Running With Jack

...that's how I have been feeling lately, much like the overtrained triathlete that used this picture on her blog.

It's one of the busier times of the year for me at work, and this year its even worse because we are evaluating the need for a content management system which equals lots of time required. Somehow this together with weird weather swings is causing me to lose out in the sleep department. I find myself laying awake at night thinking about everything imaginable.

I have been wanting to get back up to 50+ miles of running per week in preparation for a city marathon in September, but I know this is not going to happen. I ran a solid 50-mile race and my first sub-four hour marathon this year, which is very satisfying, so I have pretty much decided that I need to just stay in maintain mode and run the rest of my races this year "just for fun".

Posted by Jack at 8:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

I'm still snickering from this one, thanks Kim!

A trucker came into a truck stop cafe and placed his order. He said, 'I want three flat tires, a pair of headlights and a pair of running boards.'

The brand new blonde waitress, not wanting to appear stupid, went to the kitchen and said to the cook, 'This guy out there just ordered three flat tires, a pair of headlights and a pair of running boards. What does he think this place is, an auto parts store?'

'No,' the cook said. 'Three flat tires mean three pancakes, a pair of headlights is two eggs sunny side up, and running boards are 2 slices of crisp bacon.

'Oh, OK!' said the blonde.
She thought about it for a moment and then spooned up a bowl of beans and gave it to the customer.

The trucker asked, 'What are the beans for Blondie?'

'She replied, 'I thought while you were waiting for the flat tires, headlights and running boards, you might as well gas up!

FOR ONCE THE BLONDE GETS EVEN!!!!!

Posted by Jack at 2:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

My recovery is going really well, the only problem has been trying to get enough quality sleep, it has been incredibly hot the last couple days, today is supposed to reach 35°C/95°F.

I did a short recovery run on Monday during lunch, and did some rowing and upper body weight lifting last night. Tonight I look forward to running with my running club – I just hope they don’t all chicken out because of the heat!

I mentioned (without thinking) to my wife that I will probably go for a two hour run after work on Friday. Her reply was “What, are you training for another marathon already?” I mumbled that I have the marathon in September, but she knows me…I wisely danced around the issue for now – I know better to talk about yet another marathon until the dust settles for at least a week on the last one.

But of course I have plans, the next marathon is even on my list to the right of this blog. On July 20th is the Hornisgrinde marathon in Buhlertal in the Black Forest. Last year I set a new marathon personal best on this hilly course, and would like to give it my best this year as well. But first I’ll wait for the dust to settle a couple more days…

This coming Saturday is my running club’s annual event, the 5/10K Asparagus Run. I’ll be helping out at one of the water points on the course – I hope it cools down a bit before then. Afterwards is a street fest in Graben which ties in with the run, it should be fun!

Posted by Jack at 1:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

My drop bag is packed and I’m really to run 50 miles! Too bad I have to wait until 5:00 p.m. on Saturday (sigh!). The weather report is calling for a warm 27C/81F, with lots of sunshine. Tack on a few degrees on the hot, un-shaded, asphalt bike paths that make up a large part of the first 20K of the race and you have the makings of a hot race.

I have been studying the race course map to refresh my memory, I find that a good knowledge of the course is very beneficial when the going gets tough. I am really looking forward to the run, there are four other members of my running club running the entire race, plus four others running the 4-person relay.

With race day looking quite warm I plan on taking it easy the first 2-3 hours, then trying to pick up the pace a bit when it cools down - or worst case at least try to maintain a good pace as long as possible.

I’m going to do my best to try to beat my 9:25 finish time from last year, if not, then whenever I’m done. Wish me luck!

Posted by Jack at 8:06 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)

Last night was a rest night, I took advantage of the free night to catch up on some bookkeeping, went grocery shopping with my wife and spoiled her with dinner at the Black Cat Restaurant.

My wife said that she has officially passed her probation time at work, she now has an unlimited job contract – next step more money! She also warned me that she has a huge project that has to be finished before our vacation in October, this may require working nights and on the weekend at home. She was not shy to let me know who is going to be cleaning the house then…

I am also really busy at work so will probably need to put in more overtime over the summer. So I guess this means the 50-mile race will be the last major race this year. After that I will probably cut my running down to about three times a week, hopefully enough to maintain my weight and some level of fitness. I may do a marathon on the third weekend of July, but just for fun, e.g. no additional training required. I’m sure there will be a few 10K and HM off and on…

Tonight I want to run for about two hours on my hilly route, specifically over part of the 50-mile race route. Sunday is supposed to be sunny and over 90°F, so I want to run an hour in the heat. It is beginning to look like the 50-mile race is going to be a hot one, yuch!

Posted by Jack at 7:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Following my long training run on Saturday my legs are recovering nicely. I had some tired muscles, but no pain or abnormal soreness.

Thomas asked if I was sure that the marathon on Saturday was 42 km? My answer is that no I am not sure, I question this myself. I would like to think that I am in super shape and ran this training marathon faster than the Mannheim Marathon a couple weeks before. With my 50-mile race coming up in three weeks I think I will choose to believe it was close enough to the marathon distance.

Rob had an interesting post this week about justifying his position as a runner. He stated: “My typical line, as of late, is that I am tired of being a slow ultra runner and I want to return to being a faster marathon runner. There always seems to be a saying or justification that I use to somehow make my running make sense. If I am running slow, it must be school, work and other life happenings that make it so, and I make sure to let other people know it. I think we all do this to some extent. We qualify a race as a training run, which in a way protects us if we do poorly.”

At first I thought, yeah that’s me alright! But when I think about it this is not completely accurate. I do run a lot of races as training runs, but my goal from the get go is, well, to run them a slower than normal pace so I don’t beat my body up. Most of my so-called training run marathons are programmed into my training schedule and in most cases I seem to run these faster than some of the marathon’s that I have “raced”.

Call me a lazy marathon runner if you like, but I have never had the ambition to continually run record breaking races. That said, I do try to improve my personal bests each year, with success I might add. With the exception of my first couple marathons I have never trained for a fast marathon. My fastest marathon to date (4:14) was run on a hilly course that most would not consider ideal for setting a personal best. However since the core of my long runs are run on hilly trails in preparation for the 50-mile race that I run in June, this is where I excel.

I’m happy where I am at with my running in the moment. I am still passionate about running and can’t imagine not doing it. I love participating in races and prefer to run many at a slightly slower pace, as opposed to a few at a fast pace. This may change in the future, but for now I’m happy being in my little comfort zone.

Are you where you want to be with your running?

Posted by Jack at 8:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

I want to run a Volks-marathon tomorrow morning for my long run. The International Federation of Popular Sports (IVV or Internationaler Volkssportverband) marathon course is an official IVV event with a marked trail. Volkssport events are non-competitive events, thus are not timed and most people tend to walk them.

In the last three years I have ran 10 marathons (and five ultras). I also completed three “Volks” marathons in the early 90’s, running about 10-20% of the distance and walking the rest. When someone asks me how many marathons I ran I always say 10, as I don’t count the “Volks” events or ultras.

Is a marathon a marathon, or is a marathon a marathon only when it is marketed as a running event? And what about the ultras that I completed, and the 38 mile DNF 50-miler? Should these be listed in my total number of marathons?

