there is some truth to what I write.... It's up to you to decide what to take out of this slop I write.
But it was a pathetic run.

See ya on the road, runrhonda.... Errr runron.

You really should be worried Eddie, I'm giving you a false sense of security.

The Golden Age Of Marathons

A lot of my post are silly and full of fluff and I try not to take myself to seriously.... But I want to write about the past and what it meant to be a marathoner in the early days.... This may be too long of a post for some of you to read. It also may bore you.... So if your not up to reading about things that happened long ago, I understand..... You may want to comeback later.... I'm writing this for the men who ran before me....

Clarence DeMar... Ever heard of him... He only won the Boston Marathon seven times. The first one in 1911. The doctors found out that he had a heart murmur and told him he should not run marathons. He only ran one marathon from the age of 23 to 32, he finished 3rd. In 1922 he started running Boston again and won 6 times over the next 9 races. (1922, 1923, 1924, 1927, 1928, 1930)
Think of what he would have done in his prime. If that were to happen today, he would be his own corporation. Like Lance Armstrong.

Tarzan Brown... He ran the last 5 miles of the Boston Marathon barefoot. His sneakers fell apart on mile 21... I bet he would have loved Nike.
He also sold the two medals he won (Boston 1936, 1939) for $75.00 each. He said "you can't eat medals".

Walter Young.... He was promised a job with the Verdon Police Dept. if he won the Boston Marathon. He won and had a job for 41 years.

Mr. Boston, Johnny Kelley worked for Edison Power Company. He had to take vacation time to run in the Olympics and if he needed an extra week, it was without pay.

There are so many stories of the past. Men who ran for food or jobs, some ran for their country or bring attention to the hardship their homeland faced during wartime.
They were men of character and the were characters. They came from all walks of life, having one common bond.... Passion.

We do not give enough credit to those who blazed the trail before us. In reality they had more in common with you and me then the elites of today.
For starters they had Joe jobs if they had jobs at all. Times were tough, most of them trained a night after working all day.

Equipment... What equipment?.... Imagine a world without state of the art running shoes, the research of speed work, the science V02 max, sport drinks, energy gels, tested training plans, and who could run without the IPOD.

I know you can't miss something you never had, but to run the times that these men ran, in the era they ran in, is a truly remarkable feat.

I don't want to forget about the woman.
Not only did they have to fight a 26.2 mile battle, they had to win a war of sexism.
In 1966 Roberta Gibb had to hide in the bushes until the Boston Marathon started. She was not allowed to run officially and was not recognized as the woman's winner until 1996.

Kathrine Switzer was the first woman to get an official race bib in the Boston Marathon. She entered as K.V. Switzer and when race officials realized K.V. was a woman they tried to forcibly remove her from the race.
Woman like Ms. Gibb and Switzer may not have been running for food or jobs, but they were running for our daughters and granddaughters. And like the men that ran before them... They ran with passion...

The next time you go out for a run, spend a little time thinking about the runners who ran before you.

I know this post is not as articulate as I would like for it to be. Many writers with more skill then your humble blogger (runron) have written about these great runners.
I just wanted to give a little space to those that ran before me.

Information for this post came from the book. Young At Heart, by Fredrick Lewis.
With the help of Wikipedia

See ya on the road, runron....
And if Clarence DeMar saw me, he probably would push me out of the way.... That's the type of guy Clarence was... I think I would have liked old Clarence.
.

Bay to Bay, Oh what a day

I was recovering on my couch, watching a NASCAR race. .... And the thought came to me... To report on my race the same way a driver would.... So let me put on my best Jeff Gordon and give it a try.

Well, the 43 body really ran good today.... The Mizuno shoes never let me down..... It's a good thing I had on my Nike long sleeved shirt, because the weather was a bit cool.... I can't say enough about the way my Ipod held up, it played the right songs at the right time... I didn't know if I would make the start on time, because of the long line at the bathroom.... But Port-a-potty came through with just enough johns to get us to the starting line.... I also want to give a special thanks to Monster energy drink, it made the first few miles feel like I was shot out of a cannon.....

The sun was pretty bad at the start, but my Oakley sunglasses pulled me through.... And the Adidas cap kept the sweat out of my eyes....

We got into a little trouble at mile 3 when some hot shot kid came out of nowhere and clipped me on the side... it was way to early in the race to be running like that.... But it's just one of those deals...

