Saturday, March 20, 2010

http://runningtimes/Article.aspx?ArticleID=19085

About halfway down: "....learned a lot from him [former marathon world record holder Khalid Khannouchi]. There's no secret; you just have to work really hard."

Maybe hard work doesn't mean just the consistent miles and hoping one day everything will "click." Maybe it is the miles plus the conscious effort to make them hard.

Don't just run, run hard. Be smart, but run hard.

Expect nothing; earn everything.

Another week, few more struggles: Mar 14 - 20

SUN
11 miles solo before church around UNR and Rancho. From the training log, "Took six miles for body to warm up but body rolled really well after that...haha." Funny how the tiny pieces of the body will take over forty minutes before they are willing to work well. The massage from yesterday didn't seem to produce the typical "looseness" that usually results. The new massage therapist is nice, but I think I need to stick with the D.C. himself.

MON
10 miles solo along 7th route in AM. Really negative - didn't have fun at all.

TUES
12 miles w/ Ronnie around GHS area in PM. Upper body tight and legs felt pounded by the end. 98% of my runs occur in the morning before school. Does the 36 hour gap and afternoon run (on a day where a morning run usually occurs) really throw the body THAT much out of its groove?

WED
8.5 miles solo around UNR and Rancho w/ 8 barefoot strides. From the training log, "Suckage." And I ran past a frat a mile in and they offered some tasty libations. In response I said, "Save one...I will be back!" They all cheered, but as the run progressed I seriously became excited about stopping on the return route. Sadly in the half hour that occured between passing them and returning everyone left to experience the rest of St. Patty's Day elsewhere.

THUR
9 miles solo along BLC route in AM; 4.5 miles through Rancho w/ Kiwi in PM. Woke up tired so split the day's miles.

FRI
7 miles by Truckee River solo in AM. Knocked out the miles before 8am school start. Awesome to be able to see stars against the still night sky while running. Also scary to run alone through a dark park......I thought a fire hydrant was an evil knome.

SAT
8.5 miles solo in AM w/ 4x200 (36-35-35-35). Nice sunny day - shorts and t-shirt. Had to chuckle when I ran past another run with a long sleever and gloves while I was sweating. Focused the entire run on relaxing the shoulders - worked out really well and provided something positive upon which to focus. After leaving UNR's track I chatted with an old guy, at least seventy-five. He asked me if I ran in any AAU meets. I had to chuckle because while the AAU doesn't really play a prevelant role in running these days this guy probably grew up around the time when they did! Walking and talking with history. Very cool. And the old guy was on his way to workout too. Talk about motivation.

WEEK
70.5 miles - third week in the three week up cycle. Next week is a down week. Overall felt pretty shabby, especially compared to last week. Struggling to have fun as well. Right around the start of this calendar year I started loving the miles (probably the first time in life....keep in mind I started running in 1998). It felt really cool - getting out the door no matter time of day or company, running was fun. From that time until now the funness factor has consistently declined. Why? For now that question exists, but I'm not in a place to jump to conclusions. I'd rather sit on it, aware of it, and talk to a few folks before trying to move back into the land of happiness.

Upcoming week = busy. 12k road race across Golden Gate Bridge Sunday and most likely a 5k at San Francisco State University Friday. I'm excited to 'play' running finally. Plus the races will provide the chance to 'play' with the pain of racing again. It has been a while since I've had to prove I can delve into and sustain the physical process of producing more lactic acid than my body can use as fuel. Goals for Sunday are 1) focus on myself - my pace is my pace and it is okay however fast that pace turns out to be 2) relax the shoulders and 3) no matter what occurs the first five miles, the last two+ are to be a fast, hard effort.

Thanks for reading.

Saturday, March 13, 2010

5:30am runs in sideways snow: Mar 7 - Mar 13

SUN
10 miles at Horsemans w/ Jon and Jake. Pace stayed chill, but legs a bit rough off of the miles from last week.

MON
11+ solo along the BLC route. Actually didn't mind running all alone. Took a GU at about mile eight because it felt like the body used all its glucose again and was going to stagger out. That shouldn't happen in an eleven mile run. Roomie: "Dude, you can do eleven mile runs no problem. Maybe you just need to quit complaining and run through it - not all runs are going to be easy." Sack up and suck up.

