I'm a husband, a father, a blogger and a runner. I play my music in the Texas sun.
This is the story of my running adventures, marathons and ultra marathons on road and trail, and the people I've met who make it all worthwhile.
Even a man who is pure of heart And says his prayers by night May become a wolf When the wolfsbane blooms And the Autumn moon is bright
- old gypsy poem
Who doesn't enjoy a good scary movie? When Nancy and I were first dating I remember taking her to see "Urban Legend" in the cinema, just so she would cuddle up to me (also partly as revenge for her making me go see a God awful chick flick the week before). It was one of those movies with a lot of moments that made you jump, and it certainly had the desired effect (ha ha)!!!
When I was a kid I loved the old classic horror movies (and still do). They usually screened them on BBC2 late on Saturday night, and if I'd behaved (which sometimes happened) I was allowed to stay up and watch (these were the days before VCRs). I looked forward to these weekly treats - Universal's Lon Chaney Jr, Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff hamming it up, followed much later by Hammer's Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing
Chest-heaving buxom wenches who couldn't run away without falling over, cannon fodder peasantry who weren't much better and gypsies full of curses and ominous warnings (who looked nothing like the gypsies who would come knocking on our door selling pegs and good luck charms) were the order of the day.
So I was super excited when I found out they were remaking the Wolfman. The original 1941 movie (featuring yak-hair covered Lon Chaney Jr) was one of my favorites (especially as it was set in Wales), and I really hope they do a good job of the remake.
Here's a peak at the trailer - it looks like it could either be really really bad or really really good. I'm hoping for the latter. While it doesn't have the nostalgia I associate with the old black&white version, it does look suitably gothic.
I made some pita bread and hummus last night - it's one of my potential drop bag foods at Cactus Rose - and since I made 8, I decided to incorporate them into a wonderfully nutritious and healthy breakfast that's easy and quick to make when you're in a hurry in the morning.
It's also super yummy.
Ingredients (serves 1) 1 pita bread (I make wholewheat versions of these) 1 cup fresh spinach leaves 2 extra large eggs, beaten 1/3 cup mozzarella Salt and pepper (to taste) Sprinkle of ground chia seeds (optional)
Heat a non-stick skillet over medium heat, spray with olive oil and add the spinach
Cook for about a minute, tossing until wilted then add the beaten eggs, salt and pepper
Stir and toss until cooked through - about 2-3 minutes
Remove from heat, add the cheese and toss to combine
Warm up the pita and spoon the egg mixture onto it
I recently likened the new cult of barefoot running to the movie Invasion of the Body Snatchers - at first it's just one person, but then more and more people start to succumb until eventually the whole town is infected.
Well, since most of my friends had already been converted, it was only a matter of time before my natural curiosity and need to experiment got the better of me and I had to try it for myself. So this past weekend I plonked down some wonga for my very own pair of Vibram FiveFingers KSO.
The theory behind it all, as detailed in the excellent "Born to Run" is that conventional running shoes promote rather than prevent injury by interfering with the way we were naturally meant to run. The argument is that pronation is a natural action for which your feet compensate and should not be protected or altered by running shoes. It's a compelling argument, and the Vibrams claim to allow you to reconnect with barefoot running, forcing you to change your stride and strike action back to what it's supposed to be. Here's the blurb from their website:
The typical human foot is an anatomical marvel of evolution with 26 bones, 33 joints, 20 muscles, and hundreds of sensory receptors, tendons and ligaments. Like the rest of the body, to keep our feet healthy, they need to be stimulated and exercised.
When you go barefoot, your movements become the movements of a child—playful and sensitive, yet purposeful and confident. You experience the unbound joy of stepping, hopping, and running across any surface on earth, simply to get from here to there.
Vibram FiveFingers® allow you to relive that sensation. Unlike conventional shoes that insulate you from your surroundings, FiveFingers footwear deepens your connection to the earth and your surroundings. FiveFingers enhance your sense of touch and feel, while improving foot strength, balance, agility, and range of motion. Because wearing Vibram FiveFingers is so close to going barefoot, you’ll enjoy the health and performance benefits of barefooting without some of the risks.
