Running Naked

Well, I have decided to try running naked a few days a week! This is a big stretch for me. Not that I am ashamed of my body or that I am a little upset that I did not make the AOL list of the top 10 to bare it all for the camera, I mean, come on, I am just as pasty white as Kate Winslet, however I am not talking about leaving my singlet and shorts off and running in my birthday suit. It is time to leave the poor ol' watch at home.

Yes, that is it! Running naked means no watch. Sorry to disappoint, but if you ask some college team-mates of mine, I am sure they would be glad to tell a tale or two. Anyways, I have always felt naked without my watch. It is that one piece of gadgetry that I just can't seem to give up. Not that I have one of those watches that keep my pace, distance, heart-rate, calories burned, and comes with a compass just in case I get lost. Nope, mine is pretty simple. I just keep track of how long it takes me to run the course I have chosen to run that day. Plain and simple, how long did it take me. And here lies the problem.

Since my goal is to run fast, I have a hard time running slow and by feel. I know rest and easy running are just as important as going hard in work-outs, but if I glance at my watch and see that I am 2 seconds fast, do I slow down. Heck no! I might be able to run this loop faster than I ever have had before. Who cares if it is a recovery day! This could be a new Santa Fe Trail 5 mile morning loop pr we are talking about. Nobody will be talking about this for weeks! Come on baby, push it. Lets trim those seconds off. So much for recovery.

So, since time slows down for no man, the man has decided to leave time behind. At least on easy recovery days. I have often heard you are only uncomfortable being naked the first few times, but like in marriage, after you bare it all, you get used to it and it is just a part of life. Even to the point to where you don't even notice it. (Honey, I still notice when you are naked!) As I head out the door, no one will turn their heads and stare in amazement, but I will know that I am not fully clothed and my bare wrist will feel exposed, but naked I must go.

Until the next time, keep running, stay healthy, and don't be afraid to bare the wrist!
SP

The Week Off

When I took the day off on Monday, I did not intend for it to turn into nearly a whole week off of running! Yet, that is exactly what has happened. Although I did manage a few days this past week, it was very minimal as far as mileage and effort. However, I must say that I am feeling invigorated, rested, and refocused on what lays ahead for the next 100+ days of running.

After posting my time goals the other day, I have given even more thought in how to approach the next four months before my goal races of 5000 and 10000 meters at the Masters Championships in Sacramento and have discovered that this week off of running is going to be a key and crucial element to my success later in the year. I have never put a big emphasis on long streaks of running without a break, mainly because when you are training hard, recovery is just as important as the work-outs and occasionally your body needs a full day or maybe two of non-running to recover. For most runners this is every 3-4 weeks. After 105 straight days, I needed more than a day of recovery! And not just physically, but also mentally. Sneaking in 2 mile runs on your birthday at 11:00pm is not quality training! Hardcore? Yes! Quality? No! Rest days are now going to be an integral part to my training regime as I begin to prepare for Sacramento this week.

My training is now going to revolve around three week cycles that will include two weeks at 70 miles and the third week at 50-55 with a day off and if needed two. I have discovered over the past 105 days of running that my body holds up fine for about two weeks, but then it needs to rest. I discovered that when hitting 70 miles per week, I could manage another week of 65-70, but then the following week would drop to 45-50 miles and I would developed a variety of aches and pains. Then it would take another two weeks to build back up to 70 miles. Rather than ride a roller coaster of training the next four months, I am going to anticipate that my body needs a rest and take one, even if feeling good. A tired, broken-down, worn-out, and under rested athlete cannot run fast! No matter what kind of shape they are in. And I want to run as fast as this 43 year old body can go! Besides, some of my college buddies are running the champs in July too and honestly, I want to kick their old gray butts! I'm coming for you Los, Studa and Aldge!

Until the next time, keep running, stay healthy and take a well deserved nap today!
SP

Sub 5?

