Slacker Extraordanaire

It's Wednesday afternoon here in Pasadena, California, where yesterday afternoon we saw the first of any smoke coming from farther west in Malibu.

The sky started to fill with smoke - or rather the ashes - between 3 and 4 p.m. Pacific time on Tuesday, and you could feel the effect even inside buildings as my eyes began to burn.

In the parking lot across the street, I began to see an Explorer with a satellite dish mounted on top as well as yellow tape being cordoned off. Then I saw guys in military fatigues, and was soon told that FEMA was stationed in the building, and that even during Katrina two years ago, they commandeered a good bit of the surface lot to do work (my manager said he had heard that they were simply doing a lot of data entry).

As I went back to the hotel last night, I saw a couple of guys coming out of the Marriott Courtyard. Therefore, it is obvious that they've brought folks in.

Back to working out .... what's that!? My weight is creeping up a little bit. I can tell in a t-shirt or two. So, I've got to get my ass into gear. Sunday afternoon, I went to Bally's in The Woodlands to bike for approximately 50 minutes; however, I haven't done any running since the Huntsville Half Marathon.

And the check is going to get cashed this weekend as I'm doing a "pre-Texas Independence Relay" with Jay and Joy Hilscher.

By the time I get here, work (until 10 p.m. Pacific) and eat, I'm typically wiped out on Mondays. I had a plan to go to the gym last night, but it got tossed aside when I got back to the hotel room (which was after 10 p.m.) I had worked until a little past 8 p.m.

So, today, I've got to do something significant later tonight; however, I just got back in from walking some. The plan is to go at 12 noon, 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. and walk a little more than a mile each time -- yes, in a dress shirt, slacks and dress shoes. However, this is just to get out of the office.

12:45 p.m. -- 1.16 miles (21:55.91 - before you laugh, there are 6 intersections that I cross and I don't stop the watch ... lol)

I owe you all a few posts, including recaps on the Huntsville Half Marathon and the United Space Alliance 10-Miler.

What's Going On?

Yes, it's been a little quiet around here as I've done a lot of updating this week, while here in Pasadena, on the RunHouston Chronicle blog.

If you aren't a subscriber of Runner Triathlete News, I'd encourage you to pick up a copy of the October edition either in your running specialty store or at Barnes & Noble. It's worth the $5, I promise. :) If you don't enjoy my "Talking The Talk" column this month, I'll personally refund you your $5. How's that for a bargain?

I was banged up on Sunday and there is absolutely no way that I could have run the United Space Alliance 10-Miler. Congratulations to Karen and Ron Berglund of Kingwood - approved readers of this blog - who did both the Huntsville Half and the Space City 10-Miler.

I also ended up picking up my first cold of the season and am still battling it. Monday, I was completely wiped out, and last night, I just didn't feel like doing much.

However, this evening, I made it to Bally's - after a mile-plus walk to and from dinner (well, breakfast at IHOP) - and got 45 minutes on the stationery bike. I would have made it to an hour ... but I couldn't contend with the running nose. Plus about 30 minutes into the workout, I shifted myself on the bike and thought that I was going to really pull the left calf muscle ... so I took it a bit easy until I was sure that I wouldn't mess that one up to go with the right calf muscle that really cramped up on me on Saturday in Huntsville.

So I may try to do something in the morning, as I have the red-eye flight home Friday morning from LAX. Waverly has a volleyball game Thursday evening (which I'll miss) and then two on Friday.

She's playing with the "A" team on Friday in a tournament. They'll only have six (6) girls so she'll get to play two (2) entire games. She's been out of action for the last two weeks with an injury to her tendon in her right leg and she's been easing back into it this week.

I'm excited that I'll get to see her play two games - and if they win, at least another one on Saturday.

This blog is becoming more about Waverly than it is about me, but she made straight A's the first six (6) weeks and she's been selected to take either the SAT or ACT - as a 7th grader - as part of the Duke Talent Identification Program.