While I haven't run in them yet, I have been wearing them on walks around the neighborhood, and have done several workouts and yoga practices in them. They feel very comfortable, fit my feet like a glove and it really does feel as if you're walking barefoot. I feel a lot of traction with the ground and have a much better sense of the surface I'm traveling over.
However, I am more dubious as to their suitability for running and I certainly won't be wearing them at Cactus Rose. My friend Shawn ran a 22 minute 5k in them yesterday and is a total believer. I will need a lot more convincing, but I will give them a fair crack, test them out on some shorter runs and keep you posted on my progress.
I went into today's Silicon Labs Austin marathon relay wondering if I've really lost a yard of pace since last year, if I would regret yesterday's 23 mile run, and if we could do enough to win the Governor's cup for the second year in a row. Well, I answered all questions and also got to enjoy some good food and beer - great deal, eh?
There were 543 teams competing this year, but I figured that our biggest divisional competition would be of my own making. When I was putting the teams together I packed all the fast people into two teams - the Austin TEA Party and TEAMo Cinco. Looking at the lineups we were very evenly matched across the board.
Members of TEAmo Cinco
I was running the second leg (a 10k) for the TEA Party, and we had four of the five guys who'd won the cup last year back to defend it, so we weren't going to give up without a fight.
I didn't get off to the best of starts when I realized just before my leg that the socks I'd put on this morning weren't running socks. Oh well, there was nothing I could do about it so I just figured I was having a stupid day!!!
My fellow Brit James took the first 12k leg for us, and with Eric going out for TEAMo Cinco it was a great duel between two well-matched speedsters. They both ran sub-7 minute miles, with Eric coming in about 15 seconds ahead of James.
I took the handoff from James and started to chase David down - yeah, I rarely need much motivation to go out too fast, but David and I run together regularly. He's a top guy, a good friend and I'm well aware of what a strong runner he is. So I knew I needed to close the gap fast.
He seemed to be running effortlessly whereas I was running hard and didn't seem to be closing very quickly. Eventually I caught him about half a mile in and he settled in on my heel. I looked at my Garmin when I hit mile 1 and saw 6:46 on the readout. I blurted out something like "shit, that's way too fast". David replied "thank God for that" and we both had a laugh over it.
Running together worked well for us as we pushed each other. I tried to drop him on the uphill climb to the capital, but when I looped back down Congress he was still clamped to my heel. I was enjoying our little duel, with bragging rights at stake!!!
We turned onto Cesar Chevez for about a mile and a half, and by the time I reached the turnaround I'd opened up about a 10 second gap, and then I hit the gas. Every time I heard feet behind me I was convinced it was David, so I kept upping the pace until I crossed the finish line in 45:24 (7:18 pace) and handed off to Ron.
Last year I ran 46:08, so I got my answer on the pace question. No I haven't lost it - it's just in my head. That's good to know :-) David finished strongly not far behind me, smashing his 10k PR in the process, so we were all happy.
Now that my run was over it was time to socialize. I enjoyed myself wandering around our teams, cheering people on and checking how the TEA Party were doing. Turns out we did very well. Ron, Shawn and Bill all put in strong runs and we finished in 3:07 (43rd overall) to win our division and the Governor's cup again (following a bonehead chip mixup which was completely my fault, but which Runfar quickly rectified). TEAMo Cinco came in at 3:17 to take second place (63rd overall), and two of our other teams took 4th and 6th.
We all retired to the beer garden with the cup for a few cheeky brews. Turns out it holds just the right amount of Heineken. Good times.
Did 23 miles this morning. I know I keep saying that I've lost a yard of pace, and I really feel like I have, but I did the 23 miles in 3:13, most of it by headlamp in the dark. That equates to roughly a 3:40 marathon, and I didn't really push it, so maybe I'm being a bit hard on myself. I guess the true test will be how fast I can run the 10k tomorrow.
But 23 miles is 23 miles, and with the race in the morning I decided to have an ice bath when I got home.
Now I remember what happened this time last year and I wondered if Gavin would still be so eager to jump in the freezing water. Yep, no hesitation. He was straight over the side and sat down in the ice while my teeth were still chattering and I was holding on to my coffee for dear life. Now I know I'm biased, but I don't know of any other 4 year old who would do that. I'm proud of my brave boy, but that also meant I had to work hard to save face when he started splashing me (of course). Ice bath splash wars ensued, and IT WAS FREEZING COLD.
