Overthinking the Marathon...

I recently picked up and read a copy of Ray Charbonneau’s self-published work, Overthinking the Marathon. From the very beginning, the author’s conversational style grabbed me. Every day as he trained for the 2012 Cape Cod Marathon, he “scribbled” out a personal story worth reading. He made me feel like a friend he was sharing an important part of his life with.

Sometimes his tales were filled with wild animals (mostly bunnies). He considered these to be good omens worth mentioning on dozens of occasions.

Ray often talked about his wife’s training for her third marathon. I appreciated the way he spoke of his wife with great respect. His obvious love for her was refreshing in a world where spouses are so often grumping and complaining about each other. He cheered for her as much as she did for him.

There were also plenty of reports on his running club’s outings. He talked about their regular events and the special things they did together. Sometimes he’d miss a run to judge a cooking contest that the group was putting on. Other times, he’d volunteer at a race with others from the club. As a reader, I almost felt like I was a part of the Sommerville Road Runners when the last page was turned.

Ray running in an event

I laughed throughout the book as Ray described the adjustments he made to his shoe inserts. He changed his mind about what he needed more often than I could imagine anyone doing. He’d add a shim here and a wedge there.

The race reports sprinkled throughout the book were as detailed as anyone could ask for. He talked about the joys and successes right along with the aches and pains and disappointments. He was honest about his mistakes and admitted in the end that he probably raced too much in his lead up to the Cape Cod.

Charbonneau has a knack for making running advice interesting and helpful. In my favorite chapter of the entire book, “This I Believe,” he reasoned with his readers that longer-than-marathon runs are necessary for everyone training for a fast marathon. His logic was clear and quite convincing. Here’s just one paragraph worth of his advice.

“Plan to run the extra-long run slower than usual so it doesn’t take too much out of you. Don’t worry about the time. Your only goal is to put in the distance. Run comfortably; take walking breaks if you want. Stop at a store to get more sports drink, or on a bridge to admire the view.” (Sorry no page numbers on the Kindle. You can look for Thursday, August 16th.)

As a cyclist and runner who loves both sports, I was greatly entertained by Ray’s great dislike of cycling. His tales of woe and of trying out clipless pedals made me smile as I remembered my own plunge into the world of complete attachment to the bike.

The culmination of the book, the high point, was Charbonneau’s post-race report on the Cape Cod Marathon. Throughout the book he’d been working hard to be ready for a Boston qualifying time at the October race. Running with him every mile of the way from the starting line to the finish was a satisfying journey. I’ll let you read the book to find out if he met his BQ goal. I’d hate to ruin the surprise.

Ray and Mike meet before
the 2013 Boston Marathon

Having finished Overthinking the Marathon, I am ready to read another of his books. Right now, I’ve got my eye on Chasing the Runner’s High: My Sixty Million-Step Plan. Just the title makes me want to pick it up and start reading.

(Update: Ray ran in the 2013 Boston Marathon as a guide for a visually impaired runner named Mike. The two of them crossed the finish line in 3:58 (chip time). The time on the clock was 4:05. The pair walked away from the finish area just five to six minutes before the bombs went off.)

GIVEAWAY: Tasha won an eBook copy of "Overthinking the Marathon" on Wednesday, Apri 24, 2013. Thanks to all who read the review. A big thank you goes to Ray for making this giveaway possible.

Quitting Facebook...

A little over a week ago, I stepped away from all my social media networks. I deleted my account on dailymile, a community of athletes I’d called home since 2010. I disabled my Facebook profile and suspended my Twitter account. )I still have my Google+ account up and running, but that’s kind of a joke. I only use it to repost my blog entries. I’ve never browsed the site or looked at anyone else’s profile.)

Why did I commit cyber hari-kari? God told me to. That’s the short answer. Living for online companionship had become an idol in my life. I was spending way too much time “stalking” people without really connecting with any of them. Facebook and Twitter were distracting me when I needed to spend face-to-face time with my family. dailymile, which has no value at all to my work, would, from time to time, suck me in to its web during work hours. All together, these networks were eating away at real relationship time. I was watching stupid videos and devouring vacuous memes, not conversing with people. That’s why God commanded me to jump ship.

