Hello September

I will verify the number (164.7 miles for the month) just to be sure, but if it is close to correct, I am pretty pleased with it. There were certainly a number of things going on that could have derailed the running so I feel good to have taken the mileage up a notch even. September is going to be a nose to the grindstone month for the running. I want to exit the month at the 60 miles per week level and get serious about pace work. Of course this will mean more sleep, better eating, etc. We will see.

Today	Week	Month	Last Month
6	10	164.7	125.6

Running Gangs of New York

I had a decent race yesterday, all things considered. It was not what I was shooting for, but it was not not so bad either. I did learn not to take the humidity quite so lightly. The air early on was thick.

The real story, however, was the running clubs. Teams, teams, everywhere teams. I am certainly starting to "get it" on the team thing. I think it brings a competitive element to the sport that seems to be missing at most road races. Meaning, I could see that it was more than just people running against the clock with a water station every couple miles. It was the guys with the top hats and the spats legging it out with the guys clutching the rabbits! Only in New York.


_______Team A_____________________________Team B______

Today	Week	Month	Last Month
15	41.5	154.7	125.6

Teams? This is a weird concept...

I knew yesterday that it was okay to look like a fashion dork while running in NYC. In fact, despite the crazy look, I was asked at the track if I wanted to join a track club. It is a weird concept, but quite compelling. Apparently, they train together, race together, and compete against other teams. They wear team uniforms at races. They have rivalries and coaches and websites. All of the things that I remember from school days. It is cool and I am going to join one.

So there are a couple of contenders. Greater New York versus Central Park Track Club. Obviously, the color of the uniforms will ultimately be the deciding factor!

Today	Week	Month	Last Month
6	22.5	135.7	125.6

Crisis, but Manageable, at least in NYC

Flash: I have run out of clean running shorts.

I knew this was coming, but I let the problem go unaddressed for one day too long. The situation got upgraded to code red this morning when I pulled the drawer open. I can't really skip today, I don't have time to do laundry, and I am not going to buy a new pair.

So, for tonight and hopefully just for tonight, I will run after work in a nice pair of tan blended cotton/poly dress shorts. "Not so bad!" you say? Well, wait, there's more as the shorts are not the end of it. As I packed my little running bag this morning, I realized that my sock supply is also running dangerously low. On a day you are going to run in dress shorts, at least to my way of thinking, well hell, you might as well go with black dress socks too, right?

The weird thing is, I am not sure anyone in Manhattan will even notice. Is that a good thing?

I am going to run about six and I am going to use the tiny cinder oval for fun strides. Also, I have decided to shoot for a sub 2 hour marathon. Screw 3:10. Screw Boston.

Today	Week	Month	Last Month
6	16.5	129.7	125.6

:P

Today	Week	Month	Last Month
6.5	10.5	123.7	125.6

Ran
Discovered a 200m cinder track for tiny interval running.
Lifted

Today	Week	Month	Last Month
4	4	117.2	125.6

jack's-hy-dration-hi-jacked

That is kind of my attempt at a KAYAK blog title. Isn't it weird what the mind comes up with after two hours of running?

But there is a story here. More to follow once I get hosed off and re-fueled.

=======

Ok, here it is. I dropped off a couple of 32 oz. Gatorade bottles along my route prior to getting started this morning. I didn't really plan it too well, because I basically hit the same bottle at miles 2, 4, 6, and 8. At 10, I got back to the other bottle. It was still full, minus a swig I had taken at the very start. I took a long pull, wiped my mouth with the back of my hand, and became vaguely aware that there was some sand or crumbs on my lips. It made me think of sand on a drink at the beach. That made me look at the back of my hand. That is were I saw a host of ants, the same ants that were all over the bottle...and my mouth. I briefly worse cased it to be a fire ant incident, which of course it was not. It was just a bunch of little garden variety workers who had a hankering for lemon-lime flavored fructose. I spit and spewed a bit, got a nice adreneline rush, and moved back out.

I finished the run quite thirsty.



===> 16 miles, 153 bpm, 2:19:56

Today	Week	Month	Last Month
16	42	113.2	125.6

Tempo Day and Picture Day

I did a little tempo run this morning. Basically, one easy then three in and around 6:40's and then one more easy. I took Friday off but didn't quite feel "springy" this morning. Maybe there are some residual effects from Thursday's fun fast 9 and maybe it is the heat and the hills; regardless I am feeling the training a bit. That is to be expected.

Also, regarding the toenail I mentioned recently, a couple minutes in the Dr. J OR took care of it for the time being. It was a draining excercise. I think posting pictures of that procedure would be crossing the line. But hey, if you are a real runner, you've seen it all before anyway.

However, G and C1 did agree that pictures do make blogs more fun. So began a Saturday morning Google Image fest. See below:

<=G
C1=>

<=J
C1=>

<=G
J=>

Today	Week	Month	Last Month
5	26	97.2	125.6

End of Summer

What a really pleasant run tonight in the park. Yes, it is getting dark a little earlier, but for now the conditions are just about perfect. The sun is fading, the temperature is reasonable, and lots of people are getting things done in the park before the summer officially ends. Tonight felt great. Anything is possible. I have no complaints. (Well, I think I am going to lose a freaking toe nail, but other than that...no complaints)

Today	Week	Month	Last Month
9	21	92.2	125.6

Blog Housekeeping

1. I added another running calculator link off on the right. It certainly has more detailed output. As for accuracy, you be the judge.