We both got in trouble with Nancy for all the water on the bathroom floor, but it made the 20 minutes fly by :-)
This is a picture from last year when my team - the "Austin Tea Party" - won the Governor's Cup at the Silicon labs marathon relays (the trophy held just the right amount of Dos Equis beer too). Well this Sunday we get to defend our title. Our team is still the same transatlantic combination of two Brits and three Texans, there's just little one problem - our team name seems to have been "appropriated" by a Republican protest group. So if we get "liberally" heckled on Sunday that's why :-)
And as I resigned from the wellness committee earlier this month, this is the last work-related event I'm organizing. But where I really didn't enjoy the "too much talk and not enough action" reality of committee life, I'm much better at this kind of thing. Last year I only had two teams to worry about, but this year I'm juggling seven!!! It's been fun scrambling to solve logistical problems, last minute dropouts, and jumping into rabbit holes to pull runners out of hats (while threatening to boil in hot oil anyone who dares to drop out on me now). I'm happy to say that all our teams are fully manned (and womanned) and hopefully everyone will show up.
Last year the Tea Party all ran well around 7:15 pace, but I'm wondering if we'll manage it this year - our speed demon (the other Brit on our team) is running 22 miles tomorrow (hoping to BQ at San Antonio) and I have 23 to 26 planned. I also suspect I've lost a yard of pace since last year. Oh well, I'll do my best not to let anyone down. And whatever happens we'll have a good time.
Had another go at the cracker challenge tonight. Got really close and finished them off in 75 seconds. Still 15 seconds shy of beating it, but I'm getting closer.
I love rules. If there were no rules I wouldn't have anything to break. This time last year I was incurring the wrath of my fellow coaches for daring to do the group road hill workouts two nights in a row - you could have sworn I'd spat in their Gatorade!!! Well this year I've learned my lesson and mended my ways - now I only do the group hill workout on Wednesdays.
But life is no fun if you follow the rules completely, so on Tuesdays I just do trail hill repeats instead :-)
Anyway, tonight was the first Wednesday road group hill workout of this season and I put my foot in it again. It was pouring with rain when I got there to find out they'd canceled the workout and were sending everyone home. Without thinking, I blurted out "to hell with that, it's only rain - I'm going to go run some hills".
Whoops, maybe not the best thing to say, shame on me (haha). But three folks immediately asked if they could come with me, so the four of us headed off to the hill while everyone else headed home. We had a good workout and got on really well - none of them were in my group but I enjoyed getting to know them. Two of them hadn't done hill repeats before, so I went over a few of the techniques and mental approaches to hill running and then we hit the hill.
We had a great workout and I was in my element - I love running in the rain.
I tell you something scary though - running hills was a lot easier this time last year. Coach Gavin may have had something to do with that - last year I spent a good few weeks over the summer running hills with him sitting on my shoulders. I may sneak in some extra road hill repeats on Sunday and revive that tradition.
I wonder how many I can do with him now that he weighs 44lbs though.
Had a very solid 37 miles of training runs this weekend. After yesterday's 22 miles (followed by an hour of core), I got up early again this morning and did a good 10 miles of hills around Ladera Norte. Then I switched into trail mode and hammered the trails of Bull Creek. I attacked all the uphills, made hay on the rest and was very pleased with myself - that's the way I hit those trails in the build-up to Bandera last year.
My conditioning is in a good place because I'm not feeling tired or sore - what a difference a month makes. Another hour of core or pilates later today will round out a kick ass weekend of training.
My plan for this week includes cross training on Monday, 11 miles of road and 10 miles of trail hills on Tuesday, an easy recovery run on Wednesday morning and road hill repeats in the evening, cross training on Thursday and Friday off.
Yeah, I think I'm getting into both physical and mental shape to tackle the Cactus Rose 100. 6 weeks to go - if I've timed this right, I will peak right at the end of October.
On the flip side, I have discovered that I am a sock assassin!!! One of my favorite running socks are the Wrightsock double layers, and I have worn holes into several pairs - in some cases I've worn through both layers!!! The same applies to my Drymax, Balegas and Wigwams. And it's not just socks - my toes have worn holes in my last two pairs of road shoes too. I don't know if I have hyperactive toes or just really sharp toenails.