Please understand, I’m not saying everyone needs to leave social media sites. There are many good things about them. You can keep up with far-flung nieces and nephews. You can encourage friends who are struggling in life. You can share things that have been helpful to you with the world. Being on Facebook is for most people a good thing. It is not sinful to have a Twitter account.

For me, however, it was a control issue. I was out of control. God knew it. I knew it. It just took me awhile to admit it and take the steps God was calling me to. He’d given the command once or twice before and, I’m ashamed to confess it, I’d been unwilling to comply.

I was reminded of Paul’s words shortly after I severed ties online. "'I have the right to do anything,' you say—but not everything is beneficial. 'I have the right to do anything'—but I will not be mastered by anything." (1 Corinthians 6:12) Regaining mastery over the permissible is what this “fast” is all about. I will not return to any of these sites until God gives me the green light. That’s not going to happen until all is right in my relationship with him and with others.

If something is mastering you, if something is keeping you from an intimate connection with God and those around you, I urge you: cut the ties! Learn to love God with all your heart, mind, soul and strength. Learn to love  our neighbor as yourself. Those are the things that matter.

Slogging around town...

I woke up at 7:15. It's nice to sleep in every once in awhile. Yes, that is sleeping in! I wandered around the house getting ready to run. It took me almost 45 minutes to get out the door. I love slow mornings!

I started out with plans to run around the north side of town. I wasn't in any big hurry. I was just running, listening to music, not a care in the world. I made twists and turns as they presented themselves. I avoided unpaved surfaces since it had rained in the night and was threatening to do so again. It did spit on me a few times. Nothing more.

I felt like quitting about a mile and a half in. I was sore and tired. I couldn't get a good breath in the moist air. I almost turned back. I didn't. Instead I forced myself to run further from home. I'm glad I did. I probably got four miles more than I would have otherwise.

Nothing terribly exciting happened on this run. No near misses by cars or vicious dog encounters. I didn't even see another runner or walker. I finished up my run just past my house because I'm not good at stopping just short of a new mile. I stopped at seven and walked back to the house, then to the store to pick up a few things. By the time I was back, a few others were stirring. I hit the shower and ate breakfast. Now I'm ready for the day. (garmin data)

Welcome to the gun show...

Just before I left for my run this morning, I saw a dailymile friend's comment on yesterday's workout. He said, "Make sure the paths of your runs do not end up in the shape of any firearms. You may get banned." Well, I am a rebel. I quickly drew up a route, memorized it and shouted, "Welcome to the gun show!" as I stepped out the door to make it happen.

I was a bit sore this morning. My legs did not want to move at first. Thankfully, I had a block to walk before I got to the start of my route. That worked out some of the kinks. The rest were dissipated as I began running. With Big Daddy Weave blaring in my ears, I began tracing.

I ran up School to Pine, took a left and ran south to make my trigger. I planned to make it a bit longer, but I had to turn around when I saw a dog loose. I'm not deathly afraid of dogs, but I've learned not to startle them in the dark. They don't take kindly to such things.

I ran back up to School, turned right and ran back to Thompson which took me down to Cleveland and around to Oak to complete the trigger guard. I ran up Oak to School and back to Thompson to complete that part.

Turning around, I ran back to Oak and took it south to Highway 54. I ran across the street and took the sidewalk west to Main. There wasn't very much traffic, so I had no problem crossing the highway again and heading north on Main. I ran up to School did a little zigging and zagging to make the hammer, then ran down Cherry to add the top of the barrel. A little more twists and turns and the picture was complete.

What was left to do? Retrace the outline to make sure it looked good from outer space. That's what any Garmin artist worth his weight in electronics would do. There were no dogs on the second time around, but there was more traffic. I had to stop and walk once to let an oil tanker pass. No need to die for time's sake. I'm never in that big of a hurry.

I finished up and walked the block back home. I was really pleased with my master "piece" when I saw it uploaded. Hope you all enjoy it! (garmin data)

Restart number 54...