TUES
8 w/ Jake through Rancho and UNR at 5:30am. Not bad once I got out of bed and moving. 5.5 in afternoon to help Tegan with her workout. Did 1200, 2x300, 1200, 2x300, 1200. The girl worked hard on an overcast and pretty windy day and hit all her splits! She started the 300's before me and thus I could run a quicker 200 before catching her. Went through at 34's - the muscles were a bit confused: "Um, dude, I know we can go this fast but what are you doing? This isn't natural man." Really fun to train in a comfortable zone with the purpose of helping someone else.

WED
8 miles w/ Jake on short BLC at 5:30am. Started this run thinking my thin under armor and nike windbreaker were too much. Finished with one eye open because the snow was blowing sideways. And later in the day it was sunny and warm. Go Reno.

THUR
12 miles w/ Sean around Huffaker and Lakeside area. Felt pretty strong - mentally prepared the body to run through a similar situation as Monday. This time the energy levelled out for the whole run. Some guy in a big Dodgee 350 decided to play chicken and drive a foot and a half away from the sidewalk (in a residential neighborhood with HUGE streets) while coming at us. I didn't move and so he slowed to almost a complete stop which forced me to move a bit closer to the sidewalk. Guess the man was in no mood to share. Nothing like proving the size of your sack in a huge metal vehicle against a combined human weight of under 275 pounds. Rock climbed in PM.

FRI
11 miles w/ Ronnie along an Anderson-Bartley loop. Felt surprisingly good off of yesterday. New hypothesis - arms really relaxed while ankles felt stretched/wobbly and I'm guessing the results are from rock climbing. But only time will tell. Ran in a t-shirt and shorts and DIDN'T get blown over the by 30mph gusting winds. At least we ran before they gusted up to 55mph.

SAT
8 miles w/ Ronnie at Horsemans. Blue sky. Sun. Chilly. Could have added a few more but already reached enough miles on the week and wanted to give body a slight break before stepping back into double digit runs the first part of next week. Plus I'm getting tissue work done tonight (providence in life) which will also help the body heading into the third, and final, week of this current cycle.

WEEK:
73.5 miles. Second one in a row. Boo-ya grandma. Body felt much better compared to last week, for which I'm grateful. Starting Thursday a few sore points began to linger which led me to schedule some tissue work. When I first met my D.C. (Adam Spindler - South Lake Tahoe if you ever need a guy in the area) the appointments came every week, and then every two weeks. However, I'm now running more miles compared to those appointments and going less. Coming off the ack-illes injury of Fall '08 meant I did much more x-training which led to using different muscle groups and putting my body on awkward machines. Hence the body needed more attitude adjustments (aka more frequent D.C. visits). Now that I'm back to 98% running the muscles are readjusting to what they know. Go muscle memory! At this current mileage level I've been surprised not to feel the need for more tissue work. But it is a positive sign that the body is handling the stress and responding.

NCAA DI 5k indoor champ Lisa Koll (Iowa State) recently cited the strength base she built during the 2009 cross-country season as a big reason for current success. The more a person follows the good runners (Koll, Chico alum Scott Bauhs) the more they hear the same thing - build that strength base and the body will just adapt and push to a new level. I like to think of it as a reassurance cookie.

Need to do more core. Slouching posture = suckage.

Introduced kale and quinoa (pronounced keen-wa...must be French) into the diet this past week. Props to Amie from Portland and Cardenas for the suggestions. Eating new things is fun.

Visited with the Master's program advisor at UNR Thursday afternoon. I knew everything would be okay when, upon entering her office, a jar of M&M's and a rocking chair greeted me. Looks like I'm going to take a learning theories course this summer already! Excited to get back into the classroom. Even completed my fafsa this morning. Steps in the right direction. Trust God all will work out in a timely manner.

Awesome musical artist - Jon Schmidt. Pachelbel Meets U2.

Stay patient. Stay healthy.

Thanks for reading,
tim

Saturday, March 6, 2010

Back On My Grind: Feb 28-Mar 6

Last week done, this week marked a return to the low-70 area. Time to get back on the grind, and push ahead Our health on this earth is short, seventy or eighty years if we have the strength. Use it now, and enjoy in the process.



SUN

10 miles solo on Late Loop - planned an afternoon run, but running partners didn't make it so got out the door closer to 5pm. From the training log: "Felt like I had never a day in my life for the first few miles." Really disheartened out the door, but as the warm early evening runs always seem to do, the legs loosened up eventually and turned out to flow really well. Really enjoyed myself once things began moving.