Can toes be considered weapons of mass destruction?
I did a 22 mile training run this morning in just over 3 hours - 15 miles by myself followed by another 7 with the group. Fairly pleased with that, especially as I didn't really push the pace. But I've been hammering core workouts all week and I think I'm starting to see the benefits.
It also makes a huge difference that I got a good night's sleep last night (despite the 3:30am wake up call). Nancy kindly let me go sleep with Gavin, and we cuddled up and fell asleep almost immediately - Nancy only had to come tell us off once!!!
Today was the first time I've ever run 20 miles in the middle of the week. This morning I did a 10 mile "Southern Danish" around downtown, and this evening I did 10 miles of hill repeats on the trails at St Eds park.
The trail run was amazing. Although it was noticeably cooler I was still sweating like a politician on a lie detector, but I felt so good. I did stop part way through the last loop to take the above picture with my new phone, and then I finished the run in the dark to the soundtrack of coyote howls.
It may just be the nicer weather, but I could swear those hills are getting a lot easier. I should really be sore right now, but I'm not. That's good - I feel as if I'm running myself back into form for Cactus Rose.
What's not so good is the continued lack of sleep. Dylan was literally up all night last night, and so were we. He was still going strong when I left for my run at 4am, but he'd finally crashed by the time I got home.
Yes it can be frustrating, but he's got this great little smile he uses on me that melts me every time. And sometimes when I'm cuddling him and singing to him, he looks at me with such a wonderful expression on his face it takes my breath away.
But I still hope to God he decides to sleep tonight because we need it.
Last week we watched a show on Food Network called "Food Detectives". Hosted by the ubiquitous Ted Allen, its premise was to investigate well-known "food facts" and determine whether they are true or not in a kind of "popular science" way. You know the type of thing - will eating a poppy seed bagel cause you to fail a drug test (a la Seinfeld), or does eating Thanksgiving turkey really make you sleepy etc.
Well this particular episode had a segment on whether it was possible to eat 6 saltine crackers in a minute. None of their test subjects got even close and they concluded it was not possible. That led to a vigorous debate between me and the wife as to whether or not it could be done. I took the position that it was entirely possible and I didn't see what all the fuss was about***.
So Nancy came home from the grocery store yesterday with a pack of saltine crackers, and tonight we put it to the test. Here's the play-by-play.
0:00 - my crackers are lined up neatly on the plate, Nancy is poised with the stopwatch and I'm wondering why our more outlandish conversations always end up like this
0:05 - we're off and I immediately split the crackers into two piles of three. After an initial few seconds of fumbling around, the first three are stuffed into my mouth
0:10 - munching away and thinking I've got this in the bag
0:15 - the other pile goes in, and now all six crackers are crammed into my mouth. Sounds of laughter are erupting from the couch
0:20 - I'm wondering how Nancy can read accurate times off the stopwatch through all her tears. 40 seconds to finish off these things - easy peasy
0:25 - the sounds of merriment resonating from the couch are becoming a distraction. I'm starting to suspect sabotage from the good lady wife who is rocking back and forth while pointing at me and cackling. I attempt to tell her that's not fair and to request she kindly stop, but all that comes out is "oog oooff mmmm unnnn". And a few pieces of cracker.
0:26 - my request backfires, she just laughs harder
0:30 - laughter is infectious and I'm trying hard not to giggle. Half way there and Nancy is no longer able to sit up straight. I try to remind myself that the last time I had a laughing fit while eating, two peas shot out of my nose. That does not help quell the giggles
0:40 - the crackers have been reduced to a sticky paste of peanut butter like consistency. I wander around the living room trying not to look at Nancy who has been reduced to a whimpering pile of jello
0:45 - given up trying not to laugh
0:50 - just what in hell are these things made out of? Thinking I should have pushed for the 12 egg omelette challenge instead - never had any problems swallowing breakfast (and if I ever find myself in Seattle, I swear I'm going to try it).
0:55 - come up with a cunning plan - I'll just hide the remaining bits under my tongue and she'll never know. Congratulate myself on a great idea until I try to talk. Still comes out as "ummmmfff ummmm". Damn!!!
1:00 - time up and I DNF-TC (did not finish the crackers). Nancy eventually recovers and informs me that was the funniest thing she's ever seen. This is harder than it looks, but I still think I can do it. Will have to have a rematch later this week.