Actually, she'll take the ACT on December 8th. I signed her up online Wednesday evening (after I had a chance to speak with the counselor in charge of the program for the school earlier today). It is an opportunity that she is being given based on her performance on the TAKS test last year in the math section.

We've agreed that this isn't something that she is either 1.) going to attempt to study for or 2.) stress over. I just never want to put pressure on her to perform. I figure that she'll rise to the occasion and she has in so many ways - and has done so with grace and class.

I was moved up from Kindergarten to first grade - and actually school officials wanted to move me all the way to second grade (however, my parents - rightfully so - said no); however, I had a lot of pressure from my Dad to meet certain expectations. And he failed to realize that my buttons weren't pushed in the same way that he thought that they should have been.

I vowed a long time ago that I wouldn't put that kind of pressure on her. We have an agreement and that is if she can look me in the eye and tell me - and her Mom - that she did her best, I'll accept whatever grade she comes home with. I congratulate her, love her and tell her that she did a good job and to keep up the good work; however, that is one area (and she doesn't have access to this right now) that I really don't brag openly to other people about. Because I don't want her to feel any undue pressure.

That gets me caught up to ... talking about the Space City 10-Miler on Sunday and the Huntsville Half on Saturday.

Texas Independence Relay Roster Breakdown

The Battling Bloggers of the Texas Republic

Barbara Boone - Steadily working out and running
Karen Felicidario - Ran Ten For Texas on Saturday
Keith Kelleher - Following Hansons' Marathon Training Program
Jessica Alexander - Ran United Space Alliance 10-Miler on Sunday
Sarah Graybeal - Ran United Space Alliance 10-Miler on Sunday
Jon Walk - Ran (or something like that) Huntsville Half Marathon on Saturday
Joe Carey - Mr. Volunteer at United Space Alliance 10-Miler
James David Dykas - Ran United Space Alliance 10-Miler on Sunday
Holden Choi - Ran Ten For Texas on Saturday
Cassie Mondragon - Getting ready for New York City Marathon
Edwin Quarles - Getting ready for Sunmart 50K
David Smart - Ran Ten For Texas on Saturday

Texian Road Warriors

Kelley Swank - Just got an OK to start working out again after pregnancy
Juliee Sparks - Dealing with an injury
Andrew Perry - "Really" lost after getting married
Bill Dwyer - Just got a Garmin; should help his running
Gena Alvarez - Ran Ten For Texas on Saturday
Delia Akers - Ran Ten For Texas on Saturday
Greg Alvarez - Ran Ten For Texas on Saturday
Michelle Comrie - Ran Ten For Texas on Saturday
Stewart Comrie - Ran Ten For Texas on Saturday
Doug Spence - Ran Huntsville Half Marathon on Saturday
Kim Hager - Kicked ass at the United Space Alliance 10-Miler on Sunday, finishing 3rd overall!
Paula Stiles - Ran Ten For Texas on Saturday

Alright, alright ... Spence made me do it with his comment below!

While our closest answer to Hager and Perry is Quarles and Carey (which scares me ... no offense, guys), I hope that Sarah and I can offset that difference versus Dwyer and Spence. The rest will be settled in between!

Here's how last weekend's runners ranked in order of mile per minute:

Kim Hager (TRW) - 1:01:52
Dave Smart (BBTR) - 1:26:48
Greg Alvarez (TRW) - 1:28:22
Paula Stiles (TRW) - 1:28:53
Jessica Alexander (BBTR) - 1:30:37
Holden Choi (BBTR) - 1:31:52
James Dykas (BBTR) - 1:32:10
Stewart Comrie (TRW) - 1:32:23
Michelle Comrie (TRW) - 1:34:04
Delia Akers (TRW) - 1:42:14
Karen Felicidario (BBTR) - 1:47:42
Gena Alvarez (TRW) - 1:53:04
Jon Walk (BBTR) - 2:29:17 (half, hills)
Sarah Graybeal (BBTR) - 2:02:35
Doug Spence (TRW) - 2:48:40 (half, hills)

Have fun with that! :)

Tuesday, October 16th Conroe Courier Column

For those of you not able to purchase a Conroe Courier on Tuesdays, this week's column can be found here.

