It's that time.  Just about half of half of an hour away from being an hour away from being a third of a day  from being exactly a week away, and the pre-race crazies are starting to take hold (as if that weren't evident from this sentence).  

Every little insignificant pain that niggled at me through the season is suddenly starting to bug me again.

Although my toenail has decided to stick around (seemingly to finish this thing out), it still looks evil.  I suspect it may be plotting something decidedly diabolical for me.

The fact that the 7 day forecast only goes through next Saturday is excruciating.

My body has begun to burst into random bouts of vibration, which I can't decide on  the exact cause of.  It could be anxious anticipation.  It could be sheer terror.  It could be a couple degrees too cold in here.  Maybe I will never know.

There's something I really like about running in residential areas during the middle of a workday.   It is really peaceful.  Yes, its also peaceful if you are running around early int he morning when everyone is asleep, but this is different.  Nobody's home, and nobody is driving around, and it is broad daylight.   Usually I run from work at lunch, and if I want to find a neighborhood that has that vibe in the middle of the day and is far enough from downtown to not hear the traffic, I have to tackle some fairly decent hills.

But today I took my car into the shop because some giant plastic thing was hanging off the bottom and nearly dragging on the ground (one of the universe's many tricks which I mentioned in my last post).  I had originally just planned to run from the shop back to work and around the trail a bit to get my run in.  When I asked how long it would take, the guy said it would be about 45 minutes.  I asked him if that was a "45 minutes after they start on it" or "45 minutes, considering the wait" kind of thing.  He said the second one.  So I clarified again, because I rarely have good luck with the time estimates at these places, "You mean, if I take off running here, and don't come back for an hour and 15 minutes or an hour and a half, when I get back, my car will be done?"  

He gave me one of those sort of single-eyebrow-cocked looks that people will give you when you tell them you're going running for more than an hour.. the ones where in the back of their head, you know they are thinking "What are you, nuts?"  But of course, as a good customer service representative, he simply said "Yeah, it will be ready by then." 

And so I ran, and instead of heading back downtown I ended up running West and then South, and after a while, I turned around and ran North and then East, and I ended up back where I came from.  It was a perfect little peaceful, leisurely neighborhood run.  

When I got back, I talked with the same guy.  He told me my car was ready, and then asked "Did you have a nice, brisk run?"  I wasn't sure if he was referring to the weather (which was actually kind of on the warm side), or maybe speed?  In any case, I said "It was a good run."  He asked me "Yeah? How far did you go?"  I told him (truthfully) that it was somewhere around 10 or 11 miles.  

He gave me the *other* look... the one that looks like the "you're crazy" look, but also includes a little smirk, and you know they're thinking  "Man.. you are so completely full of crap.. ain't no way you just ran 10 miles."  And of course, the good customer service representative said "Allright, well thank you for coming in and seeing us.  Have a good afternoon, and when they call you for that survey you tell them we did a good job."

And I will.  The plastic thing is now fastened securely, and they have a very polite customer service department.

I'm a fairly positive person in general, and I am not superstitious in the least.  If I were, I would feel like the past couple weeks the universe has been playing tricks on me, over and over again.  Every time, there's been clues along the way, but I haven't spotted them until after the fact.   Very few of these things have been related to running, but today was one of the exceptions.

As much as I really wanted to do 3M again this year, I decided not to.  But since I wasn't going to be running it, I thought I would try to get down there and give some support to the many people I knew who were out there today.  And.. since I needed to get a run in as well, I figured I could try to combine my run and some spectatin'.

I worked out the logistics last night - it wasn't simple and the calculator wouldn't cut it. I needed to make a spreadsheet to understand the math.   The race was scheduled to start at 6:45, and I had a deadline of 9AM to be back home.  The people I knew would be running all planned on something between 1:25 and 2:00.  If I parked at work and started my run at 7:30AM, I would be able to run over to the course, and up the course along Duval until I was up around 40-somethingth street... maybe hang out there for about 15 minutes, and then head back the way I came.  I figured that in the run up I would see several of the people I wanted to cheer on, and then catch the rest during those 15 minutes before I needed to hightail it back to my car.  

