There is no doubt, tonight was not marathon pace for me.  But, it felt good.  Considering how my diet has been the last two weeks, I felt good tonight.  I need to be mindful of my eating for the rest of the week.  I need to keep it simple and light.

Otherwise, it’s been quiet  My son and I were up in Arkansas for the New Year.  It was a “Red Neck” special for us.  Gun shooting and fireworks at night, eating pizza in front of the TV and watching some action flicks, indeed, it was a nice weekend.

Hopefully my next blog will be a pleasant report on the 40th Houston Marathon.

2011 had a number of running accomplishments.  I ran the 50 miler.  Yes, I can say now that I’m a true Ultra-marathoner.  And, I ran a qualifying time for the NYC Marathon.  However, it looks like I may have lost my racing gear.  All my race times through the year were off by a a minute or more.  But, my hamstring really stayed healthy this year.  I did not miss any runs because of injuries.  Maybe the slower times are just a self-preservation auto-response from my body.  

My blogging is way down from a year ago.  I’m busy with BARC stuff that consumes time, work has been very hectic, and there are many other excuses.  Perhaps 2012 will bring a resurgence in running and blogging

The races:

NYC Marathon

Running the NYC marathon has been a long time dream for me.  I grew up in the area and remember vividly the likes of Bill Rogers and Grete Waitz winning this fall classic.  Fred Lebow was a true character.  With a thick accent, he exuded a vision and enthusiasm, which has left a distinct mark on the marathon scene. Back in 1982, I had the chance to stand at First Ave and 70th St and then move to Columbus Circle to see Grete Waitz and Alberto Salazar win.  I’ve been denied entry through the lottery.  But, last year, I was able to finally qualify.  My dream had become reality.

The training started months ago.  Again, it was difficult to train through the summer.  The heat took a toll on me.  I showed up to the start line with just one 20 miler in the tank.  I kept up the weekly mileage, but I think the long run is more about building mental toughness than anything else.

The trip to NYC started well.  Sadly, my original roommate had to back out due to injury.  However, I picked up Chris Robbins.  On my quest of completing the World Championship Marathon Series, Chris has been my roommate for the first three.  It’s worked out.  He doesn’t touch my beer and I restrain myself from the Mountain Dew.  Also along for the trip were Virginia, Laura, Kerry, and Derek.  We also met up with Laura Aguilar and her family.

The trip to NYC started on a good foot.  Laura picked me up promptly.  The plane ride was uneventful.  And, the cab ride into the City was pretty good.  We dropped our bags and then we were off to the Expo.

The Expo was OK.  They were efficient on the bib pick-up and shirt give-away.  Otherwise, I was not impressed with the Expo.  I was disappointed in the souvenirs and marathon clothing.  I did not want to linger too long.  After all, standing around is almost as tough as running 26.2 miles

Friday night dinner was great.  I love Italian food.  We found a good place in Mid-town.  It was family style eating, which I enjoy.  It’s a great chance to sample a number of dishes.  In NYC, they know what al dante means.

On Saturday, we headed up to Central Park to get a running preview of the finish.  I was surprised at the hills.  We ran the last couple of miles of the race. It was a great morning.  The air was crisp, and you could smell fall in the air.  After grabbing some food, we headed back out to see a Broadway Show.  Laura made a great pick with “How to Succeed in Business”; fun musical with some great actors.  After the show, it was a light dinner and early to bed.

Race morning!  Kerry was kind enough to cook us breakfast.  I had some pancakes and an egg.  With the race starting at 9:40, it felt good to have a full breakfast.  The bus ride went great.  We waited maybe 5 minutes.  Waiting in Staten Island was OK.  The weather was ideal for a marathon.  Temps in the 40s with a high in the 50s.  Although I looked like the Marshmallow Man, I was happy that I wore the painter’s throw-away coveralls.  They kept the cold out and I could sit on the grass without getting wet.  I will have to say that the porta-pot lines were good.  Getting in the corral an hour early was annoying and it negated the short porta-pot line. Then, they parade us to the start, where we waited for about another 20 or so minutes.