The pace was fast, I was hitting 7:15 miles... my Timex Ironman watch was unbelievable today.
When your in shorter races, you really don't need energy gels.... But I had Gu with me just in case... And I have to mention Zephyrhills Water, they help fuel the old 43 at the water stops.

All in all I would say it was a good race for the 43 body, we placed 15th in a field of 66 (age group 40-44) I thought I was getting a little loose at the end, but my Timex said it was my fastest mile of the day.
I hope I didn't forget anybody, but let me thank, Under armor for their socks, Body Glide for a chafe free race, the Volunteers who made this race possible, the ST. Pete police for their cooperation with traffic......And all the fans of old 43.
We got a race in two week.... So we'll go back to the shop and work out a few things.... there is always room for improvement.... we'll be back.... That's racing.

I guess it would sound something like that.... And if any of the products I just mentioned want to sponsor me, I'm all ears.... Because this is the last time you will get free time on my blog.

Now the boring stuff.
Mile 1 - 7:13
Mile 2- 14:28 (7:15)
Mile 3- 21:38 (7:09)
Mile 4- 28:56 (7:17)
Mile 5- 36:16 (7:20)
Mile 6-43:37 (7:20)
Mile 7- 50:43 (7:05)
Mile .46 54:00 (3:18)

Hey "Eddie" you were a no show, I guess the Eddie G is not the real Eddie.

See ya on the road, runron

Bay To Bay Classic or another race already?

Well boys and girls the racing season is getting in full swing.... Sunday will be my 5th race of the year and every one of them has be a P.R. and I guarantee this race will be as well... Just as long as I cross the finish line... Why?.. Because I've never ran a 12k race before.... Even the name sounds odd... 12k...

For those of you that are metric challenged. 12k is about seven and a half miles... It's funny how us crazy Americans run distance in metric, but run our pace in miles... Go figure... No I really mean go figure, it don't add up... And I'm the guy that uses the metric system more then most Americans. (It's part of my job)... Even though I use it everyday and it's a simpler why to measure things... I don't like it... I'm starting to get off topic... But 25mm is the same as an inch.... What sounds better, "I stepped on a nail 25mm long". Or "I stepped on a nail an inch long"...I know Nether, who wants to step on a nail... But you get my point.

Back on topic... The Bay To Bay Classic is a point to point race. That is something I've never done before, and it sounds pretty neat... Did I just write pretty neat?... What's happening to me?... Anyway we start on one side of ST. Petersburg (not Russia) and run to the bay on the other side.... What fun... I don't think Eddie is going (see post below) too bad... But I'm not ready for him anyway, our time will come...

We'll see how the race goes, right now I'm not feeling it. I did a slow run today, just to give my legs a rest... Been pounding the pavement a lot lately and I need to be fresh.
Tell you about it over the weekend, maybe Monday

See ya on the road, runron

My Nemesis

Look, I know running is not about winning... We do it for our health... We try to improve against our own time... It keeps middle age guys like me out of trouble... There are all kinds of reasons to run... I just found one more...

Every sport needs a rival, a foe, an arch enemy. Someone that is better then you, but with hard work you think you can be their equal.
I don't wish ill will on my nemesis... I want him to run his best, to beat him when he's not on top of his game would take the joy out of running down the enemy.

I've thought long and hard about picking my combatant. He would have to be in my age group, run a 5k about a minute and a half faster then me. He would also have to run in most of the races I run and be a little cocky about his running prowess.

There are several guys I know that fit this bill... But one stands out as "the guy"... We all know the type of guy I'm talking about... And it does not apply to only running... He's the guy that takes himself too seriously... I picture this guy at work getting bent out of shape if someone took a paper clip off his desk and then runs to tell the boss that someone is stealing his stuff...Or maybe he made a big sale then struts around the office like a rooster...

None of these guys know about this blog, but to keep it safe I'll call him "Eddie".
Eddie is a very talented runner. He has probably been running for years, but he needs to be ran down... And I'm the guy that's going to do it... It may take awhile, but I'm pretty determined when I put something in my cross-hairs.

Here is the beauty of my plan. Eddie has no clue, I don't think he even knows my name (yet, he will). Like all hunters I know my prey... The Internet is a wonderful tool to find out race results. I know all the races he's been in, his times, his pace, what place he finished. Before this is over I will know what he eats for breakfast..

