"Build and build, like the Kenyans do"

MARCH 21 - MARCH 27

SUN - 10.5 miles at Emerald Nuts Across the Bay 12k race in San Francisco. Split 11:23, 5:31, 10:37, 5:14, 5:25, and 2:30. 40:43 total. 5:28 average. 27th place overall. First ever 12k race! Right at mile three my mind began to mutter a bit, "Um, this is going to be a bit longer than you've ever gone before." By mile five the body felt a bit tired, but worked hard to push the last two miles. Thanks to the kindness of the Budweiser Brewing Company, I consumed a tasty beverage at their expo tent before my cool down. Then my buddy Micah put a crab in my shoe without telling me and I put my shoe on. Spent time in downtown Frisco, and hanging with some of the Cal guys. Great weekend!

MON - 9 miles easy with Potteys.

TUES - 9.5 miles on Late Loop at 5:30am. Rock Climbing in afternoon.

WED - 9.5 miles in afternoon through Rancho, followed by rock climbing session.

THUR - 5 miles around UNR at 6am; 3 miles shakeout in Pacific, CA along coastline!

FRI - 2 mile shakeout in AM; 5k at San Francisco State for 10 total. Split 5:08, 5:10, 4:59, and 32 for 15:51 overall. A great race experience! I focused on my own business really well during the warm up and got to the start line quite calm and relaxed. During the race I actually smiled a few times because it was fun. Effort didn't start to hurt until halfway through, but even then just kept focusing on each lap as it came.

SAT - Off.

WEEK - Recovery week at 58.5 miles. Really excited to be racing again.....a lot of travelling to get to the Bay Area for races, but really enjoying the experience.

MARCH 28 - APRIL 3

SUN - 10.5 w/ Potteys through Keystone Canyon with short strides on end of run.

MON - 10.5 along BLC route w/ 4-3-2-1 pickups. Pickups put in place to shake up the run and make the body do something besides just run.

TUES - 14 at Horsemans w/ Sean. Battled the gusty winds, blowing snow, and tired legs. Rock climb in afternoon.

WED - 8 along Truckee River before school. Real happy to log the miles before the full work day. For a 5:30am run, everything felt pretty fun and light-hearted. Rock climb in afternoon.

THUR - Truckee and Journal Jog route for 12.

FRI - 7 around UNR before work. Pretty tired when alarm went off, but fine once got out the door.

SAT - 2 mile shakeout in AM; 5k at American River College for 10 total in PM. Split 5:04, 5:14, 5:10, and 34 for 16:02. First mile felt real comfortable and went by quickly, but effort increased shortly after. Heading into last mile I kept somewhat engaged and didn't let up on pace or place. Real fun meet. Once again real calm and controlled on warm up - perhaps to a fault though as the overall tenacity felt low at the start line (could be I didn't eat for six hours prior to the race either).

WEEK - 74 miles. Felt much more focused this week. Actually outlined miles vs. just randomly running each day and reaching weekly total.

APRIL 4 - APRIL 10

SUN - Parker Training Center along Lakeside for 9. Pretty grumpy going into run....30mph winds may have had something to do with it.

MON - 7.5 miles in AM; Chiropractor in PM for tissue work. Wanted to run eleven on the day, but woke up to cold wind and snow in the front yard and body felt real beat up on the run. Mentally weak as well - didn't have a lot of fight.

TUES - Horsemans w/ Sean for 15. Woke up in a much better mood. Gas tank never felt empty on run either.

WED - Truckee River Path at 5:30am for 8 in AM - actually found the early morning run enjoyable; 4.5 miles around UNR in PM w/ 1x400 (75), 2x200 (37, 34), and 2x100 (16, 16) - wanted to give body another chance to readjust to running on the track surface and turns so did these few segments instead of strides.

THUR - Sean's Lakeside Loop for 12 in AM. Sitting in the PT's office later that day the thought occurred to me, "I'm racing tomorrow and I ran twelve miles this morning....hmmm.....well, guess we'll see what happens."

FRI - 2 mile shakeout in AM in Berkeley; 5k at Chico State in PM for 10 total. Split 5:10, 5:10, 5:10, and 34 for a 16:04 total. My individual lap splits were all over the place! We opened in an 80 (no wonder I thought, "This feels real nice!") and the race was full of surge-and-slow-and-catch-the-next-group-and-sit-with-them. Consistent good job of relaxing on warm up and focusing on my business. Didn't feel overly great inside of the race. I think I missed out on a great "learning" opportunity this time as the race pace fluctuated pretty much every lap. While I ran the race I never fully engaged into "savage" mode to be fully focused/aware of what was occurring. Cooled down with roommate Micah. The last time I ran with him was summer of 2007, and since then he has gone through almost half a dozen surgeries to rebuild his body after being struck by an SUV while road biking.