It was a perfect little plan, and things started off great.  I started running from work just about 7:30, and I thought if I made it over to the finish line in time, I would even see some of the fastest runners as they were finishing up the race.  I ran through the finish area - and here's where I should have had my first clue - there were about 50 people kind of loitering around, a few of them with news cameras, but nobody looked particularly interested in the finish line or the road leading up to it.  There didn't appear to even be a clock on the finish line yet, but maybe it just wasn't on and running.  There was one small truck of dry clothing bags being unloaded, and I just kind of ran on by without a thought, expecting to see a runner or a pace car or something at any moment.  Time kind of went by without me realizing it, as I was really anxious to start seeing people.  What was going through my head went something like this:

Ooh! A police car up ahead... it's the pace car!  Wait, no... it is just sitting at an intersection.

Why did the cones stop?  Damn! I'm on the wrong road now! (I was on San Jacinto still - I followed some cones around the corner until they stopped, but due to lack of other people on the road, I didn't realize it was the wrong way)... must get back to Duval.. quick!

Oh! there's another car! its on the road! it must be.. no.. it's just an elderly couple who look to be on their way to church.  

Man it's windy out here... at least its coming down this hill and it will be at their backs...

A bike... do they do pace bikes??  Umm.... maybe, but this dude is about to catch some air off that bump, so I am pretty sure he isn't one.

Interesting.. there's nobody at that water station (another clue for the clueless).

RUNNERS!!! In... pants... and... jackets and... chatting and...  nevermind.

Before I knew it, I was passing the 11-mile marker.. I looked at my watch, and saw that I had been running for a little over a half hour, making it a little past 8AM. WTF?!?  I stopped at an intersection and talked to a police officer there to find out what the heck was going on.  He said "yeah.. they started a bit late... just started about 10-15 minutes ago".  I responded with "You're kidding, right?".  "No, sir... got a bit of a late start."

He looked serious, but  part of me still thought he must be pulling my leg, even though it was obvious the race had started at least a little late.  I waited up there for a few minutes, unsure of what to do.  I knew I had to get back to my car by 8:45 at the latest to make it home by 9, but I thought (because I can't do math while I am running), that maybe if I headed back along the course, I might get passed by some of the first few runners, and I could maybe turn around at that time, see at least a few friends, and then head back when I needed to.  Of course, that didn't happen.  I did see Ruth running the other way, and asked her if the race really started as late as the officer had said.  I don't know what time it was then, but she told me "Yeah.. probably 30 minutes ago".

<sigh>  Well, crap.  If I had been a bit less clueless when I first went past the finish line, I would have asked *someone* there when the first runners were expected in, and I would have managed to get the story at that time.  I could have changed my plan, hopped in my car, and found a vantage point somewhere mid-course to cheer from.  Shoulda, woulda, coulda, as "they" say.  Next time, I will have a contingency plan.
 

LUNCHTIME RUNNING BUDDY - Downtown Austin Location
Do you love running? Do you run when it is 105 degrees
or 15 degrees, rain, shine, wind, or sleet?  Have you
ever navigated through several inches of water on the
Zilker soccer fields, or run through the tunnel at the
end of Town Lake just to see how far the trail actually
goes? Are you willing to listen to someone ramble on
and on about whatever subject comes to their mind,
including but not limited to running, their children,
their childhood, work, workouts, weather, whether that
old shirtless guy in the jeans is running to or from
something, various bodily functions, and that damn song
they just can't get out of their head?  Can you ramble
on endlessly about all that stuff too, if someone else
is there to listen? If this sounds like you, then you may
be the person I'm looking for! Applicants should be
dressed in running attire and meet in the lobby during
lunch.  Be prepared to run for 4-7 miles at a 7-9 minute
pace (your choice) once every week or two.  Occasionally
answering to the name "Mandy" when I am feeling
particularly nostalgic is a plus.

Today's long run was special. We had another MGP practice session today, bringing it out of "long run" territory and into "long run plus" territory.

The plan was 20 miles consisting of a 2 mile warmup, 8 miles at MGP, a stop for water, catch your breath etc. for 3 minutes, then 8 miles at MGP and 2 miles cooldown.