It's probably an exaggeration, but this morning's run felt like my 54th attempt to get back in the groove of training. I've definitely been in a deep blue workout funk. I haven't been able to find the "want to" for several weeks. I could blame it all on my January 5th injury, but that would be unfair. My body's all healed up. It's my mind and heart that need help.

Yesterday, I asked friends on Facebook and dailymile to yell at me. They did. I was lovingly chided for slacking off. A few people told me they counted on me for inspiration for their own workouts. That's scary! With their voices ringing in my ears, I set my alarm up and hour and went to bed earlier than I had been for the past several weeks.

I woke up this morning at 5:00. It was dark and cold, but not quite as dark or cold as it has been. It was actually above freezing! That made it easier to gear up and get out the door. Temps in the teens and twenties have been part of my problem.

I headed out with no particular plan other than to run till 6:30. I ran out to the highway and ran along the just recently cleared sidewalks. I didn't encounter a single snowy spot or ice patch. That was nice.

When I reached Main Street, I decided to turn south and run down to Fifth which I'd take to the far side of town. Getting far from home makes me run farther. I have to get back, right? I crossed to the west side of Main and ran down the wide sidewalks. I glanced at the movie theater's marquee to see what was showing. I read it, but can't for the life of me remember what's showing now.

Turning west on Fifth, I enjoyed the short downhill by the Blythe Family Fitness Center and Pratt High. I didn't find as much pleasure in the long, gradual uphill that followed. My hamstrings were sore and grumbly. They were happier when I was a lazy bum. I told them to shut up and kept running.

At Illinois, I turned south and ran down the hill. I must say, it is really nice to run down this hill every once in awhile. I usually find myself climbing it. Ugh! It's longer going up! I'm sure of it.

I turned the corner and headed back east on Tenth. I encountered more cars in that half mile or so than I did on all the rest of my run. Not sure why there was so much traffic on a back street.

As I reapproached Main, Lemon Park called my name, so I turned this way, then that to get there. I ran a loop around the sidewalk. I saw no one until I got back around near the entrance. There I spotted two walkers on the road. I shouted a "good morning" to them and ran on. They were pulling away in their car just as I got back to the parking lot. I must have scared them off.

I ran up the hill on Pine, passing another walker as I did so. I turned east on Sixth and ran to Howard which took me north back to home base. I was close to 10K, but I stopped. It was 6:30. Time to go in and get some breakfast before the day's "stuff" begins in earnest.

If you were among those who "shouted" at me to get going yesterday, thanks. I needed the kick in the pants. (garmin data)

Clear road hunting...

I decided it was time to start increasing my mileage. I know you don't see that in a 2.75 mile run, but it's true. This is the first time since January 5 that I've run two days in a row. I ran with my Knuckle Lights for visibility and enjoyed the slightly lighter time of day. Next week after that crazy time-change thing, I'll be plunged back into utter darkness. I guess I'll take the light while I have it.

I left the house in search of a new route. I didn't want to do the same emergency snow routes as I did yesterday. No sense in getting in a rut - literally or figuratively. I ran over to Stout on School, then turned south and ran all the way down to Sixth Street. The streets were clearer than the ones I took yesterday! I saw only a patch or two of ice and they were easily avoided.

I turned onto Oak and ran up the hill toward Main. When I got to Main, I started to run across to the far side when I noticed the nice, dry sidewalks. I redirected my feet to the flat surface and ran up to Second. The only problems came in front of unused buildings and the donut shop. They should not make those places smell so good. I fled the temptation.

I turned east on Second and ran over to Oak, greeting a good friend along the way. He was out scraping his windshield. Another neighbor greeted me as well. I turned south on Oak to avoid the snow-pack and ice to the east and ran to Third which I took all the way to Howard which took me north to my home. I ran past the house and did a little out and back to get up to 2.75. Call me OCD if you like. I just can't end on a weird number when I nice pretty distance is so close at hand. (garmin data)

Post-blizzard shake out...

