Sleep and Coffee

A poem I call "Lazy Butt"

Here I sit with coffee in hand.

Looking out the backdoor as the sun comes on the land.

Should be running, should be sweating.

God knows the miles that I should be getting.

Instead I'm here, in my pajamas, Head stuffed up and nose all runny.

Wondering how to write something funny to explain why I am such a wimp.

Bed so warm, air so cold.

Couldn't get my lazy butt out of the folds.

So I didn't run this morning. Blahh! I won't say I'm stick because that will get me in trouble with those who truly are sick but I am not feeling like my normal self. Today would have been 14 miles on the north part of the OKC marathon course. I didn't want to miss it but when I'm not feeling it, I'm just not feeling it. Next week is the 20 miler on the course so I want to be ready for that. That stupid countdown clock to the left is still moving. Reminding me that I only have a few days of training left until the marathon. Maybe I'll turn the computer off so I don't have to see it.

The coffee is great and my house is still warm. Next to running, this is a pretty good way to spend a Sunday morning.

Sidebar:

Do you guys suffer from bad typing habits? I do. There are some words that I always type the same way and cannot seem to break the habit. OK here's one that is fitting and very funny (at least for me). I always type "marathon" as "marathong"!! Every time you see that word on my blog know that I had to go back and delete the "g" from every instance. Possibly a Freudian slip? Now you know where my mind is!!!

Thanks for listening

St. Paddy's Day 8K and a Trophy!!!

Went to bed last night with a stuffed up head and a nose that was red from excessive blowing. Needless to say I didn't wake up feeling 100% today. Oh yea, and the Oklahoma weather Gods thought it would be great to drop the temperature to 45 and push the wind around at about 25 miles/hour. It was freaking COLD! AGAIN!

Me looking stupid in the cold, cool trophy though

I sat in my car for as long as I could before the race because, as you can see, I decided to wear shorts. When I did get out and began to warm up (Hah!) my leg reminded me that it was hurt, cold and basically pissed off that I had drug it out of bed on a morning like this. I begged and pleaded with it to just let me get through this race and I would give it a nice warm massage and shower after. It agreed and stopped yelling after a few short runs. I lined up beside my hero of running which is nice because she is usually way up front and I don't get to see her much. Her boyfriend asked me what I was hoping to run today and I responded "5 miles, that's what I'm hoping to run, nothing more, nothing less". He was looking for a time but given my sad state of health I didn't dare project a time. I just wanted that damn gun to go off because I was cold and needed to get running in order to warm up. Finally the race started and I took off at a nice clip. Amazingly my leg didn't hurt at all and I was running a 7 minute/mile pace and running easy.

The race started directly into the wind and continued that way for the first mile. Luckily there were enough people around that I was able to draft off the crowd and didn't feel the wind too much. We turned around at mile 1 and ran with a tailwind for the next 2 miles. Right after the turn around I actually caught my hero and passed her. She recognized me and said hello as I passed. I asked her if she was taking it easy today and of course she said yes. I didn't care though, I was running easy and fast and was now ahead of someone that I had run behind so much I was beginning to worry that I could only recognize her from that perspective. " I think I know you, but could you turn around, Oh yes, I know you!"

According to Garmin, I ran the next 2 miles in 6:50 each. Thank you tailwind! The only problem was that my car key fell out of my pocket at mile 2 and I had to stop and go back for it. It didn't take a lot of time but it was embarrassing. Stupid car key, I bought these new shorts yesterday and I love them but the pockets are in the back and there is only one tiny little piece of Velcro (not the dog) to hold the pocket closed. My little car key was able to work it's way out. I'll have to fix that for next time.

Since this was a St. Paddy's day race there were many people dressed up like leprechauns. At mile 3 I caught some college kids who were decked out in costume. One even had a pillow shoved up under his green vest in order to make him look fat. Did I mention I had to catch these two? Yes, they were running faster than me while dressed in a silly costume. They pissed me off! So I caught them right at the 2nd turnaround where we went back into the wind. I was feeling good so I blew by them (take that punks!). Oops, now there was no one to draft with while running head on into the fu#$ing Oklahoma tornadic winds. So they caught me again and past me at the 4 mile mark. I watched them as they played around, talked, slowed up to wait on a pretty girl and generally did everything they could to make me look and feel stupid for struggling to run as fast as they were. Youth sucks! They had probably stayed out all night partying before the run also.