So on Monday I officially ended my running streak at 105 straight days. My plan was to run 100, which I did, but afterwards I was unsure of where I wanted to take it, so I kept on going a few more days. However, for the past two weeks I have been very sluggish on my runs and decided it was time to take an easy week with a few days off and re-calibrate my goals for the year.

So with just some light running a few days this week, I have given much thought to where I want to take my running next. This has caused me to take a real good hard look at my goals for 2010 and I have decided to modify a few.

The first, finishing in the top 5 overall in the Fresno Runner of the Year series in the masters division. When I was younger I never placed an emphasis on winning a bunch of races and collecting all the accolades and trinkets that go with such endeavors, my focus was on running fast. At the beginning of the year I was afraid to mention any times that I would want to shoot for, but after running 11:41 for two miles two weeks ago, I know I can go much faster. So instead of placing in the top 5 in the Fresno series, I am going to focus on getting in shape to hit the track in May. I do not want to hit the Masters Champs in July slogging through a 5000 and 10000 trying to survive, I want to compete! Soooo, here it goes, in the mile I want to run sub 5 minutes this summer, sub 17:00 for the 5000 and sub 35:00 for the 10000.

Now I know those are not blazing times, but after 8-9 years of not being on the racing scene and having ran more over the past 3 months than I have over the past 3 years, these are some pretty hefty times to shoot for! Impossible? No. Difficult and demanding? Yes. Doable? Absolutely. Can I do it? This is the goal!

Second, now until Masters Championships I want to average 65-70 miles per week. My original goal was 3000 miles for the year and it still is, but now as I approach conquering that goal, I have a deliberate plan of attack that is based on racing results rather than mileage results. I honestly believe, if you want to seriously race, you need to run some serious miles. If you look at the fastest guys in distance running, they are putting in 100-140 miles per week. As a 43 year old, with a career and family, my 100 mile week days are over for the most part, but I can still run 70 if I am disciplined. Now it is simply a matter of do I want it bad enough? We shall see.

Now time to refocus the training and get busy learning to run fast again.

Until the next time, keep running and stay healthy!
SP

Saturday Morning

It's Saturday morning and i have just finished my second cup of coffee, wondering why I'm not still in bed, cuddled up to my wife? It is windy and cloudy, so I have my tights in the dryer to get ready to head out the door for my run, while rubbing the various aches and pains that are starting to accumulate in my ol' legs. I'm tired, have a long day of coaching ahead of me and I have things I need to do with my family, so there will be no time for a good run later today. Honestly, I just don't feel like running right now! However...

Once I get out on the trail, after a few miles, as the blood begins to flow steadily over my aching muscles, as more oxygen flows to the brain, and the heart gets pumping hard, I will be glad I did not give into temptation. There is a big box of Apple Jacks just waiting for me to get done with my run. (Yes, I still eat sugary cereals.) Another pot of coffee to be brewed and a warm shower to ease the aches away, but only after the miles have been put in for the day. So off I go and in another hour or so I will pour that wonderful taste of cinnamony-apple taste into a big bowl and smile!

Until the next time, keep running, stay healthy and have a big bowl of your favorite cereal from when you were a kid!
SP

Old School

One of the interesting things about older runners, especially those who take up the sport later in life, say in their late 20's, 30's and 40's, is their fascination with gadgets. Weekly I get asked about on-line running logs, Garmins, heart-rate monitors, water bottle belts, ipods, and types of tech clothing. Not that there is anything wrong with those items, but seriously, have you seen some of these people out running? They look like they just came from the science fair flea market. I kid you not, the other day I saw I guy running with 3 watches, an ipod and cell phone! Curious, I ran up behind the dude, he had no clue that I had snuck up on him, and asked him what was with all the clutter on the arms? Apparently in order to be a serious runner, one must have a Garmin in which to know your precise mileage and pace, a heart monitor in order to know your optimal pace to run, tunes to keep you relaxed while running and your cell phone so you don't miss any calls or texts. Oh yeah, and every serious runner must have a running watch! I waved and proceeded to leave the man to his serious running.

