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