Is there a proper etiquette on this subject?

I don't lose any sleep on this, but sometimes I wonder...

Posted by Jack at 8:06 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

You might have noticed that I haven’t been blogging as regularly as I usually. The truth is that my job as technical writer is getting complicated. At my work we are going through some major structural changes, plus evaluating the way we do documentation (among other things). This has met that I have had to spend an increasing amount of time researching various systems and methods. It doesn’t appear that this will end anytime soon, which means I will probably need to make some adjustments in life for at least the next several months. So if you hear less from me you will know I am overwhelmed on the wayside. Have a nice weekend!

Posted by Jack at 2:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

My legs were feeling a bit ragged last night, so I decided an extra day of rest was appropriate, especially considering that I am tapering for my 50K race next week. I did get in a mile or two of walking after work, this helped stretch the legs out a bit. Yesterday was also “junk day” in our town, where we can set out old furniture, appliances, wood etc. on the street and the town picks it up for free. My wife and I spent an hour and a half going through the house and shed looking for anything that was a candidate for the junk pile. I was quite surprised how much we eventually threw out. In any case the shed is looking much better.

Tonight I am looking forward to running with my running club, it is supposed to be a sunny 19C/66F outside, so I have to take advantage of the nice weather while it lasts!

Posted by Jack at 8:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

I remember being nervous about my first race back in May of 2004. When my co-workers talked me into the race I hadn’t run that far for at least 10 years. But I did my best to try to get ready, increasing my running to three times a week and gradually working up to the distance. When I lined up for the race I was confident that I would finish, maybe even with a halfway decent time.

When I line up for my 68th event on Sunday I wonder where my confidence level will be. It is normal that I experience a bit of anxiety about my performance when I toe the line on race day, regardless of whether it is an 8.9K race like my first one, or a marathon as is Sunday’s race.

Sometimes I think it was actually easier when I first started racing. Back then I was happy just to finish a race, I really didn’t care about how long it took. But somewhere along the way my competitive spirit kicked in and suddenly I felt the need to try to excel.

I have mixed feelings about Sunday’s marathon. I am confident that, short of having an injury, I will finish the race. My competitive spirit is trying to talk me into going for a new personal best, but my training and body (and maybe the weather report) are telling me it’s not yet time.

I trained a couple times a week with members of my running club over the winter. I have been trying to figure out if this has had a positive or negative effect on my training. Sometimes I ran too fast and sometimes too slow, I was more consistent when I ran on my own. In any case I enjoy running with friends from the club, especially after running solo for the first couple years.

Posted by Jack at 1:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Yes! My wife finally got her suitcase five days after arriving in Detroit, everything was inside still, miracles do happen.

I took last night off from training, I was supposed to help my neighbor fix up his new PC. When I rang next door his wife answered and said he has the stomach flu, so we postponed our project until after Christmas. Instead I took care of some shopping, hopefully I have all the presents now.

This morning I planned on getting up early and running before work, but snoozed for another hour instead. Tonight is our company Christmas party after work, so I won't be home until late. The party usually consists of an hour of speeches from our leaders, some entertainment, then a HUGE buffet. After dinner a band plays until the wee hours of the night. Typically there are around 300-400 employees at the party. I’m a party pooper and plan on being home by 10 p.m., I have a long run in the morning :-)

I have a busy weekend before me, running, cleaning, shopping – whatever needs to be done to get the house ready for Christmas. My wife is arriving in Germany on Monday morning, can’t wait!

Posted by Jack at 11:11 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)

When my wife is away I am forced to rely on my own creativity in the kitchen. Today I decided to fix some spaghetti, no problem pasta is easy! Okay, so what to put on the spaghetti…the possibilities are endless really. Not wanting to rely on a jar of ratgu, I decided to try my luck at homemade spaghetti sauce, I mean how hard can it be.

I had bought some hamburger for this purpose, so had a base. Then I started pulling things out of the refrigerator and cupboards to add to the sauce.

Here is what ended up in the pan:

500 grams hamburger
1 each green, yellow, red pepper
1 small hot red pepper
1 small zucchini
1 medium onion
3 scallions
1 large tomato
1 package Napoli spaghetti sauce mix (optional)
250 ml water (about a cup)
Salt, pepper, garlic salt, curry, oregano
Curry catsup to taste

How to prepare:

Find the biggest knife in the kitchen, a small sword will also do. Chop everything that is not liquid into whatever size meets your fancy. You might want to remove the cores of the peppers, or if you prefer a chunky sauce, don’t bother. I also tend to remove the other onion wrapper, but that’s just a personal preference.

Pour some virgin olive oil into a large pan with high sides (I suppose there is a special name for the pan, but who cares). Why virgin oil, no idea, it is what we had in the cupboard. Turn the stove on and get the oil hot. Slit the hamburger several times to make sure its dead and in smaller pieces. Throw this in the pan along with the onions and scallions. Cook the hamburger until it doesn’t look so red, use a spoon to check the underside too!

Measure out 250 ml of water, or if you don’t have a measuring cup handy, just fill a large coffee cup with water. Pour in the spaghetti sauce mix and all the spices. If you don’t have a sauce mix just mix a spice cocktail until it tastes Italien.

Pour everything into the large pan. If the stuff falls on the floor the pan wasn’t big enough, look for a bigger one. Let it cook for awhile, if it starts boiling like crazy, turn the heat down some, repeat as necessary. Stir it once in awhile unless you want to buy your wife a new pan. Keep adding curry catsup until it tastes like something you want to pour on your spaghetti.

When the zucchini starts getting mushy it is a good indication that your sauce is done.

If you were foresighted you prepared your spaghetti while you were waiting, if not do that now. A good way to tell if the spaghetti is done is to throw a piece on the wall or ceiling, if it sticks, time to eat! Note: You might want to remove your test piece before your mate see it, we don't want to share all our tricks with them you know.

When the spaghetti is done pour the sauce over the spaghetti and enjoy your meal – there is no need for cooking anything else, you have a full meal on your plate!

Warning: The olive oil and grease from the hamburger will make the spaghetti and sauce as slick as ice, don’t make any fast movements when walking around with a plate full of food, otherwise you’ll be cleaning it off the floor.

The sauce if very hardy, perfect for a cold winter day, and actually tastes good. Enjoy!

p.s. If you want to see something really cool: Fill the pan for the spaghetti almost to the top with water and just as it is boiling (like your wife will be after she hears what you do next), throw in a handful of salt. You might want to stand back a step or two, and make sure no kids are nearby...

Posted by Jack at 5:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

I forgot to share the good news of the day. After a lengthy period of unemplyment and almost a year in school my wife was a new job contract. Beginning the first of January she will begin her new job as an assistant Technical Writer for a leading German technical communications company in Karlsruhe. Now is that a great Christmas present or what!

Posted by Jack at 9:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (7)

I arrived home from New York last Wednesday and have been stricken with a cold ever since. Friday I was bed-ridden with fever, but have slowly improved since then. I did get in an easy 9K/5.5M run on Sunday afternoon, but the effort left my head pounding. Today is my first day back to work and I anticipate a mountain of work upon my arrival – I hope I can shake this cold soon enough.