Boom! Frank Sinatra was singing.  After two plus minutes, I hit the start line.  The first mile was very slow.  It was uphill on the Verrazano Narrows Bridge.  It wasn’t the hill so much as the number of folks in front of me.  Mile one was at a blistering 11 minute pace.  Soon, I did start running well going downhill.  Then, I almost did a face plant.  If I tried, I could not do what I did.  Someone throw off a sweat jacket.  Incredibly, one foot went into one sleeve, and the other foot went into the other sleeve.  I tried to kick it off, but no luck.  Fortunately, I did not fall, but I had to stop to take off the sweat jacket.  It seemed like this was the beginning of my destiny for today.

At mile 3, I’m moving well.  We get to a water stop.  I have a new earned respect for pulling into a NASCAR pit stop.  As I grabbed my water, the volunteer in front of me stepped into the road to hand someone else water.  I, of course, ran right into the water and got it all over myself.  At this point, I’m still cold, and having a cup of cold water poured on me was not fun.

From mile 3 to 11, I’ve settled into a comfortable 8 to 8:15 pace.  It’s not my day and I really had no goal in mind.  .Apparently, I was pretty well hydrated.  I had to find a stop near mile 11. There was a line for the porta-jon, and, I had to wait for a minute or so.  I headed back out, and truly I don’t care.  But, I’m back running an 8 minute mile.

Brooklyn was interesting.  It was very old, and the crowds were out.  As far as the course, it was the easiest section as well.  Some rollers, but nothing bad.  Entering into Williamsburg, you could feel the cold welcome by the Hasidic Jewish community.  It went from screaming crowds to dead silence.  But there was some irony.  On one corner there was a Jewish couple cheering us on.  They truly stood out.

Half the race is in Brooklyn.  Finally, we crossed the Pulaski Bridge and headed into Queens.  We are in Queens for about 2 or so miles.  Lady luck was not shining on me.  I felt some chafing and wanted to get some Vaseline.  I made a big mistake.  Instead of seeing the folks with Vaseline on a stick, I stepped into the Medical Tent to find the Vaseline.  It’s kind of like being a roach, “once you check-in….. “  They wanted to know what was wrong with me and they wanted to take my vitals.  After a minute or so, I signed a waiver and then I was back on the road.  This happened right before the 59th Street Bridge.

The 59th Street Bridge is a breaking point for good reason.  It is one long, slow climb.  Trying to make up time was a bad idea.  I charged up and down pretty well.  The bridge empties out to First Avenue.  And, it lived up to its hype.  The crowds were at least 6 deep on First Ave.. My brother and nephew were at about mile 16.5.  I was running OK.  I was trying to look good for them.  After mile 17, the wheels were coming off.  I took one of many walking breaks.  From mile 18 to 20, it was a mix of running and walking.

When I got in the Bronx, there was a guy yelling on the Willis Bridge that “walking is not allowed in the Bronx”.  Well, if some guy in the Bronx tells you to run, then you run!  I felt good running through the Bronx.  The crowd support was great, and it was flat. We turned south and entered Harlem. I also enjoyed Harlem.  The people there are great.

After mile 22, it was over; I just did not want to run anymore.  I was tired and I was getting bored.  I saw a few folks that I knew and I would run up to them to wish them well.  But, I could not keep going.  I caught up to Chris Mc’Grew at mile 24.  I ran for about 30 seconds with him, and then I let him go.  But, I started to feel good again.

The end caught me by surprise.  The last 3/4 of a mile was a slow grind uphill.  And, I was whopped.  Finally, I’m back into Central Park and the finish line.  My official time was a 4:06.  Not my proudest moment.  But, I set off in Staten Island and I finished back in Manhattan in Central Park.  I had no serious pain.  In my book, and at this time of my running career, I was good with another marathon finish.

After the finish, the walk to the exit and baggage claim was awful.  It was a narrow path and about a half mile plus walk at a slow pace.  It was truly the worse part of the race.  I felt OK; I just wanted to head back to the hotel. But, I was stuck with the crowd going at a slow shuffle.

