Training Log - April 30

I took yesterday off to recover from my long run on Monday. Today I ran a 5k up the Scenic. I'm feeling pretty good after the long run.

Training Log - April 28

I ran 8.5 miles today up the Scenic Highway. It was a good day for a run...about 30 degrees and partly cloudy. Some of the lakes are opening up, so it was good to see the water. I jumped three deer and saw a number of hawks.

This was also my first run with my MP3 player. It was amazing how much shorter the run seemed with the mental distraction of listening to music. Thankfully, there isn't much traffic to worry about around here.

Training Log - April 26

Living here is crazy. It's snowing like mad outside. We'll probably end up with about 6 inches of snow. That's the third snowstorm this month. I cannot even see across the lake right now. Isn't it May in a few days?

I ran 5.25 on the treadmill.

Sigh.

Training Log - April 25

I missed running yesterday because of travelling. Today I ran a 5k on the treadmill.

Training Log - April 22

Ran about 4.8 miles on the paths around my mom's place in Inver Grove Heights. I ran on the bike paths, but was amazed at what a country runner I've become. I just couldn't get over all the traffic noise!

Training Log - April 21

Ran three miles outside today before taking off for the Twin Cities.

Training Log - April 19

Today I ran 7.8 miles up the Scenic...almost to the Taconite Trail parking lot. It felt good to do a long run. They are so much more fun than short runs. Today I felt like I could have run further, which is a really good sign. I'm getting antsy to do a 10 mile run. I know that I could finish one, but I really don't want to increase things too quickly. It is only April, after all.

Training Log - April 17

Just a quick 4 mile run today. Spring is on the way, I think. I don't want to shout it too loudly, lest we have another blizzard.

Training Log - April 15

Tax Day. I got my 4 mile run in today. I missed my 5k run yesterday because things were just too hectic. I felt good...and am looking forward to another run on Thursday.

Training Log - April 13

Today I ran 6.9 miles up the Scenic Highway. I missed running on Saturday. The wind was howling outside, and I figured I was better off waiting.

How Long Can I Run?

Every year my age ticks up just a little bit. Sometimes I wonder if my increasing age will ever qualify me for a medal in a race. I've never been and probably never will be a fast runner. I'm a definite back of the pack plodder. Still, I have this dream of winning. I think every runner does.

I look around at every race I enter and wonder how many runners are in my age bracket. Can I beat them? Unfortunately, I'm learning that many of the "older" runners are former track or cross country runners whose flawless running form translated into speed as youngsters still translates into speed as they get older. I see too many sweaty grey-haired men sipping Gatorade when I cross the finish line to think that I really have a chance of winning any time soon.

Perhaps if I keep it going long enough I will eventually wear out all of the competition and finally win a race. Winning my age bracket at 80+ is a good goal...and I've got 35 years to work on it.

So watch out rabbits, this turtle is going to win!

Training Log - April 11

Well, it's my birthday. A blizzard hit last night, dumping another foot of snow and bringing 30-35 mph winds with it. It is supposed to blow out of here tomorrow morning early. There was a 10k planned for tomorrow in Grand Rapids. I was going to register at the race, but I think I'll skip it.

Today's workout consisted of walking for 40 minutes on the treadmill rather than running on the thing. I'm trying to give my legs a little break. Then I headed outside and shoveled for an hour. I think that counts for weight training.

Hopefully the roads will clear up quickly. I do want to get a long run in, but maybe it will have to wait until Sunday.

Training Log - April 10

A blustery day with another blizzard in the forecast. It was so windy out that I decided to do my run on the treadmill. I went 4 miles. My leg was bothering me a little bit again. I really shouldn't do any more than a 5k on the torture device, but I really want to get my training in.

Training Log - April 8

It took until about noon today to get plowed out. The snow is heavy and wet. It doesn't slide off of the plow, so plowing is a matter of shoving the snow off the road, backing up, shoving some more snow off the road...a time consuming and messy process.

While the main roads are clear and dry, I just didn't have the gumption to head outside. I did my 4 mile run on the treadmill. My leg gave me a little problem, so I walked for about a minute and then resumed running with no further problems.

I wore my heart monitor for the first time in months and was surprised by how low my heart rate stayed at my typical pace. I guess my training is improving my fitness. Imagine that.

Training Log - April 7

I wished that the weatherman was wrong about the snowstorm and he was. His forecast only vaguely resembled what acutally happend.

WE GOT 30 INCHES OF SNOW!!!

I'm still not plowed out.

Needless to say, I did my 5k on the treadmill.

"Winter is Over!" I declared...

I declared winter over and my training to have officially begun. I meant it! It's 46 and sunny right now. I wore running shorts yesterday. Winter is over!!!