My race season is over for this year, other than a 10K or two that I may do just for fun. I began the year without any specific goals in mind, other than to try to improve my marathon and 50-mile personal records. I ended up improving my marathon time by over 15 minutes and my 50-mile race time by over 55 minutes.

Mid-way through the race season I decided to try to see how many months in a row I could run a marathon (or further), running 5 in 5 months before a knee injury caused me to miss a marathon. I went on to run a sixth marathon a month later, despite missing several key long runs.

I also ignored all the warning signs that my body was communicating to me and decided to try a second 50-mile race this month. I was hoping that my determination and experience would make up for a lack of training and I would at least cross the finish line under the 12-hour cut-off. But alas it was not to be and I threw in the towel at mile 42.5 when it was clear that I would not make it in the allowed time. Do I regret not gutting it out and finishing anyway? You bet!

So as I seek to rid myself of my cold, I am at least forcing myself to rest and finally let the body start to mend. The multiple marathons that I have ran since March definitely took a toll on my body, I have been feeling it for a couple months.

My short term plans include a reduction of mileage for at least a month and an increase in cross-training – primarily swimming and some weight training. Around the beginning of December I will start working on next year’s base in anticipation of a new year of racing. I have lots of ideas, but specific events will depend on how soon my wife finds work, my own job and the continuing health of my parents.

Posted by Jack at 10:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Have you ever considered how you would feel if you suddenly couldn’t run/bike/swim like you do now? Maybe an injury, job, family, or other obligations just don’t let you do your thing as much or at all. How would you feel, what would you do, would this leave a void in your life?

Over the last 9 days since I hurt my knee I have had more time to think about a lot of things and I pondered how I would answer those questions. When you are sidelined with an injury it gives you a chance to appreciate how much the sport really means to you. On the other side I have also realized that I could live without running if I had to, something that I would never admit to just 9 days ago.

I thank God daily for my health, that he has given me the ability to run, and to run long distances. I think most of you realize that not everyone can do what we do, and some of you do some pretty amazing things in your sport. Now some of you may think that you are not so special – maybe you think that you are still too fat, too slow, too old or too inexperienced. Don’t think that way, take a moment and look in the mirror at who you have become, think about all those around you that can’t imagine doing what you do in your sport, then pat yourself on the back and smile – you earned it!

Three more days, then my stitches are coming out, I’m looking forward to easing my way back out onto the trails, not because I have to, but because I can!

Posted by Jack at 8:12 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Last night I spent 15-20 minutes in my shed doing some upper body training with free weights. Otherwise, I tried to stay off my feet as much as possible, even going to the extent of elevating my leg on a box at work. The result this morning was favorable, the dull pain in the knee had mostly subsided. The wound itself looks good, it itches a lot, which is a good sign and I am optimistic that I will be back on the trail next week.

I have rarely been injured in my life, and this is the first time I’ve been sewed up for about 40 years, so for the last couple days I have been wondering a bit about how I should continue with my training once my stitches are removed next Monday. A good friend of mine provided the following words of wisdom:

“Keep right on babying it so that you'll be good like new when the time comes to break free. BUT don't go crazy that first week out - though stitches may have approximated the surface wound, it's that tissue underneath that takes the brunt of the friction & shearing force - so once you get the green light to run, do a little of the easing-back-in thing. Caution feels like hell but mostly pays off I think.”

It would be interesting to hear any of your comments on how should get back into training. Go ahead, shout it out!

Posted by Jack at 8:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)

So I have been officially blown out of the saddle. The doc that sewed me up (also a marathon runner) left no room for discussion as he told me NO running until my stitches are out and NO marathon on Aug. 26! My normal doctor checked out the wound last night also told me explicitly NOT to run until the stitches are out (Aug. 27), repeating himself at least three times as I tried to change his mind – he wouldn’t even agree to take my stitches out a day early so I could train on the weekend (remind me to change doctors ;-). So between them they pretty much got through my thick runner’s head that I shouldn’t run.

That said, I know that won’t be easy for me, but I have promised myself and my wife that I will try to abide to doctor’s orders and behave myself (my wife doesn’t believe me). My doctor did say I can do weight training as long as I don’t use my leg, so at I can still do something. I also will be working on losing a couple pounds over the next week or two, my omnipresent spare tire being a reminder that I haven’t reached my perfect weight yet.

So I will be shining up my running shoes and crossing the calendar off, I’ll be back in the saddle in no time. Then there will be lots to do, a marathon on Sept. 16 and a 50-miler on Oct. 6 – it’s going to be great!

Posted by Jack at 7:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (7)

Last week I talked about how I was pondering what’s next in my life. I’m a Christian and as such believe that each of us has a specific God given purpose, or “calling” if you will, during our life here on earth. As a teenager I was quite active with a group of Christians in various activities, but over the past couple decades I have pretty much been neglecting this area of my life. Lately though, I have had the feeling that there is unfinished business left in my life in this respect and I am looking for answers to the many questions that I have in my heart.

So what does this have to do with running? Well, it is causing me to rethink why I am running, and more so racing. I began running to lose weight and to get into shape. I quickly fell in love with running and thoroughly enjoy the race atmosphere. But lately I am starting to think that my life is getting out of balance, so I am taking a hard look at all areas of my life and trying to figure out how to restore this balance.

I think having a healthy body is a priority for all of us, so I am confident that I will be running for many years to come. I will probably need to scale back some on the racing, this requires a great deal of time and as I seek to balance out other segments of my life I will probably need to draw time from my running and blogging activities. So if you don’t hear from me quite as often I am probably off trying to balance out my life, but I will be by to visit as often as I can.

Posted by Jack at 6:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Sometimes I think I am starting to suffer from midlife crisis. Webster defines a midlife crisis as:

“A period of emotional turmoil in middle age characterized especially by a strong desire for change.”

Okay I’m middle aged, but I’m not searching for sports cars, wild women or anything like that, but do have a strong desire for change. The emotional turmoil comes in because I can’t figure out what needs to change or why I even have this feeling. Anyway I find myself thinking a lot lately about where I’ve been, where I am now, and where I want to go – and this across the whole spectrum of life, running included.

My wife has been studying and going to school now off and on for two years, first to improve her English, and now to learn new job skills. She struggled at first as she adjusted to studying again after almost 30 years, but now she is like a fireball consuming everything in her path, she amazes me! Lately I have been smelling the smouldering smoke of my own desire to improve myself through learning. I have been wondering if it time to finally take those German classes that I have been putting off for so many years, or to improve my job skills, or maybe even to go back to school for my doctorate??

Then I have moments where I wonder if I shouldn’t be exercising my Christian beliefs in a more prominent way, maybe spending more time trying to help the needy and discouraged, maybe helping with the youth group at the local church...the possibilities are endless.

When we change one area of our life, either by choice or through a life change, most other parts of life usually have to change also to balance things out. So as I ponder if/what needs to change in my life I find myself wondering how this will affect the future of my running. Running has become a part of what defines me, so I am pretty sure I will keep running as long as I am physically able to.

What remains unanswered is what role racing will have in the future, but until I have an answer I will continue to enjoy it as long as I can. My next race is Sunday, a nice hilly marathon on beautiful forest trails, its going to be great!

Posted by Jack at 8:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

I planned on taking last night off from training, but had a lot on my mind so went upstairs in the shed and worked out with free weights for a little while. I have been entirely neglecting this and most other cross-training this year and I feel it! My hamstring only seems to bother me now when I sit down too long. Tonight I want to run with my running club, I’ll see if it bothers or not.