Post-Chicago Marathon Thoughts

I think everybody has read many of the accounts, including Holden's, of this year's Chicago Marathon. And what the organizers can't deny are some of the video accounts that can be seen on YouTube.com.

I remember the 2004 Mini Marathon in Indianapolis - a 30,000-runner affair which includes a 2.5-mile lap around the hot Indianapolis Speedway - and the race officials announcing before the event started that they would "black flag" the race and turn the timing devices off if the situations got bad.

That day, they did. Like in Chicago, a runner died on the course and they turned them off.

I finished that day with a chip time of 2:32 and a gun time of 2:48 (yes, it took 16 minutes to cross the start line), but I never remember water being an issue on the course - even within two miles from the finish line.

Granted, it was only a half marathon, but 30,000 runners were covering the same distance where reportedly much of the problems took place in Chicago.

Even if I know it is going to be a hot day, often I have to blow past the first water stop because it can't handle the crush of people.

On Saturday in Central Park, there was plenty of water and Gatorade for almost 6,000 participants in a lot of heat. The following day in Connecticut, as I mentioned, there was water, but no Gatorade. And the way that I was moving, the last cup of water was getting a little warm.

Running out of water is no fun for anybody - including the volunteers. I remember this happening at the mile 4 water stop last year at the United Space Alliance 10-Miler. Waverly - and I believe Joe Carey - both worked this stop a year ago.

Batting 1.000 on Tough Days This Weekend

The only thing consistent between yesterday and today was, unfortunately, my time.

There was no chip timing at the 31st annual Ridgefield Pamby Motors Half Marathon in Ridgefield, Connecticut; however, it really wasn't needed. My gun time was 2:38:59 and it was 22 seconds until I crossed the start line for a net time of 2:38:37.

To be frank, I was gassed the entire way. Unlike other efforts like these, I had nothing in the tank at all - and the time reflects that.

If I let the so-called "serious runner(s)" - actually those with a critical attitude - get to me, I'd quit after today; however, I just need to figure out what is going on. In this case, it was probably too much after not enough. But I believe that the crosstraining had helped me too -- stationery bike and the elliptical machine. And I haven't been diligent with that lately. And that is kind of why I ran these so I could find out where I was fitness-wise - while getting in two (2) more states.

The people of Ridgefield, Connecticut are great! Not just the race volunteers, but the townsfolk too. Everyone cheered you on. That was really nice, especially when you're having a rough day. The fall foilage is in full bloom and if you've never been in the Northeast during this time of year, you're missing some wonderful sights.

At times today, it was just as hot as yesterday, but there was some breeze from time to time.

The course was moderately hilly. Enough to let you know they were there at all times - in case you were tempted to forget. It was once again humid, and the only bad thing that you could attribute to the organizers of the event, the Wolfpit Running Club, is that while there was plenty of water on the course -- there was no electrolyte replacement at all.

Well, not until the very end of the race.

There was one gentleman before mile 4 who had suffered a heart attack. I heard one runner who had stopped tell another runner in front of me that he had started to turn purple and had stopped breathing when somebody got to him. I had not heard what had happened to the gentleman. Please keep him in your prayers. (If I hear of an update, I'll post it here.)

Mile 1 -- 10:39.54
Mile 2 -- 11:28.44
Mile 3 -- 11:18.36
Mile 4 -- 11:24.39 (1:07.69 + 10:16.69)
Mile 5 -- 11:45.50
Mile 6 -- 11:56.48
Mile 7 -- 12:19.59 (2:47.47 + 9:32.12)
Mile 8 -- 11:44.50
Mile 9 -- 11:50.22
Mile 10 -- 13:57.63 (4:41.66 + 9:15.97)
Mile 11 -- 12:47.33
Mile 12 -- 14:14.88
Mile 13 -- 12:14.87 (5:44.62 + 54.44 + 5:35.81)
Last .1 -- 55.64

The one thing that I thought about when running the course - as it relates to chasing states - is that I don't decide where to go based on whether or not the course is too tough or not.

