This morning gave me a full challenge of layering and wind protection. There was a nice, gusty wind, and an air temperature of somwhere south of thirty degrees. The legs felt good, however, and the increased mileage in my regular loop (now up to four miles) didn't seem to hurt. Carmex and some lubriderm before starting out seem to help, but it will be a hat and a scarf before long.
My pace has been around 12 minutes per mile at this point, and the training plan is looking for around 45 minutes of running at each point during the week. I'm on the three minutes running/one minute walking plan, so I'm feeling more like I'm actually running, and the walk breaks seem to come quickly most of the time.
I'll keep my eyes open for snow, and keep the heavier polar fleece at the ready.
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Thursday, November 22, 2007
Thanksgiving in Wichita
Yesterday, I declined to run since it was thirty degrees with a twenty mile an hour wind and blowing drizzle. I wimped out.
Today, my son, daughter, and cousins all said, "you will freeze,” as I prepared. It was beautiful outside, however. I'm in Wichita preparing for the excitement of the Thanksgiving Dinner hosted by my aunt Lenore. In order to fully prepare for the inevitable overstuffing, today’s run was very important.
I chose a four mile loop up a bike trail along an expressway and then back through a housing development’s “fitness trail.”
The sun shone brightly this morning, the wind was mild, and the cold was an abstract concept. There was a heavy layer of frost on the grass though the street and sidewalks were mostly clear.
The calm wind really helped keep my temperature right, though the layering techniques I’ve been learning also contributed to this. I ran with a lightweight jacket and pants with a light Polartec mock-turtleneck underneath. For the first time, I also wore a stocking cap, which came off about halfway through.
Aside from the deceptively icy bridges on the “fitness trail,” the run was uneventful and pleasant. It was cold enough that the casual folks who would normally be clogging the trail with $600 imported jog-strollers were inside watching the Macy’s Parade, leaving the day to those of us who enjoy the nip in the air and the fog from our breath.
Today, my son, daughter, and cousins all said, "you will freeze,” as I prepared. It was beautiful outside, however. I'm in Wichita preparing for the excitement of the Thanksgiving Dinner hosted by my aunt Lenore. In order to fully prepare for the inevitable overstuffing, today’s run was very important.
I chose a four mile loop up a bike trail along an expressway and then back through a housing development’s “fitness trail.”
The sun shone brightly this morning, the wind was mild, and the cold was an abstract concept. There was a heavy layer of frost on the grass though the street and sidewalks were mostly clear.
The calm wind really helped keep my temperature right, though the layering techniques I’ve been learning also contributed to this. I ran with a lightweight jacket and pants with a light Polartec mock-turtleneck underneath. For the first time, I also wore a stocking cap, which came off about halfway through.
Aside from the deceptively icy bridges on the “fitness trail,” the run was uneventful and pleasant. It was cold enough that the casual folks who would normally be clogging the trail with $600 imported jog-strollers were inside watching the Macy’s Parade, leaving the day to those of us who enjoy the nip in the air and the fog from our breath.
Monday, November 19, 2007
Runnin' by the River
I woke up this November morning thinking that I was on my way to spring break. I'm in Lawrence, Kansas, I have a full tank of gas, and it's 60 degrees and damp--what's normally an early March morning, except that it's three days before Thanksgiving. Oh yeah, and I'm in a motel with my family, and I'm due in Wichita to see relatives tomorrow.
Running from the hotel, I crossed the Kaw river and stepped onto the nice crushed gravel and sand path that runs along the top of the levee. Normally I run on sidewalks and the street, and the comparative squishiness of the softer unpaved surface takes some getting used to. The little side to side motions in my knees was felt fairly quickly, and probably thinking about my knees made the situation worse since I was trying to control the movement. I'll report that the knees are a little more sore than usual, but not in a particularly bad way.
My initial plan was to run through Lawrence and do a "Roy Williams Loop" which is through the cemetery, around James Naismith's grave, and then across the river with a spit into the river on the way across and another spit on the way back. However, thinking about crossing many streets in the daylight on a misty, cloudy morning made me re-think my strategy, and I decided to cross the river and run on the levee instead.
Since I didn't live up to one former coach's shadow, I did the next best thing. I spent the week thinking of Don Fambrough, two-time Kansas football coach who has made a second career out of being a Jayhawk Football partisan. Fortunately, Don wasn't far away. His speech was everywhere, and if you click here, you too can understand the importance of winning the Missouri game.
Running from the hotel, I crossed the Kaw river and stepped onto the nice crushed gravel and sand path that runs along the top of the levee. Normally I run on sidewalks and the street, and the comparative squishiness of the softer unpaved surface takes some getting used to. The little side to side motions in my knees was felt fairly quickly, and probably thinking about my knees made the situation worse since I was trying to control the movement. I'll report that the knees are a little more sore than usual, but not in a particularly bad way.
My initial plan was to run through Lawrence and do a "Roy Williams Loop" which is through the cemetery, around James Naismith's grave, and then across the river with a spit into the river on the way across and another spit on the way back. However, thinking about crossing many streets in the daylight on a misty, cloudy morning made me re-think my strategy, and I decided to cross the river and run on the levee instead.