It was 11 days ago when I last ran. In those 11 days, two snow storms blasted through town dumping more than a foot of snow on the streets. I live on a snow route, so my street was "cleared" early. It was still snow and ice packed. I thought better of it every time I thought about running. No sense in risking injury from a fall.

With the melting that took place yesterday, I felt it was safe enough to go out this morning. At 18 degrees, I figured the ice patches would at least be solid. I wouldn't have to worry about falling through and getting wet feet. My socks got soaked yesterday while I was shoveling snow and slush. I wasn't keen on repeating that.

I stepped out into the cold just before 6:30. Normally on a school day, I'd be stepping back in to fix breakfast at that time. Today is not a normal day. My kids' school is on a two-hour delay, so they don't have to show up till 10:00. They're ready to go. They haven't been to school since the 19th.

My plan from the beginning was to run on emergency snow routes. That, if figured, would give me the best footing. I started out running down Howard to mail some bills and my daughter's tax payment, then ran through the grocery store's parking lot over to Lawrence, through the bank's parking lot and onto Stout.

Stout had a few spots that were icy, but it was mostly clean. I took it up to School, then headed west. School was by far the worst street I ran on. There was a stretch or two where I was running on hard snow and ice. I did not like that one bit. I slowed down and placed each foot carefully.

I turned north on Main, ran across to the other side and followed it up to Maple. Parts of Main were treacherous too. Thankfully, I saw all the slick spots and avoided them.

Turning east on Maple, I ran down the hill, then back up it. This quarter mile or so was the driest of all the streets I ran on. Only when I came to the intersection of Stout and turned south did I have ice to deal with.

I ran down Stout to School and did another loop of the same snow routes bringing me back to School on Stout again. I thought about turning onto School and taking the shorter route home, but opted for the longer route. Retracing my steps through the parking lots, I made my way back to Howard and ran north to home. Glancing at my Garmin, I saw I was close to four and a quarter miles, so I ran till I reached that point then stopped. I turned around and walked straight to my front door. I was tired of the chilled air and ready for a little warmth. (garmin data)

The non-group run...

I got up early this morning to meet my Pratt Running Club friends. It was dark and cold. I ran to our meeting place, arriving just before 6:00. I waited. No one showed up. Perhaps 16 degrees was just too much for some of them. Whatever the reason, I ended up running solo.

I ran away from our meeting place and ran around town. As I ran, I sang the country song I'd begun writing in my head. I made up parts of two more verses and a change in the chorus. Keeping my mind occupied in this manner, made it much easier to keep going. I hardly noticed the chill.

I ended up running 10K. It took me a little longer than I would hope for in a race, but I wasn't racing anyone. I guess I'm pleased. (garmin data)

Wal-Mart run...

It was kind of spitting rain when I headed out on my run this morning. Not enough to get me really wet, just enough to make me notice it. I wonder if we really will get some snow today as predicted.

I started out running west on School, then south on Stout. I wanted to run a loop out and around Wal-Mart, so this was the best way to start. My doctor said I need to switch things up, so I tried running on the opposite side of the street and on sidewalks to avoid tweaking my back. Of course, that makes me paranoid about cars sneaking up on me from behind, so I'm constantly twisting my back to look. Not sure if that's a good trade off.

I ran down Stout and crossed the highway and ran on down Rochester to Sixth Street. I turned east on Sixth and ran all the way over to Fincham. Along the way, I ran past a friends house as he was coming out to get in his car. He goes fishing early every morning. I yelled something about fish still sleeping and kept right on running.

I turned north on Fincham and ran up to Wal-Mart. On a whim, I decided to run through the Wal-Mart parking lot and cross the grass over to the Day's Inn. There's not a lot of shopping going on at 6:15, so it wasn't all that dangerous. I ran up the Day's Inn drive and crossed the highway again so I could go north on 61.

Running up 61, I saw a few cars. Thankfully they saw me too. I ran along the nice wide shoulders up to Maple and turned west.

On Maple I ran right down the center of the street. I ran to the bottom of the hill and turned south on Parkway. I like running this street with the trees on the east side. It's kind of pretty even in the dark. I ran to Parkview and, turning west, ran up the nasty little hill to Terrace.