I just would look less silly if I had checked the weather forecast. There is a winter storm coming tonight. Here's the latest from the National Weather Service:

A WINTER STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 7 PM THIS EVENING TO MIDNIGHT CDT SUNDAY NIGHT. A MIX OF RAIN AND SNOW WILL CHANGE TO ALL SNOW AND BECOME HEAVY THIS EVENING. PERIODS OF FREEZING RAIN ARE ALSO POSSIBLE. TOTAL SNOW ACCUMULATIONS OF 8 TO 12 INCHES...WITH GREATER AMOUNTS IN PARTS OF THE IRON RANGE AND ARROWHEAD ARE EXPECTED BY MIDNIGHT SUNDAY NIGHT. THIS WILL BE A HEAVY WET SNOW WITH A POTENTIAL FOR SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE TO TREES...LIMBS...AND POWER LINES.

Sometimes I hate living here.

Training Log - April 5

How do you decide when simply building and maintaining base mileage ends and the actual training for an event begins? I try to run most of the winter, but I am only dreaming of the races that summer and fall will bring. I cannot say that I am actually training for them.

I remember talking to someone years ago about training for my first marathon. Their first question was whether I had built a running base of at least 20 miles per week. "Unless you've done that, that's where you start" were his words. I had reached that base, and he sketched out a training plan for my first marathon. Ever since then I haven't really considered myself to be training if I am running less than 20 miles per week.

I guess I also have another criteria that I apply to consider when I am actually "in training" rather than just running for general fitness. I consider myself to be "in training"when I am running more than 20 miles per week and my long runs have pushed past the 10k point and are going to be heading up for the foreseeable future.

Therefore, I hearby declare that the winter is over and my training for this year's races has begun. Today I pushed past the 6.2 mile mark and ran 6.9 miles. By the end of the month I'll have my long run at 10 miles.

The pursuit of the marathon has officially begun. Only 735 miles of training to go.

Bring it on.

Training Log - April 4

A hectic day that started with a early breakfast meeting. It was one of the first "perfect" days we've had since about October. The skies were sunny and the temp over 50. The only problem was that my day was packed with things that had to be done, and those things got pushed back by fires that needed to be pushed out. I found myself looking out the window and sighing with the thought of going for a run.

Then, the unexpected happened: I actually wound up with some free time in the evening! Not a lot, but enough to hit the road for a quick 3 miles before the sun went down. It was the first day in shorts!

I think I might be an addict.

Training Log - April 3

Today I could have worn shorts. It was 45 when I left, but close to 50 when I got back from my 4 mile run up the Scenic.

Once I caught my breath, I stood and listened at the end of the dirt road leading to our house. I heard...nothing. My ears strained to hear the faintest sound and there was nothing to be heard. After a few minutes a distant chickadee sang and then it was quiet again until a slight breeze stirred the branches of the trees.

Nothing is an amazing sound. I don't remember hearing it until I was a teenager. My father and I went to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area. I stood there looking out at the lake at the end of the Gunflint Trail and listened. There were no cars, no planes, no music, not even the ticking of a clock.

Nothing.

As an introvert, I think it is a beautiful sound. I don't think people get to hear it often enough. Fortunately, I live in the toolies, and it is a sound I can hear most days just by stepping outside.

Life is good.

The Twin Cities Marathon...in 1989

I ran my third marathon in October of 1989. The Twin Cities Marathon was also my first "large" marathon. Milwaukee wasn't bad and Lake Geneva was small. The TC Marathon is definitely a celebration of running and autumn. Its claim to be the "most beautiful urban marathon" is certainly no idle boast.

After so many years there are a few images that linger in my mind:

• Even though I grew up in the Twin Cities, I was surprised at just how close the lakes are to downtown Minneapolis. I had run around most of the lakes before and enjoyed the skyline view, but I was surprised by how quickly we reached them from downtown.
• The aid stations were tremendous. "Chariots of Fire" and "Rocky were blaring from many of the stands. The water station at the 20 mile mark was a giant wall built across the road. It was incredible.
• My wife cheering me. In a major disappointment, my wife hurt her knee on the final long run in training for the marathon. She was reduced to cheering. Every once in a while I would spy her on the side of the road hollering and clapping. A spectator who has run a marathon feels a special connection to those running past.
• The fall colors. The trees were absolutely stunning. The river bluffs and mansions were beautiful. It was a spectacular run.
• Turning the corner and seeing the capitol and the finish line teeming with people.

It was also the only marathon I seriously considered dropping out of. Somewhere around mile 21 my right big toe started to hurt. The first "knuckle" of my toe, where it connects to the foot screamed with every step. I tried walking for a while, but it didn't help. I settled into a survival jog and scanned the crowds for my wife. If I had seen her, I would have called it quits.

Fortunately, she decided to wait at the finish line. Funny, she always seems to know just what to do.

Training Log - April 1

The threatened snowstorm went south of us. We didn't even get a flurry. This afternoon was 43 above and sunny! I went for a 4 mile run in sweats and a long sleeve t-shirt. No windbreaker, no running tights, no gloves. No hat. Yea!