I have to admit, I am old school. What is old school? Old school is that class of runners who do not run for exercise or to raise money for charity, we are animals that know our primal urge is to move one leg in front of the other as fast as we can. We see another runner ahead of us and we automatically pick up the pace to hunt down the prey. We wear real split leg running shorts and cotton t-shirts that make our nipples bleed, because The Firecracker 10K logo looks better with sweat stains in the pits and blood streaks on the front. Old school means we tell how far we ran by how long we have been out and by the effort we put in that day, because we don't listen to i-tunes when we run, we listen to the I tune of ourselves. Old school means we don't need some device to tell us we are working hard, because when we can't hardly breath and the sweat is dripping we can feel our stinking heartbeat in our throbbing hands, feet, chest, and ears. (Have you ever had a throbbing ear? Then you are old school!) Old school is black toe-nails falling off and leaving it on the night-stand as a trophy! Old school is drinking coffee after a run and blowing snot rockets while you talk and no-one cares. Old school is knowing that the next water stop is 12 miles away and not sloshing around on your butt. Old school is looking at your watch and seeing that you are running 4 seconds faster on a loop and feeling like a champ or running 4 seconds slower and feeling like a slug. Old school is about you, the course and putting one foot in front of the other with nothing else but your shoes, bloody socks, and giving it your best effort for that most glorious time of day when you get to run!

Now, you may be a serious runner, not that there is anything wrong with that, but if you really want to experience the running life, well I suggest you try old school and then tell me which one you prefer. Don't worry, your nipples will harden up!

Until the next time, keep running, stay healthy, and wash that old bloody stained t-shirt!
SP

First Race of 2010

Ugggh. Okay, now I know we slow down with old age, but my goodness, I was not prepared for what happened today. I ran my first race, a two mile, in which I ran 11:41. Not that I am totally surprised, but honestly, I thought I would have ran about 20-30 seconds faster than what I did. I guess I need to take it for what it is, my first race attempt in nearly two years and that I have only really been running consistently for the last three months. So to be too disappointed would be silly, but still, I know I can go faster. Much faster.

So rather than be disappointed and depressed, I am going to use this as motivation to structure my readjustment of my goals for 2010. As I have been following my SSU coach's running blog he continually mentions how he loves to run, run fast that is and this is what I want to do; run fast.

This coming Tuesday I will reach 100 straight days and many people have been asking, what are you going to do after you reach 100? Well, I am going to run another 100 straight days, but instead of focusing on just getting out and making sure I run, now I am going to focus on what I need to do to run fast. Now I know I will never run as fast as I once did, so I have to set some "Masters PR Goals." Losing to 4 other 40 something guys in a local road race, well, that just did not set well with me. I didn't mind David beating because he is a former teammate and I remember when he used to beat me on a regular basis, but the other three had never beaten me before and I am not about to go down quietly. Call me vain. Call me crazy. But I want to be able to get out there and mix it up with the top masters guys and let the pups know that the old dog can still get off the porch and run.

Until the next time, keep running and stay healthy.
SP

Mando

I have to brag on one of my athletes, Armando or 'Mando as all the guys call him. 'Mando has been on a tear this past winter, running pr's in almost every race and time trial we have ran. Now, 'Mando is not the fastest guy on our team, but you will be hard pressed to find a harder working kid in the world. I love this kid. Each day he comes out, rain or shine, and gives everything he has with this "I'm having a great time" attitude. Always quick with a smile and laugh, he truly enjoys his running life.

This last Friday night, 'Mando ran over a 2 minute pr in the 2 mile with a time of 11:32. When he was a freshman he could not even break 18 minutes for 2 miles, and now as a junior he is looking to break 11 this year and possibly under 5 for the mile. This kid truly knows what it means to reap what you sow, because this is all the result of his dedication and hard work. 'Mando, you are an inspiration to all who take up this sport and I am nothing but proud and honored to be your coach. Keep it up man, keep it up.