I fought this wind all the way to the finish. Garmin was telling me I was running GREAT but it didn't sink in until I saw the finishing clock and it was still under 35 minutes! Holy crap! I could break 35 minutes for 5 miles! I kicked myself in what was left of my ass and tried to sprint to the finish. The bastards were getting their pictures taken while I was struggling with the clock. I made it in at 35:10. Can't say I'm disappointed with that but man it would be nice to break 35.

When I checked the finished sheets I saw that I place 3rd in my age group! Yea for me! But oh crap! I have to wait around for my trophy and it's still FREAKING COLD! (no I didn't even bring a coat or pants to wear after the race, get off my back, I'm a guy, planning ahead is not my strong point) I walked as much as I could stand to stretch and loosen up. Then I ran to the car and cranked the heat. I stayed until I saw the king leprechaun begin speaking into the microphone and then pushed my way into the large group in order to get out of the wind. BONUS: They had green beer and pizza. Screw the cold, green beer is good anytime! I got my trophy to thunderous applause (OK so maybe one person sympathy clapped), gave a short acceptance speech were I thanked all the little people I stepped on to get to this achievement and then went back for more beer.

This was the last race of the March Triple Crown series which I was registered for and they decided to give out the awards for this now. I guess they couldn't wait until it was warmer. It's OK, more beer and the cold wasn't as bad. I had no idea if I would place but I had 2 third place finishes in the 3 races so I thought I might have a chance. Well it turns out they only gave awards to the first place finisher in each age group. The trophies were really cool gold cups mounted atop large wooden bases. I really wanted one but didn't win. Darn, I will have to see how I did in my age group when they post the results online because as soon as I realized I didn't win, I made a bee-line for the car and the heater.

14 miles tomorrow on the OKC marathon course with the Landrunners. Should be fun but I hope the temperature goes up and the wind goes down. Not likely but I'll make an offering to the Oklahoma weather Gods, maybe sacrifice a child or something, and who knows.

On a totally different note, I took my baby out for a spin yesterday. I haven't mentioned much about my love because it's been cold and she's been stuck in the garage for many months. She was covered in dust and was still dirty from the last time I took her out in the fall so I knew she would be upset with me. Yesterday as beautiful, 70 degrees and no wind. I pushed her out of the garage and sprayed her down and washed her gently. I spent extra time on her chrome and windshield 'cause I know she likes it when I treat her special. After her bath, I dried her with a cloth and lovingly massaged her leather. By then she was putty in my hand and we were back to being a hot couple. The fire was rekindled and our flame was burning bright. I fired her up and rode her across town to pick up my race packet. She was purring like a kitten and smooth as silk. Oh I can't wait for summer.

Thanks for listening

Late nights and sickness

I think there is a bug going around the country. Everyone seems to be sick. I have been out of town since yesterday and last night I developed a head cold that kept me up all night. This was complicated by the fact that I met up with some old friends and a bottle of whiskey. For some reason I always find it necessary to remind myself that I'm not young anymore when alcohol is around. So I had a head cold and a mild hangover today while I sat through some really long meetings. I made it through but my running suffered. I was due for 10 miles today but didn't make it. I was really hoping to get some pictures from this area but I have let you all down. Not only did I not run, I ate like a PIG! BBQ last night and steak tonight! I'll call this my protein week and maybe I'll survive the guilt.

Did you notice that my next marathon is 45 days away? Yea, look to the left and notice that I only have a few weeks of training left before I run another 26.2. Am I ready? Well I sure don't feel like it tonight.

Flying home early tomorrow so maybe I can get that 10 miler in after work. I've got the St. Patty's day run on Saturday which is the last jewel in the March triple crown. It's only 5 miles and then I've got the Landrunners training run on Sunday. Maybe that will get me back on track.