2. Regarding the "Blogs I Like" links, I am still working on that part. I have a list of ones to start with. Patience. I am trying to come up with some rhyme and reason. Should they all be running related? I would like to link to the blogs of some of the regular readers so feel free to email your address to me (doesn't have to be running related). We will see where that takes us.

On running related issues...I feel like it is going very well. I feel strong, consistent, and pretty much on target with where I want to get to with training. Of course, I need to build in more miles each week. I feel confident that I can do that by adding a 6th weekly run and by bumping one of the 6's to a 10 and by making the 14's look like 16-20's. So I have the framework for weeks in the 50's at least sketched out.

I have a half marathon coming up next week. It is an important checkpoint for me. My blog is about a 3:10 marathon. That (using the new link above) means a 1:30 half. That seems a little aggressive at this point, but certainly low 1:30's seems dead on. One never knows, that is why we race.

Today	Week	Month	Last Month
6	12	83.2	125.6

A nice easy commuter run.

Today	Week	Month	Last Month
6	6	77.2	125.6

Long run, but fast too

Today, I wanted to run 14-16 easy miles. My legs have been heavy this week so I thought long and slow was a good call. Indeed, I started out with legs that confirmed the plan. But everything loosened up, the temperature was great, and I started to think on the race coming up. So:

I did the last six just at 43 minutes.
The last three were all below 7 minute pace.

This was a nice confidence booster, building speed.

===> Ran 14 miles 1:54:00
Cooled down with 1 mile

Today	Week	Month	Last Month
15	37.2	71.2	125.6

New Shoes

Yes, new shoes, Asics. Delightful in contrast to the "old" ones.

There are bizarre niches exploited by marketing folks in many parts of life. I am going to commit myself to working with running shoe companies to help them understand the niche I represent. How else can I get new shoes for every run?!

I need to go now, but I will flesh this concept out a bit later!


D: How did it go? I heard some early tid-bits from N. It sounds quite bloggable!

Today	Week	Month	Last Month
6.2	22.2	56.2	125.6

New Words - the ever evolving language

Blam (blog spam) or Spamments (spam comments)

Did anyone notice some of the odd comments from a marketing engine a couple days ago? My favorite was:

Anonymous said...
Hi great blog very informational. I added it to my bookmarks! I have a ceiling fan site/blog. It pretty much covers ceiling fan related stuff. Come and check it out if you get time.

Now, I was told by a friend that this comment looked like my own humor at work. Indeed, it did give me some great ideas, but I can't take credit.

I will do a commuter run tonight, results of which will be posted later!

Today	Week	Month	Last Month
6	16	50	125.6

Dust Settles

Things are coming together nicely.

K sent me a nice article on pilfering internet bandwidth
from unsuspecting neighbors. So much for hanging out in seedy internet dive cafes.

A fellow blogging runner sent this awesome link for route distance calculations. Can you beat this for a runner's toy?

My new watch is awaiting pick up at the post office. Yes, it is the same as the old one.

N sent a five hour supply of health food.

Readers like H and D are saying enough is enough. H is not so sure of the new technical format (and continues the comment-free streak). D busts my chops for a lack of creativity. Thanks for the kick in the ass and the reminder to get back to it.

And ROUS's? Well, I don't think they exist.

5 miles
===> 3 easy
===> 2 faster at about 7 minutes each
Very heavy legs.
Complete rest day tomorrow.

Today	Week	Month	Last Month
5	10	44	125.6

Five miles easy. Park exploration, mostly bridle path.

Today	Week	Month	Last Month
5	5	39	125.6

Long Run
16-ish

Today	Week	Month	Last Month
16	34	34	125.6

Friday
Commuter run.

Today	Week	Month	Last Month
6	18	18	125.6

Tuesday's Run

Today	Week	Month	Last Month
6	12	12	125.6

Time and Distance

I sometimes think that I like running because I like math. There are plenty of numbers and calculations for even a casual participant to work on.

Despite all of the averages, percentage increases, and anything divided by anythings; everything is basically derived from two key pieces of data==> time and distance.

Time
Last week, my running watch band disintegrated. Weird. Rubber isn't biodegradable?! I can hold it in my hand while I run, but only at the risk of stopping and starting it at random places. "Hey, that last mile only took 12 seconds, cool!" The back up plan is a diver watch that has both analog and digital. To be more accurate, it had analog at one time. Currently only the digital is working, and it is very tiny.

Distance
I think all runners develop a shorthand to refer to their routes or to the combinations of loops that become building blocks to a route. Well, currently, I am routeless. This a temporary state to be sure and pretty fun. My usual MO is to find a route I like and then measure it out on my bike or with my car. Neither is an option just yet. So, at last, I understand those GPS things that some people have. No, I don't want one, but I get it now.

So I am playing it all by ear right now. Very nice.


Note to self: Run either more or fewer miles than 6 on the first day of the month. It looks so apocalyptic.

Today	Week	Month	Last Month
6	6	6	125.6