I have been looking over the fence at potential races for 2008 and 2009. We’re hoping that we can visit my family in Upstate NY in 2008, so I have been eyeing a couple 50K/50M races in the area. I also plan on completing my first 100K in 2008, but I don’t know when or where. I have also been looking around for a 100 mile event, but they are few and far between in my part of Europe, so will take some extensive travel.

In 2009 I’ll be turning 50, so am looking for a worthy event to celebrate. A special friend of mine has resparked my interest in an ultra that would fit appropriately, but I’m leaving this wrapped up for now.

As I laid in bed last night trying unsuccessfully to sleep the lyrics to a popular song written by Joe Darion flowed through my mind. Hey special friend if you are reading this keep this in mind as you chase your dreams:

To dream the impossible dream
To fight the unbeatable foe
To bear with unbearable sorrow
To run where the brave dare not go.

And the world will be better for this
That one man scorned and covered with scars
Still strove with his last ounce of courage
To reach the unreachable star.

Posted by Jack at 7:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (7)

While sitting on the train on my way home from work last night I was thinking about how much I admire people who run a marathon the whole way through, e.g. without any walk breaks whatsoever, barely even slowing down to grab a cup of water along the way.

I have finished 8 marathons (3 walking), 2-50K’s, and a 50-miler but have always had to take at least one walk break at some point in time. I used to be sensitive about this, but I have learned to relax and just do the best I can at each event, if that means walking a bit, so be it. I could probably train to run a marathon all the way through, could probably break 4 hours even, but I prefer to run several events each year which me at my age (47) means I have to keep most of them slow if I want to recover in enough time for the next one. This is the path I have chosen up to now and I am content.

That said, I am going to contradict myself. This morning I signed up for the Baden Marathon, which takes place on September 16th, and have decided that I should use this flat asphalt course to set a new PR. In the meantime I have a couple scenic marathons, a 50K and a 50-miler to keep me busy.

Speaking of being busy – I don’t know how some of you women (or men as the case may be) can work, clean, cook AND run without wearing yourself out! It is a good thing I have a job where I can sit down, because I don’t seem to find much time to do it lately at home ;-) Actually I am feeling good about my first few days has house-husband, my wife seems to be satisfied and she has sufficient time to study at night. Her only negative comment was that my cooking is bad for her diet, hmm I've heard that somewhere before. I think I need to find more low fat recipes.

Last night in anticipation of running tonight I made a pasta casserole that I can warm up for dinner after the run. I also baked some low fat apple muffins for dessert. My wife is bringing home some fresh asparagus from a farmer’s located market near her school so we only need to fix this quick.

The Northern Black Forest marathon that I am running on Sunday is a two loop course with a total of about 1100 feet of elevation gain. I finished this in 4:42:00 last year, this year my wife is staying home so I need to make sure I am fit enough after the event to make the hour and a half drive home. The weather report is calling for clear blue skies and around 26C/79F, its going to get pretty warm towards the end.

Posted by Jack at 6:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Yesterday my legs were surprisingly sore for having run only a 10K race, I guess the faster pace (for me) took more out of me than I reckoned with. Last night I went for a walk and spent some time stretching and this morning my legs feel much better.

I was thinking this morning as I was going to work that it seems like I have needed more time to recover from my last marathon (March 11) than from previous marathons. This has me wondering if my plan for a marathon a month is maybe too ambitious for my fitness level this year. When I compare my training this year to last years I tend to believe I was in better shape this time last year. Of course my two races that I have completed so far this year have proved otherwise. Perhaps I am just not as mentally fit this year due to having more life challenges on the agenda. Or maybe my wife is right, she says I am much more impatient lately – this has probably spilled over to my running too...I guess I need to try to relax and just take one step at a time.

Posted by Jack at 9:27 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)

I have had trouble getting to sleep the last couple nights, my wife is home using up the last of her vacation days before the end of her job contract and is not a happy camper. She has been faithfully applying for every job that has come up, but competition is rough and nothing has worked out yet. On a positive note the unemployment office has offered to pay for an intensive bookkeeping class beginning in April if she doesn’t find a secretary/admin. assistant job by then. This should at least increase her chances of finding work somewhere. I am trying to remain positive about the situation, especially around my wife, who is feeling discouraged in the moment.

In any case I have been giving a lot of thought to the entire situation and am thinking it is best when I tone down my training a notch. I feel it is more important at the moment when I commit more time and energy to supporting my wife, rather then trying to improve my running.

I will continue to run and race, but not necessarily at the intensity that I have enjoyed. Besides, it will be hard to run a PR race when my mind is not concentrated.

I have been trying to talk my wife into taking a Nordic walking course for awhile, I think now I will make the suggestion that we take one together. Maybe it would help her if we could walk out some of her frustrations, wish me luck.

Posted by Jack at 8:22 AM | Permalink | Comments (8)

Yesterday was a beautiful sunny day with the temperature creeping towards 60F by lunchtime. My office was extremely loud all morning with at least three groups of conversation going on most of the time. This always drives me nuts, especially when I have a lot of work to do like this week. I decided I need some fresh air, so I grabbed a coworker and we did a 3K walk around the forest next to our company. This regenerated me and I was able to get quite a bit done the rest of the day.

This is my wife’s last week of work, next week she starts using up her vacation and overtime hours which will bring her up to the end of her contract on April 10th. She has applied for a variety of jobs, but competition is high and so far she has had no luck. I pray that she will find something soon, she is not the type to stay home. Speaking of home, she has the flu and is home with fever - what a great last week of work, phewy! Call me selfish, but I am trying to stay as far away from her as possible so I don't get sick right before my marathon, wish me luck!

Tonight I want to go for an hour run, perhaps with my running club, I’ll have to see when I get home. I also plan on doing a 30 minute run on Friday night to loosen up, the last training before the marathon on Sunday. The weather for Sunday should at least be warm, based on current weather report anyway. Of course it was the same way last year and it ended up snowing, we'll see...

Posted by Jack at 9:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)

You ever have a moment in your training where you feel like something is not right? I don’t know if it’s the bouncing weather, too much stress from everyday life, or just old age settling in, but I have been feeling really sluggish the last several weeks. It seems like I have to work a lot harder to keep my speed up during my runs. Actually my long run pace has decreased slightly compared to last year.

I was thinking about this yesterday afternoon, trying to find an answer. I jotted down a few thoughts:

- My mileage is about 10-20% higher than last winter.
- This winter I am running a long run almost every weekend, last winter I was running a long run every two weeks alternating with a ‘medium’ long run.
- Last January I was going to the swimming pool twice a week, this year I have only been to the pool once.
- I have been slacking off with the healthy eating, too many sweets etc. – luckily my weight has not increased.
- My racing goals and schedule are not clearly defined.
- Life seems to be much more demanding this year, I am having a hard time staying focused.

Then I jotted down a few things that I need to work on the next few months:

- Get back to eating right.
- Schedule in some cross-training and do it!
- Don’t worry about racing so much, just do what I can and stop whining.
- Relax, try to balance out life, too much of any one thing is not good – this includes running.

