9 miles in last 2 days . . .

Figured out my maximum heart rate today at the Y. 3 x 800's with final 400 HARD . . . .all of this with the incline at 5%.

I wish that I would have discovered running about 20 years ago.

Looked at 2012 The North Face Endurance Challenges. September in Madison. November in Kansas City. Both 50K. Found a 50K training plan today that would work . . .5 days a week Monday and Friday off. We shall see . . .

Blue Smoke . . . .

I will take yesterday with me forever. Thank you my God.

It snowed just enough last night to make this morning's 6:15AM run interesting. Enough snow to have to scoot and shuffle instead of run. Though the fresh snow makes it quiet and serene, having to alter your gait and run so you don't slip puts added pressure on the joints . .especially the achilles.

I have a new pair of bright orange Saucony running gloves that have a halogen light on them. This morning when I was running the light from the gloves caught my breath and it looked like I had blue smoke coming out of my mouth. Similar to the smoke that comes from the exhaust when you try to start an old truck . . .

This January Afternoon . . .

I have taken the afternoon off and am going to spend it tromping the fields that I used to tromp when I was 5 years old. I am going with my dad and my son and am going to drive to many of the old places along the Spoon River that have "haunted" my mind for 35 years or more. One of the stops will be the old shack along the river that I lived in with my dad in the early to mid 70's. It didn't have an indoor bathroom. Yes you read that correctly. It has long been torn down but we got permission to walk back there. None of this will mean anything to my son . . .it will mean more to me and my dad. I may walk only a quarter mile today but will travel much further in years in my minds eye.

And for some odd reason . . .I am nervous. I think of my childhood often when I run. Probably because when I run it is the closest thing that I have anymore that reminds me of being 5 years old.

Live to see another day . . .

6:15AM

Three miles last night at the Y on the treadmill. Three miles on the treadmill seems like a half marathon.

I have been given another day . . .and you too.

Tonight

I am going to run 3 miles on the treadmill tonight at the Y.

I skipped my run this morning.

I kind of tore up my body on Sunday's run.

I am in love with my little girl's heart.

My favorite line to any song so far this year? (In case it comes up at a cocktail party)



"and ahh that full bellied moon she's a shinin on me
yeah she pulls on this heart like she pulls on the sea"
                                                                                     Gregory Alan Isakov
                                                                                      That Moon Song
I think about these lyrics when I think about how many miles I have ran under the moon.

9.5 miles today

Not all of my runs are good. This one wasn't. I didn't dress warm enough. It misted. It was foggy. I spent most of my miles not being able to see out of my glasses. 4.5 miles away from home I started realizing how bad this sucked. My left knee and hip took turns being pissed at me. I didn't stop. I made it home.

Sometimes I think that I give the impression on this blog that everything is always good in my world because I pray, I read, I listen to good music and I run. For the record, my life is messy at times!

I am always interested in people that tell me that they don't run because of their knees. I had ACL and Meniscus surgery on my knee so I usually discount those excuses as "excuses." I hate excuses. I am going to the Y tomorrow. I am going to bench press far less than most of the other guys in the weight room. Is it because it makes my shoulders hurt and that's why I don't bench more? NO. . .it's because I am not tough enough to overcome the pain of weightlifting to get stronger so I CAN bench more. . ."Hurts my knees." Whatever . . .

I am currently reading a new John Eldridge book. I am reading "Into The Wild" again and I am reading an issue of Backpacker magazine . . .

After a day in the suburbs I'm going to run 9 miles today . . .

Spent part of yesterday at IKEA in the suburbs. The diversity of the people fed my flame but not much else. The sky however, was a color that I cannot find an adjective for.

I am going to church soon and then am going to run 9 miles later today. It is going to be 40 degrees. I NEED TO SPEND TIME ALONE ON THE ROADS FOR AN HOUR OR SO. . .That is the stuff that makes my weekends. The long runs where the story writes itself before my eyes.

5:00AM . . .3 miles today . . .3 degrees

5:00AM
Three degrees.
Negative twelve degrees with the windchill.
Too many clothes on.
Somehow sweat froze on the outside of my stocking hat.
Three miles.
Sucked in air during a couple of wind gusts and felt like my lungs were on fire. "Cold" feels "Hot" at times.
I could have kept going this morning.
Like an idiot I didn't tie my shoes tight enough so I had to tie them halfway through my run. While doing it, my Ipod got exposed to the cold and instantly the battery went dead. I carry my Ipod inside my glove so that
it rubs against my hands and the heat keeps it charged.
I am going to Chicago tomorrow so I will not be able to run.
I am going to run 9 miles on Sunday.
I am alive.
Someone asked me today how long I am going to run . . . .until I no longer can.

2.5 miles this evening with a song stuck in my head.

