Just one more day: Days 135 - 141

-


Day 135 – May 14, 2012

The team and I took a short run on the way to the track before doing the last hard workout of the season. Well, they did the hard workout. I just ran laps in their recovery periods.

Total – 5.5 road and track miles

Day 136 – May 15, 2012

This was basically a rest day for me. A few lowly miles with the team.

Total – 2.5 miles on gravel roads

Day 137 – May 16, 2012

As a team, we ran incorporated two half-mile pick-ups within the context of an easy 4 mile run. Short and simple with the state meet coming up on Saturday.

Total – 4 road and gravel miles

Day 138 – May 17, 2012

The country roads called my name with sunny skies and a gentle breeze.

Total – 9.0 miles

Day 139 – May 18, 2012

I was glad to get to the mountains today but was reminded what the heavy rains (up to 9 inches) of earlier this week can do to trails. Many were a mess, some were terribly overgrown, and the streams turned into rushing torrents! I had wanted to get in a few more miles but time was short and I had to get to practice and then meet friends for dinner at their home. By the time I got home, I was worn out.

Total – 24.2 trail miles

Day 140 – May 19, 2012

This was the closest I’ve come to missing a run. I got up at 6 AM, spent the day with the team at the state track meet, and got back to the school at 11:15 PM. After cleaning things out of the bus and loading up the car, I slipped into my shoes and went for a quick spin around campus. It actually felt great to run alone in the dark. I was pleased to feel quick and light despite the mileage the day before. So glad I didn’t weenie out by not running.

Total – 2 road miles

Day 141 – May 20, 2012

I really thought I would run two miles and call it a day. I was really tired from a couple whirlwind days. But I decided on my standard six-miler and ended up licking flowers along the way! It was a nice way to end the week although I have to say, the few cars that passed by did a double-take at a runner carrying a bouquet down the road.

Total – 6 miles

Year-to-date: 922 miles

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

100 miles and a buckle

-
Image
True confessions. The last 100-miler I successfully completed was in 2008 at the inaugural Grindstone, a rugged mountain race with a ton of climb and descent. Then and for the most part, I stopped trying. Running the long stuff was getting harder with each passing year. It was in 2021 that my Forest Gump moment of "I'm tired. I think I'll go home" caused me to pull out of Yeti 100 at mile 64. What a wuss. Near the end of December 2022, I decided to give a 100 another go. My training partner and I picked a race that seemed like a good fit with a generous time limit. Last month I stopped 14 miles short of 100 miles at the rain and rock-ridden Greenbriar 100 , a race erroneously touted as non-technical.  Within a day of waddling through my front door after the race, I signed up for the C&O Canal 100 as my redemption, slated to be held a slim month after the Greenbriar event. I was sick and tired of failing to achieve a 100-mile completion and the acquisition of a big
Read more

A view from the front (seat)

-
Image
It was in November 2021 that Rachel Tillas took her first steps into the world of ultrarunning by competing in the MMTR 50. But it started in July of 2021 when Belinda, Rachel's mom, messaged to tell me Rachel had converted from the 400m distance run so quickly in high school to a marathon. But more importantly, as one of Rachel's high school coaches, Belinda thought I should know that Rachel had mentioned trying Hellgate one day. My response? "Alrighty then. She needs to start going with me to the mountains. This makes me happy." And to the mountains we went. I was the tour guide and Rachel my companion. She was bright and mature, contributing to great conversations despite the almost 40 year age difference. But soon enough, I did her no favors by asking her to join me on no more than a handful of other runs. I consistently held her young, spry self back. I was too slow to be any good to her. With colleagues at the hospital who ran fast, strong and long, I found mys
Read more

Still learning lessons after all those miles

-
Image
 In the aftermath of my third 24-hour race, I am recoiling a bit. The phrase, "There is dignity in completion," written by ultrarunning great and philosopher, Sabrina Little , is running a circuitous route through my gray matter. I am bothered by it--and somewhat embarrassed--that I stopped approximately two hours and five minutes short of the 24-hour mark. Why? Why did I decide to bag the effort with time remaining on the clock? It's complicated but at the same time quite simple. Sabrina also put digital pen to paper to say  "Patience is the virtue of remaining in difficulty."  If I understand that concept correctly, there is an embedded implication that not choosing to remain in the difficulty is a sign of impatience, a not-so-virtuous marker of sub-optimal character. So yikes. It's a little disconcerting to contemplate the extent of my failing. Here's the backstory. With no pressure-producing cut-off designations, the timed races (eg. 24 hrs) hold a
Read more