By the way, my wife has a job interview on Wednesday, say a prayer, keep your fingers crossed, send positive vibes, all of the above!

Posted by Jack at 9:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)

I love Michelle and Rae’s comments from yesterday in reference to encouraging an ex-runner to return to her old love:

"Every runner I know tries to bring ex-runners back into the fold, or recruit runners. Let anyone mention that they used to run, or would like to run and it's all over. It cracks me up!" [Michelle]

"Reel her in!! Show her the rbf and she'll be hooked!" [Rae]

Last night I was talking to my wife about ex-runner Sandra and my wife said "Why don’t you invite her to go to the running club with you?", which really surprised me coming from my non-running wife, obviously I have underestimated her again.

So, anyway I printed out an information sheet and the running schedule from the running club last night. This morning on the streetcar I presented these to Sandra and although she tried to remain calm and not react, her sparkling eyes and wide smile told me the whole story, the adrenaline was already flowing in her blood!

I casually mentioned that I am often in her town (Blankenloch) on Sundays after church if she should happen to have the desire to run with someone. She thanked me as the streetcar approached my stop and said she would let it 'run' through her head. As I exited I glanced over and saw her poring over the information printout again - where’s my fishing net, this fish is almost home!

Don’t forget to encourage those around you, you never know when someone only needs a gentle nudge. Of course for most of us this is not a problem :-)

Of course this whole this whole episode of encourage someone to return to running has my own adrenalin level rising, I am having a hard time sitting here trying to work (oops!), I would love to run a loop about now. So obviously my legs are feeling much better this morning, so after work today my wife will be at the hairfixerupper and I will be out pounding asphalt for about 3 hours. Have a great weekend!!

Posted by Jack at 7:16 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)

I was working on my project schedule for work on the train going home last night. I have an incredible amount of work that needs to be done over the next few months. I couldn’t help but wonder if this is going to put a cramp in my race schedule as well.

For the most part I planned on running four days a week for the better part of the year, with peak weeks hitting around 80K/50M. This really is not a lot considering I want to run several 50K, a 50-mile, and perhaps a 100K race this year.

The worst problem that I foresee at this point is the external forces that are mentally distracting me from my training/racing. These include increased workload, my wife’s continuing search for a new job, and the need to complete various household projects when warm weather arrives. I am also hoping that we can take a vacation to visit my folks and kids in New York in the autumn, but this on hold for the moment.

So as race season quickly approaches I realize I am carrying far too much baggage, so I am concentrating on keeping an open mind and remaining flexible. I will concentrating on trying to make the best of each workout session and hopefully will at least maintain my current fitness level.

I will try to keep up with my blogging, but many of you know how hard that is sometimes. The next month or two will be especially challenging as I fight to meet several project deadlines. If you don’t hear from me as much, rest assured that I am lurking in the background, I’m totally addicted to reading your blogs and will continue to do so even if I can always leave a comment.

So tonight I want to run at least a 16K/10M run. I will probably move my long run from Saturday morning to Friday after work, my wife has plans for this fit old body of mine on Saturday (keep your mind out the gutter, she means helping with the Spring cleaning ;-)

Posted by Jack at 7:47 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)

I take a train, then streetcar (tram), to work every morning and have been doing this for a few years. It gives me time to think, to write my blog, and to meet interesting people. I have been talking the last several weeks with one young lady, Sandra, who lives in Blankenloch which is the next town down from where I live (about 5K). We got on the subject of running (gee I wonder how that happened ;-) and it turns out she used to run regularly 3 times a week up until a couple years ago when her she couldn’t find anyone to run with anymore. I had all I could do to contain myself from inviting her for a run, but decided I should wait until the weather improves at least. I did tell her about my running club and that we run Wednesdays and Saturdays and left it at that. My gut feeling is that all she needs is a gentle push and she will catch the fever :-) In any case there will be lots of mornings in the future where I can encourage her. Running is contagious, encourage those around you!

So a little weather update: Tonight there is an 80% chance of snow, but how much is anyone’s guess. Early tomorrow morning it is supposed to be -3C/25F and is supposed to warm up to around 3C/37F by the afternoon. So tonight I will pack for my race and then wait until early tomorrow morning to make a final decision on whether to drive or not. I have a good feeling, I think it will be a ‘go’.

My race goals in order of priority:

1. To have fun.
2. To finish (not a given considering the drastic change in temperatures in the last two weeks)
3. To finish under 6-hours (having a good day goal).
4. To finish under 5-1/2 hours (race of my life goal).

Posted by Jack at 9:14 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Last night for the second night in a row I didn’t run, instead I stayed at work a little longer to finish up a couple things, then started on my pile of accumulated tasks at home. This at least left me with a feeling that I accomplished something. My wife was surfing the Internet looking for job prospects when I got home. She seemed pretty frustrated and not in the mood to talk about it, so I gave her some space and took care of my odd jobs.

Tonight I want to go for about an hour run, but first we have an appointment at the bank, so it will be later on. There is also a storm warning for our area, heavy rain and winds from 60-100 MPH. The radio stations are already advising people to stay out of the forests until after the storm, too much risk from falling trees and branches. I may end up having to do loops around the field tonight – that ought to be interesting with high winds. At least it is warmer this morning, 13C/56F.

Posted by Jack at 7:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

I had intended on going swimming last night on the way home from work. I even rode the streetcar into the middle of Karlsruhe so I could catch the connecting streetcar to the swimming pool. But as I got off the first street car I noticed my wife waiting for her streetcar home. She was looking white as a ghost and when I asked about it she said she was feeling sick. I decided my swimming would have to wait until another night and rode with the poor girl home. She almost immediately collapsed on the couch and stayed there the rest of the night. This morning she was feeling a 100% better and thinks that it was something she ate for lunch that was giving her trouble.

I ended up taking advantage of the warm weather and spent a couple hours cleaning up my shed, which has been badly neglected since I started running. Does this count as cross-training ;-)

Tomorrow (Saturday) morning I want to get up early and go for about a 3 hour run - nice easy pace with a 3 minute walk break every 5K, which is how I want to run the 50K in two weeks.

Posted by Jack at 8:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)

This morning at 6 a.m. it was a balmy 13C/55F, and temperatures up to 17C/63F are predicted, this is Winter, right?

Nothing new with training, last night I worked later and also had some other things to do at home, so decided to take a rest night. Tonight I plan on running with my running club, the first time this year, I look forward to seeing (well as good as you can in the dark) the group again. Tomorrow I want to head back to the swimming pool for some laps, another first for this year, I guess I've been aqua-slacking ;-)

Posted by Jack at 6:53 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)

The new year is starting out with a mountain of new tasks at work and with my wife and I both feeling like we have the flu coming on. I decided to postpone my run last night until tonight because I was not feeling the best. After a fitful sleep last night I actually considered staying home from work this morning, but I don’t have fever so I couldn’t really justify this. If I feel better by tonight I will at least get in a short run. More important is that I am fit for my long run on Saturday, I want to get in 3 ½ hours!

On January 27th is a 50K race in Rodgau, Germany, near Frankfurt. I’m signed up, but at this point I don’t know if I will make it. The race consists of ten 5K loops, 60% asphalt trails, with about half through a forest and the rest over open fields. There is a 6-hour time limit, but in past years they have kept one eye closed on this requirement.