Since I didn't live up to one former coach's shadow, I did the next best thing. I spent the week thinking of Don Fambrough, two-time Kansas football coach who has made a second career out of being a Jayhawk Football partisan. Fortunately, Don wasn't far away. His speech was everywhere, and if you click here, you too can understand the importance of winning the Missouri game.
Sushi Boat @ Wa, Lawrence Kansas
Wa was a fine respite from hotel food, and I was very pleased that none of the sushi appeared to have come from the Kaw. I did not notice that the tuna were running when I crossed the river in the morning.
Sunday, November 18, 2007
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
Thank You - It Takes a Village!
Today I'd like to thank one of my fans who drives a car like this:
Nearly every time I'm out at a quarter to six, this car buzzes by and a happy voice from it encourages me, "Run Forrest!"
Thank you friendly motorist. It does indeed take a village!
By the way, it was really blustery and cool this morning, and I can tell that now that I've moved to wearing long pants and gloves, a hat is next. The run felt good, and the time was a small improvement over last time.
Nearly every time I'm out at a quarter to six, this car buzzes by and a happy voice from it encourages me, "Run Forrest!"
Thank you friendly motorist. It does indeed take a village!
By the way, it was really blustery and cool this morning, and I can tell that now that I've moved to wearing long pants and gloves, a hat is next. The run felt good, and the time was a small improvement over last time.
Sunday, November 4, 2007
Eight Miles With Fogged Glasses
Saturday morning I made up the postponed eight mile run. At this point, the pace is 2:30 run/1:00 walk which ended up with a pace of around 13 min./mile.
The reality that I'm aiming toward a fairly long run is starting to sink in. The College of Coaches told me to stash water along the route ("don't carry a bottle of water, you'll look like a dork") as the outdoor fountains are starting to shut down with the approach of winter. I was also informed that I should have some sort of "carb" snack along the way, and my running jacket was duly loaded with four three-packs of Malted Milk Balls left from Halloween.
After getting started and getting through the first mile and a half, it almost felt natural. 29 degrees at the start caused my glasses to fog, and I mis-identified nearly anyone else who was out running, walking, or driving; however, dressing correctly made the run comfortable, though the accumulated smell at the end frightened the house pets. By the way, Runners World has a very intelligent website that discusses dressing appropriately for weather conditions click here.
The run was uneventful, with spots where one knee would complain for a while and then the other and both eventually settled down, but nothing abnormal occurred. Two of my water bottles had disappeared necessitating a pause at Kwik-Stop for more water. The slow service let me heat up a little more than I would've liked, but the cool morning and the inspiration from the smells of breakfast wafting from the West Dubuque Tap kept me going.
So far so good. It's all good.
The reality that I'm aiming toward a fairly long run is starting to sink in. The College of Coaches told me to stash water along the route ("don't carry a bottle of water, you'll look like a dork") as the outdoor fountains are starting to shut down with the approach of winter. I was also informed that I should have some sort of "carb" snack along the way, and my running jacket was duly loaded with four three-packs of Malted Milk Balls left from Halloween.
After getting started and getting through the first mile and a half, it almost felt natural. 29 degrees at the start caused my glasses to fog, and I mis-identified nearly anyone else who was out running, walking, or driving; however, dressing correctly made the run comfortable, though the accumulated smell at the end frightened the house pets. By the way, Runners World has a very intelligent website that discusses dressing appropriately for weather conditions click here.
The run was uneventful, with spots where one knee would complain for a while and then the other and both eventually settled down, but nothing abnormal occurred. Two of my water bottles had disappeared necessitating a pause at Kwik-Stop for more water. The slow service let me heat up a little more than I would've liked, but the cool morning and the inspiration from the smells of breakfast wafting from the West Dubuque Tap kept me going.
So far so good. It's all good.
Saturday, November 3, 2007
#4 -- 9-0 Kansas Jayhawks
9-0 wow! Rolling up the score on the Nebraska Cornhuskers! Wow!
Here's the song again:
"I'm a Jayhawk!"
Please set your volume at "maximum."
Thursday, November 1, 2007
Cool Weather, Cold Legs
As the training progresses, I'm learning a little more each day about how to prepare for the day's run and how to keep comfortable while making my miles.
This morning, my nifty bedside alarm clock/wireless weather station showed 44 degrees when I started out this morning. Unfortunately, even the miracle of wireless technology can sometimes be, well, wrong. It was really 31 degrees, and I didn't pay much attention to the chilliness until well down the path this morning. The pants would have been nice.
As Bob Dylan once said, "you don't need a weatherman to tell which way the wind blows," but I at least need one to tell how cold it is outside!
Despite the chill in the air, the running came fairly naturally this morning, and I was a little faster than on Monday. I'll probably add a few blocks to keep the time running up.
This morning, my nifty bedside alarm clock/wireless weather station showed 44 degrees when I started out this morning. Unfortunately, even the miracle of wireless technology can sometimes be, well, wrong. It was really 31 degrees, and I didn't pay much attention to the chilliness until well down the path this morning. The pants would have been nice.
As Bob Dylan once said, "you don't need a weatherman to tell which way the wind blows," but I at least need one to tell how cold it is outside!
Despite the chill in the air, the running came fairly naturally this morning, and I was a little faster than on Monday. I'll probably add a few blocks to keep the time running up.
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