Oh, and I did a lot better than any of their test subjects.
*** I am also convinced I could do many of the food challenges on "Man vs Food", so am not a totally reliable (or indeed believable) source
We finally got some rain in Austin this week. After months of drought it was badly needed and very welcome. I got to enjoy some of it yesterday morning and had a great 21 mile run - 15 by myself followed by another 7 with my group. It felt wonderful.
One of the benefits for me of coaching with Round Rock Fit again is that my solo run includes the pressure of having a time deadline to get back to take my group out. This ensures that I can't ease off the pace and be lazy, and then I have to force myself to keep hitting sub-8 minute miles on tired legs while running with my group. Every week toughens me up both physically and mentally - it gave me an extra spring to my step last season, and I'm hoping it will do this same this year.
On that group run I ran with a couple of guys training for their first marathon, and they peppered me with questions about training, hydration and race tactics. I shared some of my training theories, described ways to mix up the weekly runs, and relayed some of the things I've found to work and explained why. We've got a good little group this year, and it's a great feeling to help them achieve their goals.
My plan was to do another 20 miles on hills this morning, but we were awake walking around with Dylan until the early hours of the morning and I have absolutely no recollection of my alarm going off this morning (actually a lot of last night is pretty hazy). Instead, Gavin came and woke our tired sleepy heads up at 8am.
One of the things you swiftly realize when you have a new baby is the importance of being flexible, so I changed plans and made this a cross training day. I did an hour of core this morning, another hour of yoga this afternoon, and finished off with a good half hour of wrestling and tickling with Gavin.
I think that boy is going to be athletic - he's strong, solid, fast, very agile and extremely sneaky. If he were a rugby player, I bet he'd make a good scrumhalf.
I'm hoping that we'll be able to run together one day - I just wonder if I'll be be able to keep up with him.
And let me tell you something about core - if you can hold plank for a minute with a rambunctious 45lb 4 year old sitting on your back heckling you (while being encouraged by his mother), you're doing something right!!!
Yesterday I resigned from the fitness and wellness committee at work. It's something I've been considering for a while - I have a lot of stuff on my plate, I'm not really a committee person, and it really wasn't a good fit for me.
Don't get me wrong, I've enjoyed working with a dedicated group of people full of good intentions, but while they've created some great programs I don't agree with some of the core ideas like giving people incentives to persuade them to exercise (such as awarding time off for logging a certain amount of exercise time). If someone has health or weight issues because of a sedentary lifestyle, why should they need to be bribed to exercise? If we provide the means and the opportunity that should be enough - why wouldn't you want to do it for yourself or your family? After all, once the incentive is gone so is the motivation. If you want to do it for the right reasons, I'll help you all I can. If not, don't waste my time.
So why did I agree to join the committee in the first place? That's easy - it was because of Henry.
Back in 2002 I was way out of shape. My weight had jumped up to 180lbs (I'm currently 150lbs - my ideal running weight), and I really wasn't happy with myself. But I was lucky to work with a great guy called Henry Gonzales. Henry believed in me and got me into running. So much of the healthy lifestyle my family and I now enjoy we owe to Henry, and I remember thinking about him at mile 98 of my first 100 miler earlier this year and knowing he would be proud of how far I'd come. He had been retired a good three years by then, but I still owed so much of that achievement to him. One of the first things I did when I got home from Huntsville was email him and thank him.
I started out in running with the beginner's program from Bob Glover's "The Runner's Handbook" - the first week I alternated running and walking for a minute apiece. That program culminated in running for 20 minutes nonstop (which was pretty damn cool), and then I worked my way up to 5ks and 10ks. I was very much a "back of the packer", but one day Henry persuaded me to train for a marathon. He made it sound like something I could really do, and I remember him telling me that I had the ideal mindset for a long distance runner.
I think he was right about that.
But I still had doubts. I did the Texas Roundup 10k early in 2004, and running past the UT football stadium at mile 5 I wondered just how in hell I was going to run a marathon (it's funny looking back at that now, having run 50 milers at a much faster pace than I ran those old 5k and 10ks).
But then Nancy and I found out we were expecting, and I suddenly had a whole new source of motivation - I wanted to do something my wife and future son could be proud of.