From a training standpoint I am ready for it, but other issues are kind of damping the steam on this one. The race starts at 10:00 a.m. and is about two hours from where we live, so I would have to leave quite early. I said to my wife that she can stay home, she doesn’t need to come. But she is worried that I overdo it and can’t drive home myself. So she thinks she has to go but is worried about having to sit around in the cold for half the day. There is a sports hall where after-race festivities are being offered, but you never know how comfortable (or warm) these are.

I think the deciding factor will be the weather, if its snowy or icy the travel time will double if I can get through at all. So I am going to just keep training like it is going to happen, and if it doesn’t then I will just go for a nice long run!

Have a great week.

Posted by Jack at 8:21 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

I finished off 2006 with a final run over my 14K/8.7M loop around my town and neighboring fields and forest on Sunday. I left my stopwatch home and just ran at a pace that felt good.

Later in the day my wife and I went bowling with a friend of ours. This was the first time in something like 14 years that we were bowling and I’d forgotten how much we enjoyed doing this. We agreed to make this at least a monthly event in the future.

Later our friend joined us for fondue and a quiet night bringing in the New Year. Our neighbors kept us entertained with fireworks and we finally called it quits about 3:30 in the morning. So the new year got off to a late start as we slept in until almost noon, almost unheard of in our house.

Tonight it’s back to training, I have to work off all the holiday calories. We are expecting milder temperatures and rain this week, but better than cold and blowing snow anyway!

So Happy New Year to everyone, I hope you all had a good running/cycling/swimming/training year and wish you lots of fun in 2007!

Posted by Jack at 7:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (8)

Let me tell you Customer Service in Germany is an almost unknown concept. When I have a problem with a product I expect help in solving the problem, especially when the seller is at fault, I mean is that too much to expect? Our big Christmas present this year is DSL dedicated Internet service with flat-rate telephone, all the rage this year. Lots of standard packages available, I ordered mine over the Internet site from the Deutsche Telekom, because they are supposed to have the best service by far! So what happens, they got the main order right, but tacked on a flat cell phone option and forgot my router. So I was in the city of Karlsruhe last night and stopped at their store, I figured it would be easier to square it away in person than over the telephone, logical right! Well, according to the Telekom store all Internet orders have to be handled by their national hotline. Ugh, so I go home and call their hotline – after 35 minutes I finally got through to a human being. The friendly lady straightened out the order and listened patiently while I expressed my displeasure with their store. She replied that the store can and should have taken care of the mistake, and asked if I would like to submit an official complaint (yes, thank you). Well, maybe there still is hope for customer service in Germany, but for now they are still in the Stone Age.

In any case by the time I finished fooling around with all this I told my wife I was in dire need of a run, which she apparently noticed, because she didn’t even complain that it was dinner time. I did at least cut my run short, running an easy 8K/5M instead of the planned 16/10. The dinner my wife made still tasted great warmed-up, and I made sure I said this several times. Later in the evening when she was busy surfing I slipped upstairs in the shed for a 15-minute weight training session, better than nothing.

Today is my last day of work for this year, but the only person who knows is my boss. I learned years ago never to let anyone else know, because they all come to me with last minute requests "that have to be done before the end of the year". I explained this to my boss and he understands and supports me on this. So about 10 minutes before its time to go home I will walk through the offices and wish everyone happy holidays.

Tonight I want to run a 16K/10M easy run. And what am I going to do on my first day of Christmas vacation? Well I have to wake my wife up at 5 a.m. for work, so while I’m up I might as well run, right! I have a cross-country run on Saturday (9.1K), so I want to do my long run tomorrow morning at 5:30. Weather prediction, clear sky and about 0C/32F!

After the run I want to take the streetcar to Karlsruhe and pick up a couple presents that are missing under the tree.

Posted by Jack at 9:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (11)

I was poring over various race list for 2007 on the train this morning. It is still too early to be making too many commitments, as we are waiting to see if my wife either receives a new contract at her present job or finds a new job. I am signed up for a marathon on March 11th, and am about 90% sure that I will be doing the Karlsruhe Fidelitas 50-Miler in June. Otherwise I don’t know yet.

I was also wondering a bit about what my fitness goals are for 2007. Like many people, I usually express this in terms of racing times, weight goals or something to this effect. This year I tried to squeeze enough time out of my seemingly hectic life to improve my running. I did improve, going farther and faster than ever before, but I still did not reach the level that I think that I could have if I had the time and desire to do so.

So I find myself wondering what I want to achieve in 2007. As Father Time quickly spins his wheels I also wonder what my body will let me achieve as I approach age 48 in 2007. And along with these I wonder how much time I want to commit to achieving fitness goals. My running over the last couple years has taken the majority of my free time that my other responsibilities have not claimed. And lastly I wonder how much longer my wife will remain tolerant of my obsession.

At the moment I am having a hard time finding answers, so for now I am going to train for my marathon in March and see what happens. Maybe things will be clearer by that time.

Posted by Jack at 2:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)

I want to comment a little on a comment that Thomas left yesterday. First let me post his comment:

“Jack,
are you sure it's really the surface that's trashing your legs, or just your mind that thinks your legs won't be able to sustain it? I'm reading quite a few blogs theses days, and all the trail runners seem to manage asphalt without real problems - except you, that is.”

I think Thomas raises a very good point. And I agree that “many” trail runners seem to manage asphalt without real problems. I must admit that I have never met anyone that seems to have the problems that I do with asphalt.

This is not a new problem for me. I have always had problems walking (or standing) on hard surfaces for a longer period of time, for example an hour or two of walking through shopping centers or around town turns my legs into jello - I start looking for a place to sit down. On the other side I can run for 10 hours plus on a good mix of trails and asphalt and feel better than the shopping center tour. Can someone explain this please?

My doctor has told me that it is related to poor circulation. His only suggestion was to sit down and take a break for a while, which really works fine in the shopping center, but doesn’t do me much good 5 miles before the finish line.

What is funny is that I only seem to have problems when I push hard during a longer race and when it is on uneven asphalt or concrete paths. I have almost no trouble with training long runs on asphalt when my pace is slower. It is also relevant to note that in every case my best race times have been with races where the majority of the route was non-asphalt.

So I don’t know if it is a circulation problem, my age, I whine too much, or is just mental as Thomas stated. On the other side, maybe I am just one of the few trail runners who freely admits that asphalt gives me problems. I don't have a right answer.

I do know that it is a real problem (mental, physical or whatever) that I have to deal with, as 90% or more of the longer races in my area of Germany are on asphalt.

Posted by Jack at 7:41 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)

I’ve been pretty busy this week at work so have been slacking off a bit. The first to bite the bullet was my blogging. The next casualty was my healthy eating habits, instead of snacking on fruits and veggies, I’ve been stuffing cookies in my mouth – the scales tell no lies! Finally last night I actually skipped my training – that’s right just plain didn’t do it. The poor eating choices, lack of movement, and a decline of sleep this week are starting to take a toll, I feel like trash today.

Luckily, I have a half-marathon Saturday afternoon, this should perk me up and get on the right road again. I haven’t been doing any speed training for a couple months, so I am not even going to worry about breaking any records, this one will be just for fun!

Have a great weekend!