The weather at 6:30 AM was about as cold as it ever gets here in Austin this morning - somewhere in the upper teens (F). That made the run at least a little more special, but we all knew that was going to happen. I thought I had planned accordingly, and mostly I had - I was layered smartly and most of me stayed warm enough, except once again I had a wardrobe malfunction in the glove department. I wore the same thin cotton gloves that failed me at Decker, proving with certainty that I am not the brightest bulb in the fixture. I really just need to go get a pair of gloves that are designed for this.

Today was also a test run of my new tights - these at least I did manage to purchase in response to the wonderful time I had at Decker. I had never worn tights before today. I am self-conscious enough about my body as it is, without wrapping it in lycra. I figure if its cold enough for me to be wearing them, then most of the other guys out there will be too, and it is no big deal. Of course I still wore a pair of running shorts over the top, which probably made me look more ridiculous than I would have without them. In any case, the tights did their job and kept my legs a comfy temperature, as long as I kept moving.

On the first 8 miles of MGP, I ended up running with a guy named Mo (Moe?), even though our MGPs are not exactly the same. We both wanted some company, and he said he'd let me set a pace for the first 8, and just try to stick with me. That sounded good to me. The first three miles of that set were surprisingly on-target (my target is 6:50) : 6:45, 6:50, 6:48. I think those miles were kind of uphill, and when things flattened out on mile 4, we ended up clocking a 6:20 (yikes!) We slowed down a bit to 6:40 in mile 5.

It was in mile 5 that a sense of impending doom started to rise within me. I began to think that I might need to use the bathroom before the run was over. But there was no urgency, and I put it in the back of my mind, until somewhere in mile 6. Yes indeed, I decided that finding a bathroom was a great idea. By the end of that sixth mile, I was actively looking for a gas station or port-a-potty, and I had dropped our pace from MGP (Marathon Goal Pace) to MGPP.


In this case, my MGPP was slightly slower than my MGP, with the last three miles coming in at 7:03, 6:58, and 7:00. At the water stop, I tried to find out where the nearest bathroom might be. Nobody really knew - perhaps a mile off course, but maybe not. I didn't really want to take my chances heading off in some random direction, even though I knew that at least two miles back the way we came, there was nothing. The urgency of matters had subsided by the time I started running again, and so I simply told myself I would run back on the course and keep my eyes open. At this point Mo bid me farewell, and I was on my own for a bit. The first mile of the second set was downhill, and a little quick at 6:42, but not bad. I was feeling relief that by bathroom woes seemed to be over when about halfway through the second mile, they came back with a vengeance, and I switched gears down into M!G!P!P.. that's significantly slower than my 7:24 split for mile 2.  


The immediate urgency passed pretty quickly, but I was suddenly determined that I would find a bathroom in the next mile, even if it meant trying a few homes that looked "awake", to see if I could find a kind soul.  Mo caught back up with me and encouraged me that there must be a port-a-potty somewhere nearby.

For reference, if you're ever in the neighborhood and need some drugs or something, there is a Walgreens 24-hour pharmacy at the corner of 45th and Avenue A. They also have a public restroom.

It was not until I got into the restroom that I realized how solid my hands were frozen. I knew they were cold, but had no idea that they had gone completely numb. It took me a lot of fumbling just to remove my gloves, and then I cursed myself for putting the shorts on over the tights, both of which have drawstrings that are un-graspable when your fingers won't move.

Eons later, once the first order of business had been taken care of, I thawed my hands out using the cold water tap, then gradually added some warm. Enough to grasp a paper towel to dry them, anyhow. I did not want to leave that store, but I got back on the road as quickly as I could manage and picked up where I left off.

The rest of the run was pretty good. Cold, but uneventful. My pace oscillated a little bit, but it was in the right ballpark : 6:40, 6:41, 6:58, 6:41, 7:03, 6:48.

Average for first 8 MGP = 6:50
Average for second 8 MGP = 6:54

I think that's good, all things considered.  I'm going to go get some decent gloves this week. And as my wife pointed out when I bought the tights - this all pretty much guarantees that it will be in the 80's on race day.

2009 was a great year for me in a lot of different areas of my life, but since this journal is about running that's what I will write about here.

I think I ran more miles last year than ever before, but until a couple years ago I really wasn't counting. The grand total was 1462, with 802 of those in the past 4 months alone. I am certainly running more weekly mileage now than I ever have, and it feels great.