Before you think I'm a stalker, let me say I'm not... This is just my way of getting the best out of my running... But it's also fun, I need something like this to get me to the next level... If I can make "Eddie" the focus of my training, I know I will get better... I'm sure Eddie is a nice guy, I've only had a passing conversation with him a few times, but for now he is my "Darth Vader" and the force will be with me when that day comes.

This may take years, I don't know... If Eddie quits running (not likely) or moves out of town, there will always be an "Eddie" and I'll find him.

Who knows I might be someones "Eddie" and that's O.k. I just hope they don't think I'm as cocky as my "Eddie". There is something about him that rubs me the wrong way and I don't think I'm alone with that thought.

I don't know how many races we will be in this year. He has sat a few out because he is getting ready for Boston... Yes, he's a Boston qualifier (if you stand within 10 feet of him, you know that).... Starting to hate him aren't ya?
But we will race down the road, I'm not going anywhere, and I'm sure "Eddie" is not either. I know how to find him.

Until then I will be in the tall grass, honing my skills... Waiting... Waiting... Then pounce on my prey like a puma in the wild.

Running is starting to get interesting again, just when I thought I was getting into a rut... Along comes Eddie, thanks "Eddie"

Next week I will be running in the Bay To Bay Classic 12k. I don't know if Eddie will be there, but I'll find out... To be continued.

See ya on the road (lets go "Eddie") runron.

A New Gear

I needed a plan... And I think I've found one.
This running thing is still kinda new to me, I've been doing this for over a year and to be honest, I thought I would be sick of it by now..... Just when I think I can't possibly run any faster, something clicks and that 8:30 ten mile pace becomes an easy run.

I did a 6 mile tempo run Tuesday at an 8:08 pace and I thought I could run forever, it was effortless... This is something I'm not familiar with.... well maybe a little, my Gasparilla run was like that, but I thought it was a fluke.

What I have found is another gear... One that I didn't know I had. A faster pace actually feels better then a slower one. Maybe I'm getting the hang of this running thing.... The plan I've come up with is the Furman First 5k plan. It calls for a lot of tempo runs and speed work at the track. Which I'm starting to enjoy (I know I'm sick).
I'll do this through the spring to go along with my 5k races and then start adding longer runs to build up my base before marathon training starts in July.

You never know, that 19:59 5k time might be reachable. If I never run that time it won't be from lack of effort.

I guess that's the beauty of running, there is always a goal to conquer and a race to run... Kinda like life.

See ya on the road, (or track, Tim) runron

Strawberry Classic 5k

First let me thank all the good runners that chose not to run in this race. By sitting this one out it allowed me to place 3rd in my age group.

Yes I'm happy with the outcome, but I think the field was weak... I ran a 21:28 and that is more like a 5th or 6th place time when the competition is a little more stiff.

My 5k goal is to run it in 19:59, so I need to shave almost a full 1:30 off my time. I'm beginning to realized that's a tall order.

A year ago I ran a 24:05 (5k) or a 7:45 pace.... Today my pace was 6:54, if I'm going to reach my goal I will need a lot of speed work and about 3 more years of training....

Problem is, by that time I will be 3 years older and a lot more beat-up.... My mind is up for the challenge (ego)... But my body is saying something else (common sense)... I still need a plan... right now I'm going to continue to run until the wheels fall off or I die, which ever comes first.

Other then that Mrs. Lincoln how was the play?
Well it was a good day, my brother runrandall ran his best 5k... He made his goal of running it in less then 30:00 a remarkable accomplishment considering what his diet is right now... To be honest with you I don't know where he gets his energy. If I could have his discipline I might just run that 6:25 pace.

To make a long story short, thanks for the cake it had to be hard not getting a piece for yourself. (and it was gooood)

Also my nephew Ben ran with us and the rascal came in 3rd in his age group (25-30) not bad for a first timer, he gets the runron gold star for his effort. Well played Ben, great job, but next time try not to leave your breakfast between the 2nd and 3rd mile. (I'll leave it at that)

So what have we learned about today? Running a 6:25 pace, not likely to happen.... runrandall well on his way of beating me...... Cake goooood....... Don't eat, unless you want to see it again.

That's it in a nut shell.
See ya on the road, runron.