After getting my bag, it was good to see Kerry’s face.  We walked to a subway station.  And, we were able to ride free back to the hotel.  I caught up with my brother, and then we all headed out to dinner.

We went to Little Italy for some serious Italian food.  Afterwards, we went to Ferrera’s Bakery to get a cannoli.  Later that night, I met up Laura Aguilar and her husband for a couple of cold beers.  It was a good time.

It was dream come true or me.  NYC does have some logistics to it.  And, the course is a difficult one.  However, the international flavor makes it special and running through the five boroughs is wonderful.  My favorite part was the run through the Bronx and Harlem.  While growing up, you get cold and prejudiced.  It’s part of our nature to survive.  Running on Sunday, I realized what wonderful people there are in the Bronx and Harlem.  It feels good to have my eyes opened.

My fellow BARCers all ran well.  PRs for Virginia and Laura B.  And, Chintan set like a 30 minute PR.  Chris and Laura A ran solid.  For my friends that were along for the ride with me, thanks for keeping me out of jail and on track.  Without you, I may still be wandering around the Village.

December 4, 2011 LaPorte Half

I had some hopes of getting back under the 1:40 mark.  But, the weather was not in my favor today, nor was my right leg.  Something bad is going on with it.  It took over five miles before I started to feel OK.  I did take it out quick with a 7:20 and a 7:33 first couple of miles.  From there, I struggled the next 4 miles to even being under an 8 minute pace.

As for the weather, it was dramatically different from last year.  The temps this year were at 70F with 100% humidity.  I still felt that I had a shot at going under a 1:40.  Last year, we had a cold northern wind.  This year, the wind was out of the south.

First mile was OK.  My leg was not feeling good, but I was moving along.  Mile two was a struggle.  And in my mile three, it got real bad.  At mile five we hit the bridge.  Jess Scott caught me here.  I ran with her going up the hill.  Pace was not real good.  We were running about an 8:20 or so.  After reaching the top, I took off and ran my best mile of the day.  The flat mile around the marina was another good one for me  I was feeling good at this point.  I just needed to go back up the bridge and run to the finish.

The next climb over the bridge was tough.  It was tough on everyone.  I could barely run a 9:15 going up.  Incredible!  I’ve run up and down the bridge on tired legs a lot faster than a 9:15.  When I passed Jess again, I thought she was done for the day.   Once again, I scampered down the hill.  At mile 12, I was tiring a little.  But, I was still able to keep the pace under an 8.  Jess came back and passed me near the end.

In all, not a great performance race for me.  A lot of people suffered on the course.  But, I felt OK aerobically.  I just could not get my leg going in the early part.  The warm up was good.  But, it just was not meant to happen.

My training for NYC is starting to go into taper mode.  I ran my last longish run on Friday.  An easy 15 miler.  It was a lovely morning.  The run felt easy.  Then, I was up in Arkansas for some serious hill training. The run from my house to Cliff Road is probably the flattest course.  There is one very serious hill.  Otherwise, it was just some rollers.  On Saturday and Sunday, I got in a little over 5 miles on each day.  On both days, I ran negative splits, and I ran the out and back a minute faster on Sunday.  The weather was ideal on both days.  Temperatures were in the low 50s on both mornings.  I love running in cotton.

Now and then, you wonder what someone’s talent is.  My son has a few talents.  He plays the clarinet very well.  He can put thing together like no one’s business.  This weekend, I think he’s true talent is with the shotgun.

Arkansas is not just about hill running and golf.  The Sylamore gun range is about an hour north of our place.  We’ve been there a couple of times.  We headed up again with a bunch of weapons.  We got the 30-06 sighted.  Then, it was time for some fun.  We had planned on shooting some clay.  But, the range actually had people there.  My son is good with the hand guns.  Other than shooting the 22 rifle, he really does not have a lot of experience.  I’m impressed with how safety conscious he is.  He is always good with the gun, he remembers his ear plugs, and he even remembers his safety glasses.