Terrace took me back to School and home. When I passed the house, I was about a quarter mile from four miles, so I ran on to Cambridge and did a quick loop around the block, jogging east on Random and then back north on Edgeford. I hit my goal just before reaching the house. (garmin data)

Faster...

I started out this morning with the goal of running 5K. I wasn't expecting anything special. I just wanted to run.

I started out running up Welton and then down Maple toward Highway 61. I was feeling really good. No soreness or stiffness like I had on Wednesday. I was surprised when I looked at my Garmin and found that I was running along near 8:00 pace as I was running up the hill. That's when I decided to go for a fast 5K.

After a first mile at 8:15, I ramped it up as I ran along the highway. I was running around 7:30 some of the time. I turned the corner onto the cemetery road, ran past the place with the wicked dog. I finished my second mile in 7:41and then headed up the hill.

While running upwards, I passed a couple of friends who were running down the hill. One of the, Shelly P., asked how I was feeling. I told her I was good. I should have said great since I was way better than I was two or three weeks ago. Thanks for asking, Shelly! I appreciate your concern and support!

I ran around the corner onto Stout and did my best to maintain my pace, but pushing it made me feel nauseous. Not being the smartest banana in the bunch - I do belong to the Idiots Running Club - I kept going. I figured I could puke in stride and still have a great time. I'm happy to report that though I tried hard, I did not toss my cookies. I finished my third mile with a slight drop in pace - 7:57 - but no mishaps.

My last tenth of mile on Lawrence wasn't anything special. I finished. That's about all I can say. My heart was beating so hard I could almost hear it. I walked for five or six minutes to get it back under control then went inside. I plan to run again this afternoon with my wife. She likes running when it's warm. (garmin data)

Easing back into it...

One month ago yesterday I injured my back. Two weeks after that I tried to run again. That run stressed my back again. Today, with just a little trepidation, I went back out. I promised myself I wasn't going to keep going if my back hurt at all. This was a test run and no matter how long or short it was, it was not going to aggravate things.

I started out not knowing if I was going to run two blocks or two miles or two hundred miles. (That might be a bit of exaggeration there at the end.) I ran down School Street with no plan at all. When I got to Hillside, a dog on the loose chose my first direction change for me. He wasn't much of a dog, but I value my ankles so I turned.

I spent the next mile or so trying to decide how my back felt as I warmed up. There was a little stiffness in my joints and a little ache here and there in my muscles, but overall, not bad.

On the advice of my doctor, I ran on the opposite side of the street. I would never do that in a big city. In Pratt, KS, on side streets, it turned out to be quite safe. I think I saw three or four cars out this morning and none of them was approaching me from behind.

I finished up my run right at 6:30, walked around the block to let things cool down, then stepped inside. I'm a little sore, but I think I'll survive. I guess I'm back. (garmin data)

"Back" at it...

Hi. Remember me? It's been awhile since I posted a workout. A dozen days to be exact. Those twelve days were filled with lots of lower back pain, ice, ibuprofen and three or four visits to my chiropractor. All that to take care of an inflamed disk in my lower back. Ugh! Avoid lower back pain. That's my word of advice for you today.

I woke up this morning at 5:15. I felt great - only a little stiffness - so I decided to try running. My plan was to stay close to home and quit running if I encountered any pain at all. I was not going to make the same mistake I did twelve days ago and run for an hour or so after the initial pain. No way!

I got dressed, grabbed my poor neglected Garmin and headed out the door. With no plan in mind, I started running. There was just a twinge here and there as I started. Not pain really. Just annoyances. I kept my back as steady as I could till it loosened up.

I thought about just running the mile loop I'm familiar with so that every time by the house I'd have the option of stopping, but I was soon feeling pretty confident so I ditched that idea and just ran around town. I ran past four or five churches where close friends serve and then ran past the EMS station. I prayed for all the pastors and paramedics as I did. God knows that pastors and medics need help!