Posted by Jack at 11:47 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)

Last night was a rest night, no training.

I finished the frame for my new weight machine, I only need someone to help me drag the roughly 90 kg/200 lb. monster upstairs in the shed and bolt it in place. Tomorrow (Saturday) a good friend of mine is coming over to help me do this. Of course he is staying for our belated Thanksgiving dinner – I guess we’ll need the machine to work off the calories afterward ;-)

Due to Saturday’s activities, I am running my long run tonight after work. I have a new headlamp that I want to try out, it should be a fun run in the dark…

Posted by Jack at 7:26 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)

It’s only 7C/45F outside today, that means by the time I get home, changed and halfway through my run it will be dark and the temperature will start dropping some more. On Monday it was 10C/50F when I left on my run at 4:30 p.m., but only 6C/43F when I returned and hour and half later (in the dark).

Actually, tonight I want to run with my running club, we meet first at 6 p.m., which means it will already be dark (and colder) and I’m not sure how cold it will be by the time I get home. I hate when winter starts rolling in, it always takes a few weeks to get the outfit right.

Oh yeah, I also need to check when hunting season starts, it will be dark tonight – I need to dig out my warning vest and blinking armbands.

Posted by Jack at 3:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Last night I didn’t do too much in the training department, just 10 minutes of calisthenics. My wife had a hard day at work and could tell she wanted companionship. We ended up spending a couple hours doing some light shopping which seemed to regenerate her :-)

I ate a little more yesterday (meat) which resulted in gaining a pound back, but this is normal for me, I know that it will be back off when I run tonight. I have learned not to get excited with the daily fluctuations in weight, I judge my weight loss on what I weigh on Tuesday mornings (Monday’s are almost always higher). The rest of the week I weigh myself everyday so I know if I have to adjust my eating, but I don’t break into a panic if the weight goes up from one day to another (usually).

I have started to review various marathon/ultra training plans, as well as the ones I have previously used trying to decide if I need to change anything. I think I am going to stick with just 3-4 running days a week for the first event in 2007 (January or March). As these first events are greatly effected by the cold weather I am not looking at setting any records anyway, they will be more or less training runs. I will start picking up the training level when warm weather sets in again in the spring. Winter will be mainly about keeping a good running base and getting used to long runs on asphalt, the latter a necessary evil as most German races consist of a large share of pavement.

Posted by Jack at 7:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Is anyone else having trouble with Bloglines today? I tried to catch up on the lives of my favorite bloggers today and keep getting timeouts from Bloglines, blah!

I was just thinking to myself what a strange feeling it is to not really have a training plan in the moment. This is like the first time in three years that I don't have a big race on the horizon. I feel naked and very self-conscious.

Posted by Jack at 1:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)

I woke up Sunday morning, the day after my 50K race, feeling much better than I have ever felt after a longer race. I had a little soreness in the quads and a small blister on each of my middle toes, the latter from crashing downhill on the asphalt “trails”. Other than that I felt good enough to walk around a flea market for 1½ hours with my wife yesterday.

This morning most of the soreness was gone, but the longer that I sit at my desk at work the stiffer I am getting. I think I am going to use the rest of my lunch time to take a walk.

This evening I want to go for a half-hour jog, it has been my experience that I recover quicker if I do some moderate exercise during recovery week. I am going to try to wait a couple weeks before I start up my long runs again. I am already having to remind myself that the next few weeks is rest time – no hard training allowed!

Actually I need a little time now to figure out next year’s goals and any specific training that I will need to meet these goals. As is typical for me after a race I have a huge appetite for the next big race. Unfortunately this time I have to wait and see how my wife’s job hunting is going to go before I start registering. At the very least I will be running the 50-miler and several local marathons. With the exception of the 50-miler, most of the ultra-marathons require more extensive travel, therefore I need to wait and see if my wife has work or not.

This week I am going to spend more time cross-training (XT), then probably 2-3 weeks of lower mileage running mixed with XT. I plan on doing a few fun runs over the next couple months, mostly shorter cross-country runs. I did see an add for a 11K Mountain Run on November 4, it starts along the Neckar River near Heidelberg and ends on top of the mountain overlooking the entire valley. I can’t miss that, right ;-)

Posted by Jack at 10:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)

So my bags are packed now, my packing list checked and rechecked. I have enough running clothes to run in any weather that is thrown at me tomorrow. I took a 15 minute walk around town to calm my nerves, cooked some lunch (spaghetti, sauce and some broccoli). My wife is due home from work in about an hour (12:30 noontime), so all we have to do is eat, throw our stuff in the car and drive 3-4 hours to Schwaebisch Gmuend.

I slept about 10 hours last night, am well rested, full of energy (too much) and just ready to go! So now I think I’ll curl up with my favorite pre-race book (Running Through the Wall by Neal Jamison) and try to space out for awhile.

Thank you for all your positive comments and words of encourage, I have them stored in the back of my mind and will call upon them when the going gets rough. Catch you on the other side!

Posted by Jack at 10:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (8)

I was thinking about my post from yesterday, and a couple comments that some of you left. I think for me there are several factors that add to a decline in my performance in the autumn.

I have been running races for almost three years now and each year I have had a longer event in September or October. So I hit a peak in training at the end of August (or September) and really don't have any major races again until March, so I guess this is the end of race season if there is such a thing.

It is also the busiest time of year for me at work, so this also has an influence on my training, mostly due to getting less sleep and being more stressed out I guess.

I also think during I tend to slow down and enjoy my running more. I guess this is more mental than physical. I really enjoy autumn, the changing leaves, the cooler weather, and the fresh air. I find less reason to rush through my runs, rather I take my time and try to take in all that my trails have to offer (before the freezing temperatures of winter force me to speed up again).

I guess lastly I choose the November/December timeframe as my “rest” time. There are very few longer races in my area during these months, so for me it is a good time to slow down and let the body regenerate. I think we all need to do this, but confess that my ideal of “taking it easy” is probably not everyone else’s. On the other side many train harder during their “rest” phases than I do during my peak race training. I guess we all need to know what are bodies need, I’m still learning, and will continue to do so because I am not getting any younger either.

Usually around Christmas I start worrying about the holiday weight gain and have more time to browse/drool over the upcoming year’s race schedule, so start getting serious about my training again. Most of the longer races (marathon and above) in Germany fall between March and October, so my training cycle usually kicks off right after Christmas.

So what about you guys, do you have a rest phase during your training year?

Posted by Jack at 6:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

I think I feel the end of the race season coming on. With me this is not really a calendar date, it’s more a feeling, like it’s time to slow down for awhile and regroup. I’m also getting a lot of pressure from work, home and other things that I should take care of.

I’m kind of worried that the baggage I am carrying around is going to have a big influence on my 50K in October. I only have 3 ½ weeks to clear the head and today the picture is kind of cloudy.

On the other side my wife starts her evening classes again tonight, so I can take a nice leisurely run and try to clear the picture.

Posted by Jack at 1:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Runner Susan and Bill were wondering if I am getting faster with my running. When I review my 10K race statistics from the last two years there is a clear indication that I have been getting faster, at least up until this past April when I seem to have leveled out. For example in May 2004 I ran a 10K in 53:53; in June 2005 - 49:51 and in April 2006 48:18 (my PR).