MON

10 miles through Rancho and UNR w/ Sean in AM. Overall legs a bit sluggish, but decided to quit the poutting that often accompanies these days and instead remain positive and just roll with whatever happened. Highlight of the day = the war vet in the boat of a Buick honking as he drove by us. Initial instinct told me to flip the bird, but as he and his honking got closer the old guy was pumping his fist/horn in support of our morning effort with a gargantuan smile. Gotta' love the love.



TUES

11 miles from Anderson to Lakeridge Golf Course w/ Sean in AM. Again from the training log: "Oofta...legs felt empty and tired." Skin on balls of feet (aka where I land and push off which consequently expands said skin) cracked which throws off mechanics and all the odd stress builds up in the ankles, leaving them sore/tight latter in the day.



WED

7.5 miles around UNR solo in PM. Planned an ugly-butt-crack-of-dawn morning run (I HATE working at school all day and then running), but didn't work out. Run just felt like it took a long time. Rock climbed for three+ hours afterwards for roomie's birthday = straight amazing! And it provides such a contrast to running. In running there is much focus, routine, purpose, seriousness, and even stress. Thus I've associated all sorts of "heavier" emotions with this adventure. However, the rock climbing was nothing but fun. So simple, so fun. I think I'm going to ask for a pair of shoes for the upcoming birfday.



THUR

11.5 miles on BLC route w/ Sean in AM. Chill run, good convo. Felt the body run out of glucose (and thus have to start breaking down glycogen - the secondary, long-term energy source in the human body) right around mile niner. A very odd feeling, and also a bit frustrating given I ate a Clif Bar an hour before the run. But obviously the body told me it needed fuel. So instead of stretching after the run I made a mondo breakfast: two eggs with two sausage patties, rice, and avacado, two pieces of toast, and oatmeal with raisins and pecans.



FRI

8 miles through Mayberry Canyon and Woodchuck trails w/ Pottey and Hannah in AM. Legs nothing special, but pace stayed chill.



SAT

15.5 miles along Truckee River Parkway w/ Pottey, Hannah, and Teg in AM. Great to run long with people. Pace never got out of control - makes a person realize how odd they have become: "You mean long days can be chill and I can finish WITHOUT feeling like death???" Also odd to run with the intent purpose of making the expernce better for someone else in the group.

WEEK
72.5 miles. Did not feel amazing this week, but that is the grind. Back on the grind. Back to work. Log the miles and the body will adjust to the imposed stressors and required demands.

Tentative race schedule
Mar 13 - UC-Davis Aggie Open
Mar 21 - Emerald 12K Across the Bay (San Fran)
Mar 26 - San Fran St. Invite

Apr 3 - American River College Invite
Apr 9/10 - Chico Distance Carnival
April 16/17 - Woody Wilson Classic at UC-Davis

May 2 - Reno Marathon/Half
May 8 - Sacramento State Open
May 29 - Aggie Twilight at UC-Davis
May 31 - Marin 10K in Kentfield

June 4/5 - Reno Tahoe Odyssey Relay

Random note - the guy playing open mic in the coffee shop said he was friends with the late Bo Didley. He is the first human that I've ever heard of who knew Bo Didley. Wow. The guy is playing in front a pretty sparce crowd. Two trains of thought. One - this sucks, there are seven people listening. Two - cool, I get to play my music for these seven people. I really hope he is playing for the sake of his instrument and love of music.

Finally recieved my tax return late this week. Taxes were finished and filed two weeks ago. All signs pointed to a maximum of five days before the return came around. That time period came and went. Furthermore I waited for the funds for numerous reasons: credit card, utility payment, food, gas, ect. Days continued to pass without any deposit and the car used its gas and the food in the cabinets was consumed. Finally mid-week, after checking my account for the second time that day, a little voice popped into my head: "Tim - this is the Lord. Have I ever let you down??? Since moving to Reno you've never once run out of gas, lacked food, or missed a credit card payment. Furthermore you buy a cheap cup of coffee once a week and travel to Tahoe every few weeks for deep tissue work. Am I really going to stop taking care of you now? Stand. On. Me." How easily we place our trust in the things of this world which prove unpredictable. King Solomon actually spoke with God on more than one occasion (x-ref 2nd Kings) and he misplaced his faith and trust in pagan gods. Exercise of faith needs to be a Christian's priority. I can't expect to run three days a week and still attain my lofty goals. In the same way I can't exercise my faith on a seldom basis and expect to be strongly connected to the Lord. And I think the whole tax return "experience" proves this point.

Thanks for reading.
Patience and miles.