I've done four courses this year that were challenging to extreme -- NY and CT (challenging) as well as WY and Colorado was just ridiculous. ND and PA were primarily flat, but I didn't go there because of that. They worked into the schedule. MN went with ND and was a fairly challenging course. West Virginia I knew about and I improved on it from the last two years -- on no sleep.

If I wanted to see where I was really at, I would have chosen a flat course and saw how far I was off from 2:19 (which is where I would want to be to compare again.)

Time to get a shower. 40 minutes until late checkout is up. Grab a bite to eat and then Waverly and I head to Newark's Liberty International Airport for a 7 p.m. Eastern flight home this evening.

So ... I get to 20 states (21 in the half2run.com standings because they count BC - a province - as a state), but Patrick Morein from The Woodlands will add two more next weekend.

I'm undetermined if I'm going to run Huntsville on Saturday. I'll definitely be there to help Ken Johnson put on the race regardless.

DirtRunner finishes 10th in Arkansas Traveller 100

Finishing 9th and 10th at the Arkansas Traveller 100 in Perryville, Arkansas just a short while ago was Montgomery County's Robert King (of Porter) and Rick Cook (of The Woodlands) as they both crossed the finish line in under 23 hours!

Tough Day in NYC at Grete's Great Gallop

Tough way to get state No. 19, but I wasn't really ready for this race (and I knew that going in.) I really wanted to see where things stood ... and get in a couple of states.

I've done back-to-back half marathons twice. One in April 30-May 1 in 2005 (Iowa and Nebraska) and earlier this year in May (North Dakota and Minnesota.) I'm not sure what tomorrow will hold in Ridgefield, Connecticut. Both attempts at doubles before, I was pretty well-rested going in. (This weekend, just isn't the case.)

It also showed. My body just wasn't ready to take the constant pounding that the course meted out. (Treadmill inclines of 1.0 just don't really compared to the battering that my body takes. Lesson learned.) Not one of my better days, especially after running 2:19 in Fargo, North Dakota in May as well as Erie, Pennsylvania in July. Even the 2:23 in Parkersburg, West Virginia in August on absolutely no sleep at all and in the moderately warm temperatures was great compared to today.

Waverly's with me and she got to see a good bit of Manhattan again (first time since summer of 2002) - so that's a good thing! She got to hang out in Central Park this morning. We walked down to Times Square (from 73rd to 43rd) and had lunch there at the ESPN Zone before walking back and heading north here to Connecticut.

So you ask: What was my time? Cover your eyes. 2:38:39. Was 3,529 of 3,718 finishers. I turned it into an ultra in mile 10 -- walk the uphills and try to simulate running the rest.

Tough course. The people that run the park regularly are in great shape for the New York City Marathon. With the NYC Marathon, you have the first mile that goes over the Verrazano-Narrows, followed by the long stretch through Brooklyn (which, in parts, is a very slight incline and the roads are not good - especially in miles 9-11).

By the time you get to the Pulaski Bridge, which is the halfway point, you're really feeling the effects of the 10:00 a.m. start as well. The Queensboro Bridge is right about mile 15.5, and then once you come off of it, you have the long run up 1st Avenue to the Bronx before crossing back into Manhattan. From there, after a turn or two, you run along the street that borders Central Park and then into the Park for a little bit of the rolling hills for about 2 miles before turning near 59th Street and turning it back to the finish near Tavern on the Green.