I ran in seven road races and a couple track meets, and set a few new PRs:

3M Half Marathon : 1:27:54 (PR)
Austin Half Marathon : 1:29:19
Capitol 10k : 40:46 (PR)
Texas Round Up 10k : 42:21
Chuy's 5k : 19:19 (PR)
Summer Twilight Track 3200 : 12:22
Summer Twilight Track 800 : 2:25
Summer Twilight Track 1600 : 5:46
Silabs Marathon Relay 10k Leg : 41:23
Decker Half Marathon : 1:27:31 (PR)

At this moment I am a stronger runner, both physically and mentally, than ever before. Most of this I have to credit to the training program I am currently doing. Some of it is also due to a mental barrier I was able to rationalize out of my way a couple months ago. Regardless of the reason, I am hoping to stay healthy and become even stronger in 2010. I am also hoping to see every one of those new PRs and at least one slightly older one fall. For the next 6 weeks, I'll be concentrating solely on that older one, though.

The good folks at Rogue decided to give us a recovery week for Christmas, so this week was already going to be light on the mileage. In addition to that, I ended up skipping a couple days (Coach's orders!) Early in the week, I was having some pain in my lower left leg that may or may not be related to another thing that's been lurking behind the scenes for a while now. So all in all, this has been a very light week. But it was a good week to relax at home too. The coffee fairy brought me something other than coffee this week:

It was a good run this morning - 16 miles with the middle half at MGP, an out-and-back on Shoal Creek. Going up there, my new friend Javier and I missed a turn at 24th street, and it appeared that the rest of the pack followed us. It was not a big deal - we got back on track without having to backtrack.

The MGP miles were for-the-most-part-almost-but-not-quite MGP... but I think they were close enough to call it a success : 7:03, 6:42, 6:51, 6:49, 6:35, 6:38, 6:51, 6:49.

I ran with Chris back to Rogue. We (intentionally) made the same wrong turn on the way back that Javier and I had made on the way up, but then made an honest mistake somewhere else in the route. Instead of Speedway, we found ourselves running through the middle of UT on San Jacinto, where they have the little guard booths with the radar signs that tell you how fast you're driving. The speed limit there is 15 MPH. We happened to be doing 7 when Chris noticed it had tagged us.

Chris suggested we run at the thing to see what we could get it up to. I needed no convincing - I routinely play the same game with a similar sign on Escarpment. With the two of us running at it we managed to get it up to 13 MPH before we passed by. It definitely pays to have help. The one on Escarpment won't register a single runner (at least one shaped like me) unless they are going between 8 an 9 MPH - no slower, no faster.

Finally, I would be doing myself no favors if I didn't thank the Coffee Fairy for once again providing me with a post-shower beverage. Thank you Coffee Fairy!

I like my new shoes, even if they do look like factory rejects. It took me a couple weeks to decide that, but today's long run helped make it final. They called today's run "Run from Hell up North".. though the last time I did this one it was called "Hills to Heaven", and it was four miles shorter. I spent some considerable effort lobbying both Ruth and Carolyn today to try to get them to change the name again, to "Left on Mesa" (because I still find that extremely funny two years later). I don't think that's going to happen, but it was worth a shot.

It was certainly a long run, clocking in at 22 miles, and at least three hours. Describing it as hilly is kind of an understatement, at least for the first 9 miles. In that hilly section, many of the street names you run on and past contain one or more of the following words: Mount, Mountain, Hill, Cliff, Ledge, Climb, View, Pass.

You get the idea. The last and most significant hill of the first 9 is thinly disguised with the Spanish name Ladera Norte (North Slope for anyone who doesn't want to play with Google's kick-ass translation engine). It is about 2/3 of a mile long, rises about 300 feet, and has a nice bend at the halfway mark to play a cruel joke on anyone who thinks that's actually the right turn at the top. To get to the bottom of the hill, you descend what's basically the reverse of that going down Far West - a very steep, very long hill.

Aaaanyway.. this started with the shoes. After all of the ups and downs and the long mileage my feet are understandably a little bit sore, but really not too bad. The shoes have served me well these past couple weeks, and I will probably get another pair (or two) before they disappear since I realized this version is also on the clearance rack with my old favorites.