Over the last couple of months, we’ve added some guns.  The boy is very good with the 9mm and the 1911.  In fact, he’s a better shot than me.  I can still out shot him with the muzzle loader, the 257 magnum, and the 22 target pistol.  He’s been wanting to use the 12 gauge an shot some clay.  It’s the first time he’s used the shotgun.  Bad on my part, but I gave him no instructions on the shotgun.  other than show him where the safety was and how to chamber the shells, he was on his own.  His first three targets, he missed.  Then, he started to knock them down.  On Saturday, he was hitting about 8 of 10 clays.  He double shot a few.  However, I was impressed.

Sunday, he was even better.  He hit the first 22 clays with 25 shots.  Then, it was my turn.  He can shot the clay, but he can’t throw them.  Between his poor throwing and my bad shooting, I hit like 2 of 14 clays.  On his second turn, he was only hitting about 2 out of every 3.  We took a break from the shotgun and messed around with the other guns.  The range was all ours.  We had one box of shells left.  So, I let him shoot.  He hit every clay except the very last.  In all, he hit 22 clays missed one and only used 25 shells.  I was rather impressed and proud of him.

Hand throwing is interesting.  I kept a mix of about 3 throws.  Right over the middle, low and fast, and high over the head.  Not matter what, he was able to bust the clay out of the sky.  Now I just need to find some competitions for him to try.  He’s very excited about shooting and is looking forward to a hunting trip that I need to put together.  It’s fun to see him have such passion.

Some pleasant cool weather came in at the end of last week.  And, it came just in time for my long run.  The cool fall weather continued through Wednesday.  Warm temperatures and humidity are back for the next few days.  But, maybe the end of summer is finally here.

Last Saturday, I headed to downtown to run with Dottie, Lisa and Lindsey.  I’m not a fan of paying for a training run.  But, $5 is pretty cheap.  We ran with the Kenyan Way folks.  After about 2 miles from Lisa’s house, we picked up the main group.  I was impressed with the turnout.  There must have been 150 people running in the group.  The route took us out past Memorial Park and into some nice neighborhoods in the Tanglewood area.  Water and Gatorade was provided about every 2-3 miles.  With ideal temperatures, it was a perfect run. My aerobic engine was lit.   Coming back, I had to hit a rest room and separated from my running pack.  I felt good to the 18 mile mark.  The last 2 miles back to Lisa’s house were a little tough.  I was on bad sidewalks and had to stop at intersections to wait for traffic.  Regardless, it was a great twenty miler (19.6).

It was even cooler at the Seabrook trails on Sunday.  My legs were tired, but I kept up with everyone.  After about 7.5 miles, I called it a day.  The pace was in the low 8s, and I just did not need the miles.  Besides, I had a football game to attend.

Through a friend I got tickets to the Texans game.  Great game, the Texans played tough and beat the Steelers.  Awesome running game, and a very nice defensive effort.

Tuesday is typically my track day.  But, with the Olympic Trials, the first Tuesday of every month is consumed with a meeting.  I hated not getting to the track.  The weather was perfect again.  Instead, I ran a little 10K on the treadmill.  To keep some continuity in my schedule, I really pushed the pace on the ‘mill.  After a two mile warm-up, I pushed the next four miles down to a solid tempo pace.  The last mile was my strongest at 7:12.

This weekend I have the first individual effort in the HARRA Fall Series.  The Ten Miler is on tap for Sunday.  The weather does not look very good.  I’m keeping my fingers crossed for cloud cover.  For sure, it will be in the 70s with 95% humidity.  If the sun is out, I’ll just bag it and run at marathon pace.  I’m looking forward to this race and then in two weeks, we’ll have the Houston Half.

The Toughest 10K was no fun for me.  My watch did not work so I ran by feel and finished at 48 minutes.  My time is one of my worse in several years at that distance.  Then, the Cross Country Relay was up next.  And again, very unenthusiastic race for me.  I did run early in the AM and that seemed to have an effect on me.