So I signed up with Round Rock Fit - a local marathon training program. Almost immediately I realized there was so much I had to learn. Every Monday morning that Fall and Winter Henry and I would dissect Saturday's long run. We'd talk about what worked and what didn't, and he'd give me advice on how to fix it.
But I struggled with some of the early long runs, in particular the first time I ran 8 miles. I wondered if I could really do it, so I went back a few days later and ran the 8 miles again by myself. I did so much better, something clicked and from then on it was like I'd broken through an invisible wall.
The first time I really believed I could run a marathon was a cold Saturday morning in December 2004. At mile 4 of a 30k training run (my longest run at that point) I was run off the road by a redneck in a pickup truck and sprained my ankle really badly. I could barely put any weight on it, but stubborn me I decided I would finish the run anyway (that's an attribute I'm glad I've retained from those days). I limped along for a while, and after about half a mile my foot just went numb and I could run freely again. I didn't feel it unless I stopped, when it would stiffen up. So I just didn't stop until the finish line.
I think I broke just about every rule going during that run - my foot swelled up so badly I couldn't fit into any of my shoes for a week, and my toes turned purple. But it was a huge mental breakthrough.
I was so much slower back then, and my whole running form was completely different to what it is today. Those of you that run with me now wouldn't believe it. I ran that marathon in 5 hours and 20 minutes - almost 2 hours slower than what I run today - and really struggled in the last few miles. Maybe that's why I connect so well with the slower runners in our training group now - I know exactly where they are because that used to be me.
They say that when you cross the finish line in your first marathon, choirs of angels break into song and it's a life changing moment. Bullshit - I was just glad to be done. The benefits are far more subtle - I'm so much more assertive and confident now because of my running.
But back at that 2005 finish line I was also disappointed - I knew I could do better. So I came back and ran it again the next year, this time knocking 30 minutes off my time. My time goals kept dropping - from breaking 5 hours to breaking 4:30 to getting under 4 hours to breaking 3:30.
I don't have time goals for marathons anymore - I just enjoy them.
And that brings us back to my point about motivation and personal responsibility in our obesity-prone society. My dad always told me that the world owes me nothing, and that I would have to work for what I wanted. If I wanted it badly enough I'd better make sure I worked hard enough to get it.
That's why I don't believe in bribing someone to improve their life. If you have to provide the incentive, they obviously don't want it enough. We live in a very negative and excuse-ridden society where there's always an easy way out - "I don't have time to exercise" is a popular excuse.
One of my favorite quotes is from the former Arkansas governor and Presidential candidate Mike Huckabee. Whether you agree with his politics or not, you have to admire the fact that he lost over 110lbs through diet and fitness while in office.
When asked how he finds the time to workout, he replies "I don't, I make the time".
If a State governor can make the time, what excuse do the rest of us have?
No, get your minds out of the gutter. This is a link a friend send me - seems that some of my fellow Brits have far too much time on their hands. Enjoy!!!
I've been spoiled this summer. Not by the weather - it's been the hottest on record - but by all the friends I've had to run with. I've had company for virtually all my runs, and very welcome it's been. I don't think I would have run as much as I have without them. But I also think I've lost some of my mental edge.
Last season I did long run after long run by myself, and it turned me into a really tough little runner. That's something I need to recapture before Cactus Rose, so I'm gradually distancing myself from the usual groups I run with (bye bye Eeyore club) and doing more and more solo runs. I think the discipline of getting up at 4am for a long run by yourself is something I really need right now.
This morning I did a nice 12 miles by myself before my Round Rock Fit run. I started at 5am and headed out into the Country lanes - it was very humid after last night's rain, but I kept plugging away, kept up a consistent 8 to 8:30 pace, avoided the early morning redneck pickup trucks and finished strong. Then I took my group back out for a fast 5 miles, which left me at 17 for the day. I wanted to hit 20, and a fast buddy wanted to do a few more, so we set out again for another 3. We pushed each other and ran well under 8 minute miles. I was very pleased with my first 20 mile training run in who knows how long.
And actually I don't remember the last time I did a 20 mile training run (I think it was with Roger and Stephanie back in June), but I plan on doing at least 20 every Saturday from now until Cactus. And as a bonus I discovered I'm not sore in the slightest. In fact, as Monday is a holiday I plan on doing a triple header of long runs this weekend.