I finished my run and decided to walk around the block to cool down. Just after I turned the corner, I was startled by a shadowy figure standing by a car and the sound of something metallic hitting the ground. After the shock wore off, I figured out it was my neighbor and not some dark knight who was about to pick up his sword and dispense with me. The sound was him dropping one of the two canes he needs to get around. It was laying on the ground at his feet. Good timing. God's timing! I picked the cane up for him. He thanked me and I went on, my day off to a great start! (garmin data)

North and south half mary...

It was warmer this morning than any of my previous morning runs this year. I started out with a goal of running 12 miles and ended up overachieving by a mile point 1. I ran all the streets in the northeast quadrant of town, doubling back where I had to, but mostly running up and down time and time again. I cheated through someone's yard early on, but other than that I stayed on the street. I got warm around three miles in, took off my headband and ran for about a mile before my ears started screaming at me to put the thing back on. It stayed in place the rest of the way. I had a bit of pain in my lower back for most of this run, but it was bearable. I'll be glad when all the ice and snow melt away. I'd love it if we'd get back into the 50 to 60 degree range. 28 is just not pleasant. (garmin data)

After work with my wife...

My wife has started back into running again, so when I got home from work I went out with her. She's using the Couch to 5K program, so we ran and walked alternately for about 20 minutes.

All the snow and ice are melting right now, so the biggest chore was finding dry pavement to run on. We decided to give Stout a try since it's one of the main thoroughfares near us. Cleared streets and traffic go together. Thankfully, there weren't a lot of people out when we were.

My wife's plan was to run 90 seconds at 10:00 pace, then walk briskly for 2 minutes. In twenty minutes, you can do that six times. That's what we did. We went north on Stout first, running and walking our way out to the cemetery. After three rotations, we turned around and ran and walked back. We hit our last walk just about right. We were less than a block from home.

I'm proud of my wife. Nearly every running time was at 10:00 pace or slightly faster than that target. The last run was closer to 9:20 pace. (garmin data)

First run of 2013 at home...

It was a bit nippy this morning - 17F when I woke up! I got dressed and ready to run anyway. There's no way I'm going to get ready for a 100-miler if I don't run in all conditions.

I stepped outside and my beard immediately froze. I ran a few steps and my eyelashes iced over. It was cold, but once I got warmed up it wasn't all that bad.

Since this was my first run at home since the beginning of the year, I decided to run a "2013" route. I must say it was much easier to do here than it was in Wichita. There were hardly any straight streets there. Straight streets abound in Pratt! I only had to go a couple of blocks over to begin my drawing.

I ran the route twice, having close encounters with a car only a few times. The ice and hard packed snow on the streets were of greater concern than the traffic. I was only a little nervous once or twice as I rounded corners and climbed hills on the slippery stuff.

I finished up, walked a short way home to cool down, and stepped inside. I must say, gas heat is one of the greatest inventions ever! (garmin data)

2013 zero zapper...

I couldn't leave my mileage for 2013 at zero for very long. It just wouldn't be right. I had to get out for a run this morning. I just had to. It was a beautiful snowy morning. 20F with a light wind.

I got up around 7:30, grabbed my gear, got dressed, spent too long on dailymile, then headed out for my run.

I had planned out my route ahead of time, so I knew as soon as I left my in-laws' driveway where I was going. I ran up Oak and over to Osage, then north to 30th which I took west to Seneca.

I took the little jog north on Seneca, then continued west on 30th. I crossed the little foot bridge at Glenn and ran on to Everett which was the street where things started to get interesting in my plan. I ran this way and that, doubling back on my tracks at times, so that when I was done with the next mile or two, I had a beautiful 2013 on my GPS display.

That done, I re-crossed the foot bridge, ran back down 30th to Osage and returned to my in-laws' house. I was just short of 10K at that point, so I ran south to 33rd, turned around and ran back till I had that distance. I pressed stop and walked the rest of the way back.

My beard froze quite nicely while I was out and 2013's zero has been zapped. I am happy. (garmin data)

Snowy run...

I woke up to snow this morning. Tiny flakes were coming down quickly. The grass was blanketed with the stuff. The sidewalks were covered, but the streets were mostly clear.

