Day Eighteen: Back to the Beginning

So.  No running.  I have nothing to say about that except it seems this is how my running programs always get started.  The exception is the one in the summer, where I accepted the discipline of the track and built up to six miles a day in couple of months of running at the high school quarter mile facility. 

I started my program on the "100" level, that is, we walked yesterday.  I've often said that walking provides much of the benefit of running, but it takes longer.  Back in 2006, when I lost my job at Laser, I prepared for fitness runs by first walking for several months with Dorothy and Luna, our husky puppy, until we were out for two hours at a time.  Then, the following year, I began running and quickly worked up to 5-8 miles per day.

The weather has broken, and it is actually cold almost every day now, temperatures ranging between "nice" and "just above freezing."  It is imperative that I get up to a few miles a day before it gets any colder or the entire running program is in danger.

Previous Dinner:  Left-over roast beef sandwiches with horseradish, a handful of potato chips (I know, don't scold me), a PBR later.

Sleep:    3:00 am - 9:00 am

Day Eight: Excuses and Laziness

So, it hasn't been raining every day, and I'm not running at all.  I've been mulling over a change of schedule.  When I began staying up late to do mathematics in the quiet, it got a little out of hand.  My bedtime has shifted around between two and four in the morning.  This does not allow any sort of wake-up run in the morning.  Then, at the end of the school day, I nap instead of running, and I don't dare run at the beginning of the study hours.  Bad cycle.

But this is "the year of the marathon."  I have run two marathons before, both of them around 3:30.  Not too impressive, but I knew nothing about marathoning.  These were in '82 and '83.  The 25K is another story.  I ran the Old Kent River Bank Run between 1979 and 1984, my best time coming in under 1:40.  This is what I am looking for.  Never mind the fact that I'm older.  I'm smarter and am invoking my own "future rule." 

My "future rule" is based on the statistical data collected on runners over the past century.  In one era, it is common for runners to come in at times which only the elite, if anybody could run in previous eras.  It cannot be that our bodies are superior to those of only one hundred years ago.  It must be the training.  Therefore, I invoke "future training," that is, to find the things they will be doing in future eras and do them now.  Barring injury, I should be able to at least get back what I had thirty years ago.  As for the skeptics, I'll just prove what I say.

Day Four: At Least I Went Out

So, the weather is temporarily good.  By good, I mean not raining.  Gone are days of t-shirts and shorts.  Last run, the track was locked, and the weather is too cold to walk to and from the run anymore.  I ran to the track and back (there was an event) in about fifteen total minutes.  No kick, no cruise, two traffic lights; at least I didn't walk at the end.

Over the summer, the track was my friend.  Running on the totally flat, rubberized surface was good for me.  I was up to 6mi/day at sub-10:00 pace.  Not exactly race winning strength, but I need to be at least at that point before the really nasty winter weather sets in...my guess around the fourth week of December this year.

Last Dinner:  Spaghetti, Texas Toast, Squash, Red Wine

Sleep:  4:00 am -  10:15am

Day Three: Two Days of Rain

Let's face it:  An out-of-shape person cannot realistically expect to run in cold rain without getting sick.  Tough.  No run.  I must focus on not gaining weight.

TWO: RAIN

So, a break already is not good, but I can't run in the rain at this stage.  It's only in the fifties and the rain is cold.  I can't afford to get sick.

Sleep:        1:30am - 9:15 am

Day One: Pain and Stiffness

I was demotivated and stiff.  I walked to the high school track, but the gate was locked, so I ran a minimal course back home.

Miles:    < 2
Course:    Division/48th...Division/44th...Buchanan/44th...Home.

Weather:    54F    Cloudy    Minimal Wind

Sleep:    1:30am...9:15am

Dinner:    cheese&crackers, chicken tortilla soup, red wine