I was also looking over my training logs since 2004. My faster training runs averaged around 5:40/K (9:07/M) in 2004. In 2005 this dropped to around 5:30/K (8:51/M). This year I averaged around 5:25/K for the first 6 months, but in July my pace dropped to 5:21/K (8:37/M) and August to 5:06/K (8:12/M).

It is interesting to note that my average speed training pace started improving when I started running with the Graben Running Club.

So I guess the answer is yes, my speed is slowly improving.

After saying all that I should add that I really haven’t done “speed work” as many would define it, e.g. I haven’t done hill repeats, intervals, sprints, whatever. Rather, I have simply run my 14K/8.7M route faster once a week and/or run the 11K/7M route with the running club at a faster pace. The pace that I indicate is the “average” over the distances indicated.

Anyway last night I ran my 14K/8.7M route at a nice easy pace, around 5:47/K (9:18/M). Actually this is a lie, I stopped about 500 meters before the “finish” and walked, so send me to runner’s hell for fudging my log ;-)

Last night I had some issues with my right foot, the muscles in the back of the heel (Achilles ?) hurt after about 40-50 minutes of running and got increasingly painful as I continued. Being totally paranoid I slowed down and finally walked the last 500 meters. This morning the muscles are a bit tight in this area, but there is no pain. I’m going to take a rest day today and hopefully will be fit for my long run tomorrow morning. I think my old body is finally telling me that I shouldn't do a back to back long run EVERY weekend.

Posted by Jack at 7:28 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)

Ha, I bet you all wonder what this post is about, huh! It’s not running related so if you are in a hurry you don’t need to linger.

I was walking by the small breakroom that we have at work and the 5 male coworkers were discussing of all things, “Whether a good-looking woman has more persuasive power over a man, than one that isn’t?” I don’t know how a bunch of electrical engineers got started on that, or what their parameters were, e.g. how do you define who is good-looking, what they meant by “persuasive power” etc. – but they seemed to be pretty spirited in their discussion. I got my cup of coffee and moved on, but of course I’ve been thinking about it ever since.

I know at work if the secretary (the only woman in our section) came and asked me to help her I would do it in a heartbeat, but not just because she is blond and pretty (and reads my blog), but rather because she is a good friend of my wife and I. I have been in meetings and discussions with a good mixed group and I don’t feel that my mind was changed because anyone looked better than anyone else.

I do freely admit that I would probably react faster if a woman asked me for help, as compared to a man – is this being sexist? I think I’m just old fashioned - I mean I still open doors and give up my seat on a crowded tram/bus and am more thoughtful of what I say around women - but this was just the way I was raised.

What do you guys think, does a “good-looking” (insert your own interpretation of this) person have more persuasive power over the opposite sex?

p.s. I asked our secretary, she said “Yes, definitely!” hmmm…

Posted by Jack at 11:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (9)

What a difference a day of rest makes, wow! Last night I stuck to my decision to take a rest day. I surprised my wife by showing up just as she was leaving work and took her out for dinner – nothing fancy, just a street Cafe around the corner in the main market area of Karlsruhe. We enjoyed watching the scurrying shoppers rushing around doing their errands before the rain slowed them down, had some good food, and just enjoyed sharing the time together. The best part is we only had to walk 50 feet to the tram (street car) and could ride it home (no rush hour traffic, park-houses and stress).

This morning I feel rejuvenated, ready to take on another back-to-back long run tonight and tomorrow. My wife is going to take advantage of my absence this evening to work on her Technical English course, so I have this side covered. I only haven’t decided whether to run the flat route around my town tonight and the hilly route tomorrow, or the other way around. Physically it would probably make more sense to do the hard (hilly) run first, but mentally it is better training to do the flat run first than the hard one when I’m more worn out tomorrow.

It will probably end up like it usually does, it will depend on when my wife gets home with the car – the hilly route is 7.5 miles away (all asphalt – yuk). Of course I could run the 7.5 miles to the hilly route, run a couple loops (8 miles x 2) and run 7.5 miles home, but I think I will save the 31 mile training run for when I train for my 100K race next year ;-)

At this point I prefer more time on the softer hilly route and none on asphalt (The Asphalt Phooey Principal - TAPP).

Posted by Jack at 9:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

That is basically what the weather people are predicting for today and tomorrow. On the positive side it is supposed to rain on Friday and cool back down to the middle 80’s by the weekend. My prediction: hot, hot, humid and more restless nights of sleep.

In any case I spend my days drinking like a fish (water by the way), keeping an eye on salt intake, and governing my pace a little when I run.

Last night I had to take care of some errands, so decided to just relax and spend some time with my wife. It was too hot for her to study for her night course, so we just sat around and complained about the weather together.

Tonight I want to run with my running club, but if they take off like rabbits I’ll drop back with the turtles.

But first I have to survive my day at the office – yesterday we reached a record 31C/88F in my office.

Note to Self: Remind sweaty coworker #1 to stop eating salami for lunch. Ditto with sweaty coworker #2 with the garlic.

Posted by Jack at 6:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

It is 12 noon here in Germany and 35C/95F outside. It is 30C/86F in my office! My arms are sticking to my desk as I write, my shirt is soaked with sweat and I feel like taking a nap.

I don’t understan how I can run for hours when it is 99F outside, but over when it goes over 80F in my office I lose all motivation to do anything (except maybe complain).

My wife got lucky today, her organization asked for volunteers from the office workers to help organize the court records today – my wife jumped at it – the court records are located in the cool cellar in the court building where she works, yeah!

So I guess I will go home and take a short nap when I get home to get my mind back together. I want to do my long run tonight so I have at least one recovery day before my race on Sunday.

Speaking of which, I am running a half-marathon in Ubstadt-Weiher, a small town about 13K/8M north of where we live, at 9 a.m. on Sunday. The last couple mornings it has been 24C/75F at 6 a.m., so I can imagine it will be well over 80F by the time the races starts and pushing 90F by the time I finish. Luckily 80% of the race course is through the forest. We are also supposed to get rain on Sunday morning, so I imagine the humidity will be high – good thing I train in the heat and humidity.

Now if I can only find a cool place to work so I can get some work done.

Posted by Jack at 11:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (7)

I have started reading a book „Soul Seat and Survival on the Pacific Creat Trail” by Bob Holtel (ISBN 1-55306-302-3). This is the story about Bob Holtel’s solo run of the Pacific Crest Trail in 1985.

The section where he talks about “why” begins with the follow text, which some of you may have seen before:

Risk

To reach out is to risk involvement
To expose feelings is to risk exposing your true self
To place your ideas, your dreams before the crowd is to risk their loss
To love is to risk not being loved in return;
To live is to risk dying
To hope is to risk despair; To try is to risk failure
But risks must be taken because the greatest hazard in life is to risk nothing
The person who risks nothing, does nothing, has nothing, is nothing
He may avoid suffering and sorrow but he simply cannot learn, feel, change, grow, love, live…
Chained by his certitudes, he is a slave
He has forfeited freedom
Only a person who risks is free

- Anonymous

I generally am not a big risk taker, I tend to avoid leaving my “comfort zone” in many aspects of my life. As I approach midlife (crisis?) I ponder sometimes if I shouldn’t take more risk – I don’t look forward to waking up one day and discovering it is “too late”.

I thi