I'll say this: There will be no cheap wins on this course on November 3rd when the U.S. Olympic Trials for the marathon will be held. They'll do three (3) full loops and parts of two others. However, they'll be spared some of what we ran today according to an excerpt from an August New York Times article:

"After starting at Rockefeller Plaza, the competitors will enter the park at Seventh Avenue and head west, running one 4-mile loop, then four 5.1-mile loops before finishing near Tavern on the Green. Although athletes will be spared the steepest climbs (and descents) at the north end of the park, the course’s relentlessly rolling hills and frequent turns will make it challenging, particularly for rhythm runners who excel on long, flat stretches where they can settle into one pace."

A handful of American runners ran the NYC Half-Marathon presented by NIKE in early August, but one runner told me today is that it only included one loop in the Park before going out to the streets. Haile Gebrselassie won that event in 59:24 while Abdi Abdirahman was second in 1:00:29. Fellow Americans went this way: Alan Culpepper (6th in 1:03:34), Peter Gilmore (15th in 1:05:06) and Brandon Leslie (21st in 1:06:52).

Here's what Abdirahman said about running through Central Park:

The week was as much a mental training tool as a scouting mission for Abdirahman. By running a hard nine miles on the trials course Monday, the day after the half-marathon, he was able to experience the pain of pounding through Central Park on fatigued legs.

“Running the course when I had done a hard 13 miles the day before gave me the feeling of the last couple of miles, when you’re tired,” Abdirahman said, referring to latter stages of a marathon. “That’s an advantage — just to know what the course can do to you when you’re hurting.”

I experienced the "pain of pounding through Central Park" at a much slower rate of speed!

As bound by the "Truth In Blogging Act", here are the ugly splits:

Mile 1 -- 10:17.96
Mile 2 -- 11:07.70
Mile 3 -- 11:00.44
Mile 4 -- 11:23.82
Mile 5 -- 11:34.55
Mile 6 -- 11:49.47
Mile 7 -- 11:21.18
Mile 8 -- 12:25.73
Mile 9 -- 12:40.03
Mile 10 --13:39.84
Mile 11 -- 13:05.64
Mile 12 -- 13:51.86
Mile 13 -- 13:06.74
Last .1 -- 1:17.54

At 1 a.m. Eastern Friday, I was still sitting in my office in Pasadena, California working.

I boarded a 12:50 a.m. Pacific time flight, which got me home around 6:30 a.m. Central time Friday morning. After sleeping off and on most of the day, Waverly and I were at the airport by 7:30 p.m. for an 8:50 p.m. flight that never left until 9:50 p.m. Central.

We were scheduled to be at the gate at 1:26 a.m. Eastern on Saturday morning, but we never got the car at Hertz until 3 a.m.

By 4 a.m., we were pulled into a spot along Central Park West at 73rd Street for a two-and-a-half hour nap (yes, in the Taurus) before we walked over to pick up the bib number and t-shirt.

At approximately, 7 a.m., we walked down to 59th Street at Columbus Circle to go to Starbucks to get her something a little bit to eat. I'm not sure if the orange juice and blueberry scone that I had (to get something in me) had any real effect on me or not.

Nonetheless, it was an interesting morning and day!

Almost 5.5 Miles to the Foothills ... Almost

I wanted to put another hour on the treadmill Wednesday night, but my body was a little banged up from doing two hours the night before. (Yes, if it sounds like the tough guy routine; perhaps it is.)

Nonetheless, that didn't happen. I was up at around 5-something, checked e-mail and went back to bed. Regardless of how many races I've ever done, I'm not a morning person.

When my watch showed 6 a.m., I thought to myself that I wasn't going to feel good about heading into Saturday's half marathon in Central Park in New York City unless I got in another run this morning.

By 6:20 a.m., I was out in front of the Marriott Courtyard here in Pasadena, California on N. Fair Oaks Avenue heading north towards the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains.

I hadn't tried going north for a couple of reasons. One, I was told that some of the neighborhoods weren't exactly River Oaks or even suburban America and the other was -- it was uphill! Imagine half of the incline of the Elysian Street bridge going on for 2.25 miles and all of it beyond that. Therefore, I figured it was better to apply the old adage, "What goes up must come back down."

