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.
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Monday, August 20, 2007
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.
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.
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
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
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
Monday, August 6, 2007
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.
Thursday, August 2, 2007
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..
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..
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