Thanks for listening

An Apology

Let me say that I am sorry for posting the link to the awesome video of a runner from the BIG10 falling down and still winning a race. I now realize that this may have caused fits of jealous rage such that you may have been tempted to post comments regarding some other, lower conference just to keep your self esteem in balance. I realize that not all of you are lucky enough to be Ohio State Buckeye fans and that I should take pity on those of you who's football teams only managed a 10-4 record (if you can call it that) last year. I really didn't realize how this one little video could elicit so much rage, but then again my team has always been good so I am not used to being jealous of others or an underdog. To those of you who may not understand what I am talking about let me give you a warning. There is a virus out there on this blog network. It is disguised as a beautiful young lady neatly packaged under a cute pink Tennessee Volunteer's hat. It will be nice enough at first, but BEWARE! Mention any other conference other than the SEC (Southeastern Conference, how original! Hey let's just use our geographic location as a name that'll be cool!) and it will infect your blog with nasty comments to remind you of this other, lower conference.

Is it too early for college football smack talk??

NAHH!

B.T.W. Ran 9 miles tonight and everything below my waist hurt! Felt like I was wearing cement blocks for shoes. I never really loosened up the whole run. I suppose I am still sore from the race on Saturday. I am travelling tomorrow and will run from a hotel on Thursday. Hope I feel better by then.

You've got to see this!!!

Found this on Runner's World web site. This is a must watch video.

http://www.bigtennetwork.com/videos/outdoortrack.asp?bcpid=1137942423&bclid=1119231645&bctid=1441108989

Beacon on the Bay 25K

I was very tired yesterday after work and had some commitments to keep so I was up until about 11 P.M. (really late for my hard-partying life!). I knew I had the race this morning and was worried that I had blown it. I woke up still not feeling 100% so I just figured I would use this race as my weekly long run and take it easy. Oh and did I mention that it was still FREAKING COLD here! I checked the weather last night and it forecast 35-40 degrees for 9 AM which was the race start time so I put out my favorite running shorts and a long sleeve shirt. Well when Willie got up this morning at 7 it was f*$&ing 14 degrees! I had to find running tights (sorry for the visual of Willie in tights) and my running pants. Then I had to decide what to do about a top. Since the race was a 25K I didn't want to wear my extremely warm Brooks running jacket because I knew I would be roasting by half way. I ended up wear two long sleeve running shirts instead. I really hate running in pants since I only have a pair from my high school days and they look shabby. I refuse to running in just tights because it shows off a little too much of little Willie if you know what I mean. I know some guys can do that but not me. I really want to find some nice sort-a tight running pants, I have seen them on people at races I just can't seem to find them in the stores.

The race was moved from it's normal location at Lake Hefner (wonderful wonderful wonderful running track around a lake) to Lake Draper which I had never been to. Turns out that was a blessing since the winds were really kicking at Hefner and Draper had no wind to speak of. Did I mention it was FREAKIN COLD! Thank God for no wind or else Willie may have kept is arse at home.

I only saw 1 friend from the running club before the start. I won't mention her name here but she is a really great runner. She has done a number of marathons and I think her best is a 3:15. She doesn't know it but she has been my running hero for some time. She was there with her boyfriend who also runs and is a great guy. I have run with him before on some of our training runs. I can't keep up with her.

I started the race like I wanted, at a nice easy pace. The course had some rolling hills and started on a slight uphill. I settled into a nice 8:10 pace for the first couple miles and met someone I had always seen but never spoken too. We had a nice conversation and he is really a nice guy. I went through mile 3 at 24:08 so I must have picked up the pace somewhere along the way. I felt great and was running upright with great form (thank you Pilates). We ran across a dam for mile 4 and it was really pretty. I caught a picture for you.

I made it through the next miles running right at 8 minute pace. This was an out and back course so we started seeing some of the leaders coming back at us. They were flying! Mostly college kids but man were they good. There was a pack of 3 at the front with 1 more trailing not far behind. I wish I could have seen the finish, I bet it was exciting.