Even my regular training runs are slowing down.   I just don’t have that burning desire to push my body to its limits.  The plus side is that injuries have been kept at bay.

Well, there is nothing easy about running around the world.  I’ll press forward.  Who knows, maybe there will be a little inspiration that will light my engines.  If not, no worries, I’ll just enjoy the ride.

I am looking forward to NYC.  Bib numbers and positions came out this week.  I’m 17000 and change.  I’m in the first wave in the Green group.  This means that I will be starting on the bottom of the Verrazano Narrows Bridge.  OK, the top deck folks will be peeing on my, but at least my climb should not be as bad.  Right???  More importantly, I’m getting excited about the trip.  I got tickets the other day for the 9/11 Memorial.  I hope to keep my emotions in check.  Then, who knows, maybe I’ll score tickets for Letterman, and go to a Broadway show.

On another note, I’m getting into shooting.  After 18 years in the closet, I rook out the 50 caliber muzzle loader.  My muzzle loading stuff is fairly old.  The gunpowder and primers are over twenty years old.  I cleaned up the gun.  Then, out to the range.  OK, started with a light load of 80 grains of powder.  Ran a bullet down the barrel.  Cap on, trigger set, target in sight, pull…  nothing happens.  OK, new cap, get the target, pull and wham!  25 yards out and with a gun that I’ve not shot in nearly 20 years, I was 2 inches high and to the right.  Reloaded a few more times, each shot was with an inch or two.  My son also fired it a few times with equal success.

I also took out my 30-30 lever action.  Wow, I forgot how much that gun kicked.  Very accurate with open sights to about 50 yards.  And, then there is all the handgun shooting.  We added a Model 1911 Springfield Range Officer tot he collection.  So, about 300 rounds in it.  Very nice shooting gun.  at 10 yards, it’s easy to hit the center of the target.

Well, if the running is not great, I can turn to a few other activities.

First, the running.  So far so good in my NYC training preparations.  I’m in the heart of the training right now.  My weekly mileage has been steady.  Week in and week out, I’m putting in about 50 to 55 miles per.  I’ve made it through the last year without having to see anyone about the hamstring.  But, it’s still a pain.  One change I made was to back down on the long run miles and add in some middle week miles.  It’s all an experiment.  The test will be in NYC.

As for the runs, we got a break in the weather this past week.  The lows have been in the 60s and humidity is way low.  With the Labor Day Holiday, I got in a nice three pack of runs.  Saturday was an easy run with Julie and Roaxana.  I started early and ran four by myself, then joined them for almost 12 more miles.  Sunday was a spirited 12 mile run.  The first 3+ miles were at a little less than 8 minute miles.  I took it easy for 2 or so miles, then ran hard again.  Monday was a Club run on theHartmanBridge.  After an easy four miles on the trails, we ran the bridge at an average pace of 8:10.  The last two miles were under 8, with the final coming at 7:24.  

I missed my track workout on Tuesday.  I tried to run a tempo run on early Wednesday morning.  I got nearly 8 miles in, but, I was never in the tempo zone.  I don’t know why, but I could not get going.  Today, I ran inside on the treadmill.  I had a very good run on the mill.  A little over 25 minutes at tempo speed.  I was pushing the last 1.5 miles down to just under a 7:20 pace.  My overall pace for the six miles was at 7:48.  Considering that my first two miles were at an 8:30 pace, I averaged for the four miles of tempo at 7:28.  

For the week, my mileage crept over 60 miles.  I’m pretty happy about it.  This coming week will include a long run of 19 to 20 miles.  The weather should be good.  It looks like I will be running it alone, which is not a bad thing.  I’ll run at whatever pace I want, stop when I want, and slow down as I please.  Also, I can talk about whatever I want.  Following this week, I’ll have the Toughest 10K Race.    

BARC still has a strong following.  Even as we broke record high temeratures that saw the gauges breaking through 105F, there were 60 so dedicated folks that ran the Pub Crawl.  It was brutal.  The Sunday hosted runs have picked up.  And, now the Fall Series is here.