I decided to try to write "snow" with my Garmin without looking at a map ahead of time. I didn't realize how difficult that would be. There aren't any straight streets around my in-laws' house.

I ran up a couple of blocks from the corner of 31st and Osage, doubled back and then ran toward Seneca. That's when I discovered that there are no northbound streets between Osage and Seneca. I had to make the middle of my "w" in a church parking lot.

When I got to Seneca, I took it north a few blocks, crossed the street and ran my "o". It turned out much smaller than the "w" since the streets that made it didn't go back down to 31st.

I ran the "n" and then the "s" which was easy since the street I found to run it on curved naturally. When I was done, I ran the route backward, skipping the back half of the "o" and messing up a bit on where I needed to cross the street to head back down the "w" toward 31st.

When I got to the end of the "w", I thought about adding a "y" to make it snowy, but I stopped. Looking at the map now, I'm glad I didn't try it. There wasn't another northbound street between Osage and McLean. There wasn't any way to make a "y" for blocks! (garmin data)

Slo Poke 10K...

I started out this morning with a plan to run along the river trail, but changed my mind and ran the streets in my in-laws' area of town instead. It was cold enough without adding in the cold coming off the river.

I ran first toward Seneca planning to run up to Maple, but as I approached Seneca, I changed my mind. I crossed over 31st and ran to the west side of Seneca, then turned south. I thought I would run down to Macarthur and across to West, then return via 31st. That plan changed too.

When I got to 35th, I decided there would be too much traffic on Macarthur, so I turned west. I ran along 35th, not knowing exactly where it went. At Elizabeth, I discovered the street took a very slight jog south and then continued on as a sandy dirt road over to Glenn Street. There was no street to take me across the drainage ditch that blocked my path at that point, so I just ran down into the bottom of it and up the other side. From there I continued on down 35th.

I continued on 35th until it stopped at St. Clair. At that point, I ran around the barriers and across the barren field to Meridian which I turned and took north, through a couple of traffic lights to 27th. My plan had now evolved into an attempt to draw a candy slo poke.

I turned east and ran 27th Street back to Seneca and then ran south back to 31st. I turned east and ran back toward my in-laws' house. I was at about 4.5 miles at that point, so I had to continue on. The shoes I'm running in now have never stopped before five miles in their lives.

I ran down 31st, past that stupid junk yard dog - he barked at me again - and then turned around at Water. I ran back to Seneca, did a loop around the entire intersection and ran back east. I crossed the road at Springleaf Financial, the same place I'd crossed earlier going the other way and ran back down 31st until I hit the 10K mark. I stopped my Garmin and walked a half block back to my in-laws' house.

I stepped inside, rested a bit and marveled that someone could sweat as much as I do when it's only 23F out. Looking at my map, it appears that I didn't run as far out as I thought I did, so my slo poke is more square than slo poke shaped. Still, not bad for drawing on the fly. (garmin data)

Late morning 15K...

All I've been doing for the past couple of days is eating and sitting around. It was time for a run.

I woke up a little before 8:30 this morning, dressed for the cold and headed out. The wind was out of the south, but there isn't a lot of area to run south of my in-laws' house, so I ran east on 31st Street and then turned north on McLean.

I ran up to O.J. Watson Park, turned in and ran through the park. I took the yellow brick road to the covered bridge, ran across the bridge and then ran along the abandoned-for-the-winter railroad tracks over to the north side of the park.

I slipped through the gate onto the river bike path and ran on north to Pawnee. I jumped off the path and ran across the river and over to Broadway where I turned south into the wind. I ran down Broadway past all the used car dealerships then turned west onto 31st.

When I got to Wichita Street, I turned south. Less than a block into my jaunt down Wichita, I was greeted by a junk yard dog. He was a shaggy German shepherd who was clearly not happy that I was near his domain. He ran along the chain link until I was gone. I stayed clear of him and ran on.

About three or four blocks down Wichita, the street changes from pavement to sand. It remains sandy the rest of the way south past the stone quarry and around the corner onto 35th. The total distance on sand going the way I did was almost a half mile.