Once I hit the half way point at about mile 8 I decided to kick it in alittle. My Garmin shows the following mile times:

mile 6 - 8:00

mile 7 - 7:45

mile 8 - 7:40

mile 9 - 7:34

At about mile 9 I noticed a female ahead of me that I knew from the running club training runs. I had never met her but she was really cute so I decided to try and catch her. It was harder than I thought, she was really fast. I did catch her at about mile 13 and she was very talkative for someone that was running that fast. I, on the other hand, had just spent the last 4 miles trying to catch her and was really beginning to wear down. Needless to say I was not suave'. Oh well, impressing women has never been my strong point. She didn't hit me and call me a bastard so I count that as a successful first impression. Anyhoo, I was coming down to the end of the race and was tired but really keeping good form and maintaining pace. I was getting excited, this is the longest I have ever run at a good pace. I was really beginning to think I can do this running stuff! My splits for the next miles were:

mile 10 - 7:34

mile 11 - 7:36

mile 12 - 7:33

mile 13 - 7:35

mile 14 - 7:39

mile 15 - 7:32

I finished in 2:01:29!!!!! Holy crap, almost under 2 hours for 15.5 miles. I have run a half marathon in 1:40 but have never run anything longer than that at anything close to that pace. I was so happy! A day that I thought was lost turned out to be pretty cool. My leg didn't hurt at all but I did take some pain killers before the race. I PROMISE to cut down on them this week though.

Thanks for listening

41 Degrees of Freedom

What would possess a man to run in shorts when it's 41 degrees outside? If you come up with something let me know because I am totally at a loss. It's freak'in cold! I did a 7 mile tempo run tonight plus a 1 mile warm-up (yea right!) and was supposed to do a 1 mile cool-down after. I made it through the 7 mile tempo run and said "screw this" and headed straight for a hot shower where I stayed for 20 minutes trying to get feeling back into my snowman-like body. I know you purists out there are saying "Not a hot shower after a run, that's the worst thing you can do", Oh yea, after all the crazy things I've done to (and put into) this body over the years I don't think this will make a dent. Plus, did I mention It's FREAKING COLD! Icing my leg after this run seems pointless.

The Panera Beacon on the Bay 25K is Saturday so I will be taking tomorrow off and then using the race as my long run. I usually do my long runs on Sunday because it works out better with my schedule. I have never enjoyed getting up early on Sunday though so it will be nice to be able to sleep in and enjoy a relaxing Sunday morning this weekend. I have always had a soft spot for Sundays. That is not to say I like them, I just find them interesting. They are both a beginning and an end and I never know if I'll be depressed or excited on any given Sunday.

I have a minor confession to make. I've been taking Ibuprofen daily. I started taking it to help reduce the swelling in my leg. Lately I have been taking 400 mg before each run and I haven't been having too much pain in my leg during the runs. I have never taken pain medicine routinely before and was honestly feeling a little concerned that I might be masking the injury in my leg with the drugs. Well yesterday I was listening to the latest edition of Phedipidations, a podcast I love, and Steve Runner, the host, mentioned that he doesn't like to take pain medicine before training runs because he wants to be able to feel any pain that might be developing so he can deal with it before it becomes a problem. This was not the main theme of the podcast, he just off-handed mentioned this and he specifically mentioned Ibuprofen then went on with the podcast about online training logs. Well, Willie being Willie, I was stopped in my tracks by this. I always try to find meaning in little things that happen so I immediately wondered why he would happen to mention something about pain medicine during a podcast about online training logs? And why would this happen when I'm having my own concerns about taking pain medicine. Of course this was a way for the running Gods to speak to Willie and let him know they are not happy with his new found drug taking. This 10 second comment by someone I have never met, was a way of awakening my subconscious and telling me that I am pushing too hard. Am I crazy? Yes, but tonight I didn't take any pills and I felt some significant pain in my leg. I just didn't feel as comfortable as I have the last few runs when I was taking the pills. So now I am totally confused about how to proceed. I'm running great but it may be the pills, I have to know the truth. We'll see how this weekend goes. I think I would rather slow down my training and deal with the pain than to continue running on pills and end up really hurt down the road.

Thanks for listening

Damn I feel good!

I'm having one of those weeks where everything is going right. I had a great weekend of running, then RBR has a GREAT marathon breaking 3 goals in one day, then Southbay girl says she is going back to work! Tonight I ran 10 miles in 1:22. I was a little tight at first but after mile 5 I really loosened up and felt GREAT. I ran the last 2 miles in under 8 min/mile. Hell, I remember when this shit was hard!?!? Things are going way to good right now they almost scare me. My old self would be sitting around waiting for the fall. My new self says, "I'm gonna ride this high until it bucks me and enjoy the hell out of it!" Funny how we change over the years.