Granted, the neighborhood wasn't one that I would be walking in a suit flashing O.J.'s Rolex watch (I guess it is Ron Goldman's father's now), but it wasn't the worst barrio in the greater Los Angeles area either.

The temperatures were cool! :) Gotta love that. And it was something that I hadn't run in for awhile so the combination of that and going uphill got me about 6 minutes into the run.

I ran 2.74 miles north on N. Fair Oaks Ave. into Altadena, going all the way to Ventura Ave. just past the Mountain View Cemetary and its fresh cut grass. When I got to that intersection and saw what it would take to make it all the way to the foothills, I decided that it would have to wait for another morning. But I will be back.

The 2.74 miles up N. Fair Oaks Ave. took me 28:36.22 - a 10:26 pace. I tried to let it out - as much as my body will allow it - coming down. That is, until traffic slowed me down a little bit.

On the way back down to Walnut Ave., just south of Interstate 210, the 2.73 miles was done in 25:29.85 - for a pace of 9:20 per. I'd guess that the first two miles were probably closer to 9 minutes per, as I slowed down some towards the end. It is probably the first that I've gone that fast for that long in a little while; however, it felt good.

As I said, I'll be back for another challenge another day.

Tuesday Night Two-Hour Treadmill

A nice comeback, eh? I meant to last night, but went to get a bite to eat late and when I got back here to the hotel ... I didn't make it downstairs.

I feel pretty good. I'll pound the pavement this weekend out-of-state (after getting the trails Friday night as long as things stay on schedule.) I hear that "Coach Bill" is doing "double secret blind" workouts and that he'll be ready for the Brumble at Bear Branch (i.e. Nike South)!

Kept it simple and steady. The 4.0 mph setting on this brand - and it is one that has the TV monitors mounted in front of you (yes, it is Pasadena ... although not quite Hollywood) - doesn't feel like you're tip-toeing on it like the one at Bally's in The Woodlands.

So ... it was 4.0 mph to start and every 10 minutes bump it up .1 mph to 4.5 mph to get through hour #1 -- and then repeat!

Rick Cook would tell you that there wouldn't be enough money to keep him on a machine that long, but I'm not sure that I'd go traipsing up and down Arkansas hills for 20 hours this weekend like he will in the Arkansas Traveller 100. (I'll do battle with Central Park's rolling hills for something over 2 hours in the Grete's Great Gallop half marathon on Saturday.)

My speed is a function of my weight, my diet and the number of miles I put in (or how much I work out, including crosstraining activities.) I understand that.

And, to some former readers of this blog's surprise, I also don't care either.

When I feel like doing what I want to do to enjoy what it is that I'm doing, I'll do it. On my timetable and not anybody else's. :) We all have different goals. You want a sub 3-hour marathon and you're willing to put all of your marbles in that basket to get there and I want to run a marathon and a half marathon in every state -- and experience all life has to offer!

I've got a great column coming up in Runner Triathlete News in November, I hope, that I wouldn't have if I hadn't gone out to one of the Rice University Friday night All-Comers track meets. That same night, I got to talk about the sport with Jon Warren, meet a good guy in Glen McMicken - a publicist with the USATF, sports information guy at Rice and now assistant track coach at HBU, and watch Brett Riley try his hand at seven or eight different events - including the hurdles!

Here's the way I look at it: If I spent all of the hours running or working out that I did writing, compiling statistics and delivering a level of information on the sport that it is pretty darned good - and respected by many, I'd probably be doing all of the things other people want me to do.

But I like me ... just the way I am. All of the good things, and even some of the bad things.

How's that for a positive rant? And, oh yeah, in case I forget, I have a great daughter! :)

It looks like my Conroe Courier columns are starting to go online now. Here are the last two: September 25 and October 2. (And, ouch, they messed up the first sentence on the second one!)