One of the "joys" of having a new baby in the house is the amount of time you spend up and about when you would otherwise be asleep. Nancy and I are definitely "slaves to the newcomer" - wandering around the house at 3am like something out of a George Romero movie. The other morning I finally hit the pillow just about half an hour before I was due to get up to go run, muttered "sod it", turned over "for five minutes" and woke up three hours later. That is one of the reasons I do most of my morning runs solo now.
While you do get used to it, the effects are cumulative and show themselves in unexpected ways. If you keep draining the battery without recharging it, sooner or later it will give out. Last weekend's 60k was a case in point.
Dylan is a highly efficient eating machine - kind of like the white shark of the baby world - and we have our work cut out keeping up with him.
But we have discovered some chinks in his armor.
The sound of the vacuum cleaner makes him sleepy, as does the new motor I got for my old hand-cranked pasta machine. So this evening I sat him down in his bouncy chair in the kitchen while I made some fettuccine, and within a few minutes he was asleep.
There are many cunning ways we have found to combat a 6-week old (though Gavin is far too wily to fall for (m)any of my tricks).
Nancy commented today that if I were a penguin I would be Skipper - I think she meant it in a good way!!!
Our marathon training group has a beer sponsor this year - how cool is that? The Independence Brewing Company is an Austin-based brewery producing a range of fine local beers. After our group run last Saturday morning, they had some beers lined up for us to sample. It ended up as a bit of a party - all us coaches were lined up at "the bar", sampling beers and having a great time.
And no, Before you say it, that's not the reason for my mental funk in the 60k later that night.
Anyway, my favorite brew was a brown ale called "Bootlegger". It has a distinctive chocolatey taste that really hit the spot. I bought a 6-pack at the grocery store today, and am looking forward to having some with supper.
So if you're an Austin or San Antonio native, you may want to check these guys out "because life's too short to drink boring beer". They also have a brewery tour and sampling on the first Saturday of every month - rock on guys!!!
I've always believed that if you fall off your bike, the best thing to do is to get straight back on again. So I called my mate Alan and asked him if he wanted to go run hills with me on the St Eds trails tonight.
I'll be honest, I felt like crap at the start. Completely unmotivated, and slow as ten bears. I had to struggle to keep up with Alan, but about half way through the first loop something strange happened. I hit a rhythm and felt more like my old self. Suddenly it was Alan who was struggling to keep up with me. I hit a downhill and just let go. It was exhilarating - I let gravity take me and went with it. I savored the feel of the breeze rushing past my face while my brain raced to solve jigsaw puzzles in real time - the pieces were my fast feet and the puzzle was the rocky terrain I was flying over.
By the second loop I was really in the groove and enjoying the challenge of the hills. I'd intended to stop after two, but found myself going out again for a third loop. If I'd had my headlamp I'd have gone out for a fourth. I started to reflect on the good things from last weekend's race such as the incredible sunset on top of the ridge with a breathtaking view over the lake and the way the coyotes started crazy howling all over the park around 1am - that was pretty cool.
It was an incredible run, and I'm very grateful to Alan for pushing me at the start. For the first time in a long while I actually felt like the runner who ran Bandera and Rocky Raccoon.
(updated Thursday 2/12) Today 6 miles Week(Sat-Fri) 6 miles Month 6 miles 2015 20 miles 2014 196 miles 2013 490 miles 2012 1165 miles 2011 1468 miles 2010 1506 miles 2009 2030 miles
" is that conventional running shoes promote rather than prevent injury by interfering with the way we were naturally meant to run. The argument is that pronation is a natural action for which your feet compensate and should not be protected or altered by running shoes. It's a compelling argument, and the Vibrams claim to allow you to reconnect with barefoot running, forcing you to change your stride and strike action back to what it's supposed to be. Here's the blurb from their website:
" - the first week I alternated running and walking for a minute apiece. That program culminated in running for 20 minutes nonstop (which was pretty damn cool), and then I worked my way up to 5ks and 10ks. I was very much a "back of the packer", but one day Henry persuaded me to train for a marathon. He made it sound like something I could really do, and I remember him telling me that I had the ideal mindset for a long distance runner.