One of my good friends ran 3:38 in the Little Rock marathon over the weekend. This is the guy that ran OKC with me last year where he ran a 3:56. Little Rock is waaayyy more hilly than OKC so this is a real improvement. I'm tell ya, somethings in the air, we are all on a high (or we're all just high!) and things are great. I may go buy a lottery ticket!!

One of my favorite singers is George Strait and I had him on tonight during my run. There's something about one of his songs that really gets me every time I hear it. I can still make Cheyenne is just a great song for a guy like me.

She said, don't bother comin' home

By time you get here I'll be long gone

There's somebody new and he sure ain't no marathon man

He said, I'm sorry it's come down to this

There's so much about you that I'm gonna miss

But it's alright baby If I hurry I can still make Cheyenne

Gotta go now baby If I hurry I can still make Cheyenne

I think the thing I like is that this guy loves the girl deeply but has something else that is pulling him. I love romance and I love being involved with someone but I will always love running more. I know many people (mostly women, sorry girls!) who get so caught up in someone else that they let that person ruin their life. Life is so much more than just a relationship! I think it's so sad that people don't have other interests. I used to be that way and I'm so glad I found running and other things that I love. I want my kids to learn this attitude much quicker than I did. I don't want them obsessing over a girl. What a waste of your younger years! When I look back at what I missed because I was caught up with some girl I just want to puke! I could have done so much more!

I think this song says it best, "You're leaving? Well, I'll miss you but, OK, I've got other things to do!". It's that cowboy attitude of never letting anything get to you that much. I like to think that I'd have made a good cowboy.

Thanks for listening

The hills are alive with the sound of.. footsteps??

Today was 12 miles on the Edmond hills. Although some of you (myself included) don't believe there are any hills in Oklahoma, there are some areas that are rolling areas of non-flatness. Even pancakes have bumps. So I ran with the OKC Landrunners this morning which I absolutely love. So many personalities and characters that I always find someone interesting to run with. Today I ran with my dentist who is training for his first marathon. He is doing great and seems to really enjoy running although he says he is only doing 1 marathon and that's it. Yea, right, I think I said that also. He'll get hooked just like the rest of us. At one point a young woman caught up to us and we discovered that she was a dental hygienist. So I was running between a dentist and a dental hygienist. I was afraid to smile, I didn't want them to see my teeth. I also expected them to say, "OK spit" all the time. Actually they were quite pleasant and we had a great time. The wind was out of the South again blowing about 12 miles/hr. We ran North for 6 and then back into the wind for the last 6. Wind SUCKS! I past a couple people who said they felt like they were moving their arms and legs but didn't think they were going anywhere! The wind really does sweep down the plains in OoooooKlahomaaaa!

Took some pictures of everybody running with my cell phone. Unfortunately many are blurry because I was running also. I am becoming the unofficial photographer of these training runs but I seem to suck at it. Last time I couldn't get the lighting right and my pictures were blurry, this time I was running so my pictures are blurry. Can you get fired from an unofficial job? If so I'm in trouble.

Thanks for listening

See Willie get a medal!

Deer Creek Classic 10K this morning was awesome! The weather was perfect except for the wind which was out the south at 12 miles/hour. My son and I had a great time and I got 3rd place in my age division!!!! Yea! I couldn't believe it, I was impressed. I'm not going to say what my age division is because that's none of you business, but let's just say it's not too old and not too young but somewhere in the middle. I felt good the entire race, taking it easy for the first mile and picking it up after that. The course was flat (duh! it's Oklahoma) and fast. There was one part at about mile 4 that was on gravel. It was also somewhat uphill and directly into the wind so it was a challenge. I passed a couple people at that point and they looked really beat. By my watch I ran 45:19 which sucks because I wanted to break 45. I will have to wait for the chip time to see how I really did but all in all I'm so happy! Not because I got a medal but because I had a good time and felt good. I love running and it's nice when running loves you back.

Tomorrow it's 12 miles on the hills here in Edmond. I plan to take it easy and enjoy running with the Landrunners.

After the race my son and I had some fun with the camera. It's a good day, yea, a really good day.

Go RBR, dominate Napa!