SAT - Micah forced me to drive back to Berkeley after the dinner stop at Wendy's. This would not be noteworthy except that we were in his car - a manual. I don't know how to drive a manual. Thankfully we were travelling after midnight since the race started at 9pm. So at 2:30am I finally hiccuped the car into Berkeley and Micah forced me into sleeping neighborhoods for a tutorial. Later that morning I ran 7 along the Firetrail trail located just past the Cal football stadium. Felt great given the race went down yesterday - stride loose and arms relaxed. Almost stepped on a banana slug. Watched The Big Meet later that day. Stanford and Cal claim a HUGE rivalry and The Big Meet is the track dual between the two teams. Go Bears!!!

WEEK - 75 miles. Front end of week was real rough, but that could have resulted from the 5k at American River College. Chiro work helped a lot to improve how the body felt, and getting away from Reno to a different place helped the ol' mind. Great to hit another mid-70 week with a solid race effort included.

APRIL 11 - APRIL 17

SUN - Skyline trails w/ Cal guys for 10. Pouring rain, but awesome run. This week is Washoe County School District's spring break!!!

MON - Tour of Berkeley Campus for 11.

TUES - 10 miles along a random part of the California coastline. Legs didn't feel all that well, and ended up running through some really bumpy and marshy terrain and got pretty angry. Stretched afterwards while drinking a beer. Pictures are on the book of faces.

WED - Rancho/UNR for 9 after driving back from CA coastline. Body shabby at the start, but after the first half everything loosened up pretty well. Actually enjoyed myself.

THUR - Mayberry Park for 12 w/ Sean and Hannah. Ran pretty chill pace, but body pretty tired by the end.

FRI - Horsemans for 10 w/ Sean and Hannah. Felt great - body took a few miles to warm up, but then flowed really well and really relaxed. Massage in evening.

SAT - 8.5 in AM w/ 2x800 (2:30-2:26) and 10x400 (74-72-72-72-75-71-72-72-1:45...went through 600) to help Sean with workout. Planned workout was 12x800 w/ 60 seconds recovery. I didn't feel it was out of my league and actually looked forward to a good, hard Saturday morning track session. However, the body thought otherwise and after the first two I cut to just doing the first quarter. In typical fashion though, I felt better as the workout progressed. For example, on the final repeat I led Sean through the quarter in 70, and then dropped another 35. I probably could have finished in close to a 35 or 36 which would have given me a 2:20, and at this point I felt actually strong and in control of the effort (vs. running the last eight-hundred of a race like it felt I was doing in those first two repeats). Sean ran really well and hit his 12x800 averaging like 2:26 or 27 with only sixty seconds recovery in between. Good luck to him in pursuit of his sub 2:30 marathon in a few weeks! 4 miles through Rancho in PM - first snake sighting of spring!

WEEK - 74.5 miles - good way to end the last three weeks. First week in a long time without a race.

May will be a month of road racing. The Reno Marathon also puts on a 10k and I will use that as practice for the Bay to Breakers 12k in San Fran. The Asics Aggies are eying the long standing centipede record (5:02's for 7.46 miles) and I might be running with. Unsure of my ability to run that quick of a pace that long the plan to run hard from the gun at the Reno 10k and see what happens. Finally there is a 10k race in Roseville, CA on Memorial Day. I had a real good string of races on the track - learned to control the warm up and go in relaxed. Now it is time to build on that positive work and redevelop the savage mindset while in the race. More important than time or place finish in these next races is the tenacious mindset.

Thanks for reading.

Find your gifts - use them to the fullest.

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.

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

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.

The elephant wants a piggy back ride

Although a down week in scope and sequence, the past seven days did not feel like much of a break. It more so felt like Dumbo decided to give his ears a break and ride the Skinny Man Transit for most of the runs.

SUN
7 miles at Bartley w/ Ron and Jon - ran on the tail end of the 16 inches of snow that unceremoniously dumped all over the greater Reno area. Running through the snow, however, provided a nice cushion for the legs and it was nice to only run seven miles.

MON
8 miles on treadmill - didn't feel like suiting up for the cold morning nor the slick frozen roads.

TUES
10.5 miles w/ Sean along Journal Jog route - overall felt weak. Stride did not feel chipper on way out and on the return it seemed to straight up run out of all sugar (even though I ate before the run).

WED
1/4 mile swim in AM; Arrowcreek run + strides in PM for 7.5 total. Even though it took a while for the legs to warm up I actually enjoyed being outside and running. After raining cats and dogs all morning the sun broke through and made the day warm enough to sport just a t-shirt and shorts. Strides helped loosen the muscles up.