I only had time for 2.5 miles this evening before the sun went down. It was in the teens outside. I ran as hard as I could without slipping on the icy roads. I bought a New Balance fleece that is unbelievably warm. I have had the attached song stuck in my head for 2 straight days. I woke up at 1AM with it bouncing around my brain. There is something about the rythym of this song that reminds "me" of "me."  The artist is Ben Howard. The song is "Old Pine." The first part of the this song starts: "Hot sand on toes, cold sand in sleeping bags, I've come to know that memories were the best things you ever had . . ." I get it. This song reminds me of my wife and the almost 20 years that I have been married to her.

Running. Music. Books. Football. Coffee. Trying new beers. New socks. The moon. Brick streets. I thank my God for knowing how to "give me my daily bread." All of this of course, over and above my wife, my kids and my family . . .

I WANT TO BE AT THIS PARTY . . .

Since I was old enough to remember I have had a living relationship with music. Songs "time travel" me back to different phases of my life. It has been an interesting life. Every day, every year, every event in my life, major and minor have soundtracks that play in my mind. The other odd thing is . . .I don't necessarily pick the music . .the music picks me. Twenty years from now when I think about being in my early 40's . . .this song and video will be one of the ones that I remember. I was not at the "house party"that this was filmed at . . .I wish that I was.  

I LOVE THIS . . .

Ran twice today . . .10 miles total.

5.3 miles this morning 7:00AM with our son. It was twenty degrees. He learned 2 lessons. Lesson #1: When he owns a home he is going to shovel his sidewalk for people. Lesson #2: Always go to the bathroom before you leave the house for a long run.

4.7 miles this afternoon. This is one of those days that I don't necessarily like myself. No particular reason . . . .just a little sick of "me." So instead of sulking, making excuses etc . . .  I left my house at 3:45 and let the cold wind beat the hell out of me for almost 5 miles. The first 2.5 miles were down wind but I KNEW what was going to be in front of me when I turned around! 

I started running about 7 years ago when I had my heart broken. Running was the only thing that made the rest of my body feel as bad as my heart did. Now . . . I sometimes still use running for the same reason. If I don't like myself, like a situation, a feeling etc . . . I will RUN HARD for an extended period of time. Interesting how the cob webs seem to get shaken around and clarity comes into focus . . .the only problem is my hamstrings usually suffer . . .like they are now.

Saturday 5:45AM

5:45AM
This is where it is tough. It is dark. It is Saturday. It is probably around five or ten degrees. There is snow on the ground. My little family sleeps. Warm air is blowing through the register on my ankles as I write this . .  . but I have a jammed day with kid stuff and the only time that I can run is right now. I could skip my run. As far as that goes I could skip alot of things . . my kids games, I could skip work, I could skip conversations that I don't want to have, I could skip out on paying bills I don't want to pay . . but I AM NOT THAT GUY. The world is filled with THAT GUY. God will bless me this dark, cold morning . . .as he does all mornings. I am heading out the door in 2 minutes with warm clothes designed for mornings like this, no music, fresh lungs and the anticipation of the creator of the world dying to show me the sunrise. That is why I don't skip runs . . . even on mornings like this.

7:00AM
I am back. It was colder than I thought! Running on ice and snow covered roads feels like that dream I have had since I was kid where someone is chasing me and I am moving in slow motion. So I ran in slow motion this morning. God did not bless me with a sunrise this morning but he kept me warm, safe and once again in awe of the human body, spirit and mind. So it was a good run and I'm glad I didn't skip it.

14.6 miles this weekend

6 miles on Saturday
8.6 on Sunday

I ran the first half of the run on Sunday with no music and the second half of the run listening to classical.
My head seemed alot more clear . . .

I haven't written anything on here in a while . . .last week I had several runs in the early morning dark.

For the next 21 days my wife and I are eating only fruit and vegetables. I am interested to see what this does for my running. I weighed myself this morning at the Y . .I weigh 180.4 lbs. This is almost 10 pounds heavier than when I ran my marathon a little over 3 months ago.

1,109.14 miles in 2011

For a "runner" . . .1,109.14 miles isn't very many. For a 42 year old male with a wife, two kids and a career . . .1,109.14 miles represents alot of miles in the darkness. I am not sure what is next for me . . .

4.5 miles this morning . .2.2 miles tonight

The run this morning started out the first 2.5 miles into a 30 mph headwind. It was 35 degrees. If the beginning of this run had a title it would be "Heart of Darkness" . . .nothing quite so ominous for a runner than to beat against a cold wind with no real end in sight.

I ran again tonight at 7:45 pm. This is VERY rare but I have things that are bugging me and running is the one thing that brings clarity to my mind. It is still blowing 30 mph but now it is in the high 20's! I wasn't dumb enough this time to run straight into the wind so I had a crosswind beat against me. It wasn't any different than my morning runs except there was more traffic. The run made me tired. I was hoping for that.

I am so thankful that I can run. One day I won't be able to . . .but THAT day is not THIS day.

As far as highlights in 2011 . .the obvious one would be September 25th when I ran my first marathon. And though that was something that will follow me to my grave . . .it was the 1,000 miles of "other" runs that really made my year.