When I got to Gold, I turned north and ran up to 33rd where I ran west. I thought about turning on Oak and running back to the house, but I kept going, turning south on Osage and running down to 35th again.

I took 35th a couple of blocks, jogged north one block on Southwood, and kept going on 35th to Seneca which I took north to 31st.

Turning east on 31st, I ran past the six mile mark around my starting point and covered the next two blocks or so to make my run a 10K. I was done for the day, or so I thought. It was just too cold at 20 to stay out any longer. (garmin data)


I stepped in the door after my 10K and found my brother-in-law getting ready to go out for a run. I asked how far he was planning to go. "3 miles" was his reply. "I'll go with you," I said.

So a few minutes later, I was out the door again, running at a pace far faster than my previous 10K.

We ran up Oak, jogged over to Osage and took it north. At 27th, we jogged a half block over and continued up Osage to Oak. We turned left onto Oak and ran a block back to Savannah, turned left and followed Savannah till it turned into Exchange Place and took us back south to 27th.

We turned right on 27th to avoid having to run on McLean and followed the street all the way back to Seneca which we took south to 31st. Our plan was to run down Seneca to 33rd, but traffic changed our plan slightly. We turned left and ran east to Handley, crossed the street and headed south.

We finished our run by running down Handley to 33rd, turning left and running over to Oak which we took north back toward home. I stopped my Garmin at 5K and pulled to a stop.

We walked the rest of the way back to the house, cooled off a bit and ate breakfast. (garmin data)

Santa Hat Run...

I really enjoyed running this morning. It was a cool 19F with very little wind. Beautiful!

Ryan and me post run

I started out with a 2.7 mile warm up, running from my house to the church following the Santa Hat Run route in the reverse direction. I wanted to see how the sidewalks and streets were and what to warn people about. I noted where the cracks in the sidewalks were and the smell of donuts at the donut shop. When you're running, that might prove too much of temptation.

I got to the church, opened the doors and turned up the heat. A few minutes later, the first of the group showed up. Over the next ten to fifteen minutes, seventeen runners and a few onlookers walked through the door.

My daughter finishing up

Mom and daughter just about done

At 7:30, we stepped outside, took a quick group photo and started running. The pace was a bit quicker than last year's. I ran along Maple with Jason and his son Erik with a few people ahead of us and a few behind. Ryan, my friend from Haviland, caught up with us just before we turned south onto Main Street.

Running down Main, we were still mostly in a clump. We had to run by twos because the sidewalks just didn't allow for more than that abreast. I ran with my brother-in-law and my daughter for short periods and then ended up with Ryan.

After crossing Highway 54, we ran on toward the donut shop. Just before getting there, I moved to the front of the pack and challenged one of the girls to go catch the two boys who were ahead of us. She took off like a house-a-fire! I shouted at her, "We don't have to catch them in a block!" She kept running and a block or two later, died.

Sister chasing brother

Ryan had gone with me when I increased my pace, so he and I ran on slowly reeling in the teens ahead of us. We turned on to Sixth Street still trailing them, but making up ground. We caught them around Thompson and ran with them for a little while.

Just before Howard, Ryan and I ran on ahead, taking the lead in this non-race. We turned onto Howard, ran up the hill and headed back toward the highway.

There was a pause in the traffic when we got to the highway, so we ran across without hesitation. We ran up to School, took the only right on the course, ran over to Welton and continued north with a couple of other old guys about a half block behind us. We ran to Maple, turned west and covered the final two blocks to the church.

Hot chocolate all around

We rested for a bit, then got a picture or two before Ryan headed back to Haviland. Four or five runners came in while we were still breathing heavily. After a bit, I ran back out onto the course. I ran the reverse direction to get some pictures and check on people. I saw four other runners as I ran.

When I got to Sixth Street,I looked west, saw no one coming, so turned around. I ran back to the church by a slightly different route and found the rest of the runners.

We drank hot chocolate and talked for fifteen minutes or so and then everyone left. I ran back home to finish up my cool down. (garmin data)