THUR
10.5 miles w/ Sean along Truckee River w/ 8-8-6-4-2 pickups in AM; strengthening workout with PT and massage appointment with DC in PM. I felt good today!!! Going into the pickups I focused on just relaxing and working hard but not straining. Started the first segment at 5:45 pace and in typical fashion the body improved as the work progressed. The sun was out and once again I actually found enjoyment in the run. I've never worked out with the PT and then was worked on by the DC in the same day. So this provided a chance to experiment. Usually my butt (literally, and hips) is kicked Thursday by the PT which leaves the stride feeling sore Friday and Saturday. However, if I visit the DC (which usually occurs Friday) it makes the stride feel amazing on Saturday's run. Got to work with a new massage therapist in the office. Lesson one: she needs to not worry about hurting my "Tim Boy" body and crank harder next time.

FRI
7 miles on the Ditch Trail w/ Pottey and Hannah - stride lacked fortitude. Right hamstring sore, like it was over used on hamstring curls or cramped up and never relaxed. My theory: after doing segments of 1-2-2:30 minutes of back bridges with the PT (lie on back, knees bent at 90 degrees, lift pelvis in air to form at 45 degree angle with body, and then hold one leg out straight - Google "core exercise bridge" if I suck at describing said exercise) each hamstring knotted up. Later the massage therapist worked on the left ham a bit more than the right (per my comment, "The left hammy is a bit fidgety from time to time") and given she worked pretty light overall she may have not worked out the effects of the back bridges.

SAT
8 miles w/ Sean along 7th Seven - planned ten, but cut route short (in the name of the down week) when the legs never really woke up and once again lacked energy. A wise friend once told me, "If the body is fatigued you can fight through it; if the legs are fatigued you need to back off." Even decided to walk the last half mile home after hitting the eight mark. It didn't make sense to keep running on crap legs and terse lungs. Yet that half mile provided a time to reflect, and thank God for the ability and the day despite the less than desireable outcome. The ease with which we praise God in good times often goes missing once the hard arrives. But what makes this experience most worth the effort - conditional praise or building (sometimes with success and sometimes with failure as we live in an imperfect world) a heart, which like Job, praises God's name no matter what the circumstance? I guess it ties into my larger life journey as a Christian. In the future teaching and church leadership will replace running. Struggles of epic proportion are sure to come. How will I respond?

WEEK
58.5 for a down week. The previous post outlines thoughts regarding the compounded effect of miles on overall energy levels and health. In the mean time I'm enjoying Saturday by chilling out with coffee and doing some planning work for our church's Easter for Kids program. I'm also working on being chill about today's (Saturday) run, and the week as a whole.

There is no secret. Consistent hard work pays off. Eat a lot, and lots of fruits/veggies. Drink water. Stretch. And just run, run, run.

Thanks for reading.

The oddity of the body

The body is currently towards the end of a down week of training (~60 miles vs. the usual low 70 mark). And funny, despite running fewer miles and logging more consistent sleep (compared to previous weeks of higher miles and less sleep) the body is currently consistently tired and fighting a few microscopic bad guys that have run down the immune system. Furthermore, the consumption of coffee early in the day produced little to no effect in overall energy level and alertness. The expected bright eyed and bushy tailed response failed to occur. Interesting.

Yet the body is not responding to this week's training so much as the composite string of the past 72-72-71.5. The stress (take that the right way - physical labor and requirements placed upon the body and immune system) built from those miles is being felt now. Interesting.

So does that mean the body will eventually catch up and catch a break from this week? You tell me.


In other news, I think pool lane sharing is quite communist in nature. While my lane neighbor proved amiable in nature, his wingspan still overflowed well onto my side. The whole lane definitely turned into OUR lane, as opposed to my side and his side. And my attempts to swim big and spread out just proved futile. Sometimes not having my man body really doesn't help.

How is a teacher suppose to react when said professional finishes a run back to campus and is greeted with the hoots and "Holla"s from students. All I could think was, "I was already doing basic Algebra and receiving awkward lectures about sex from my dad when you were born!!!" Thank goodness said runner decided to keep their shirt on even though the sun was out and shining brightly.

On this morning's run:
Pottey: "Tim, I hope you never stop running..."
Tim: *thinking* "Wow, what a nice guy. I bet he is going to talk about being seventy-five and doing local 10K's in short shorts and knee-high socks and still giving the young guys a run for their money."
Pottey: "...because I don't want you to get fat, especially with all your talk of loving donuts."

I should probably enrich myself by reading a book. Game on.