WILL AMERICAN IDOL EVER END?

When I began to train for my first marathon in 2002, I strapped on my radio walkman and listened to whatever stations I had programed into the thing. One Sunday, during a long run, I pushed the PBS button. No music. "Dang!" I thought. They often feature live concert rebroadcasts by the Minnesota Orchestra (I lived in the Twin Cities) which are perfect for running the lakes.

Rather, there was an interview with TV Guide columnist Joe Queenan. He discussed one of his books. In "Red Lobster, White Trash and the Blue Lagoon," he devotes an entire summer to finding the worst entertainment possible. Why did he feel the need? Because he couldn't believe how bad "Cats" was, and was impelled to seek out something worse. I won't tell you the outcome(though the title gives you food for thought), but I will tell you that the composer--and I use that term liberally--of Cats is Andrew Loyd Weber--the source of American Idol's songlist this week.

Now folks, I don't mean to offend any fans of ALW(I know you paid good money for those theater tickets last time in the NYC) but his music is at best, drab and plagiaristic. It's perfect fodder for the likes American Idol, looking to fill the gap between Dolly Parton week and Neil Diamond week next time. Seriously.

This show starts with 30,000 contestants, and eliminates one each week. This week it was the gal--Carly?--with the world's largest tattoo on her arm, who was at the voters' hindmost. Oh writers! Why must you strike? "Reality TV" has insinuated itself into our culture and I keep living in households where someone--not me-- has been snatched in its ruthless talons and I'm coerced into watching the bloodshed.

They're down to .....6? I don't really know. On line, I see discussions contemplating who will be the NEXT American Idol...I don't know who was the last. Often, it's a semantic banter over the meaning of "idol." Whatever. I just want to buy a big enough house so I can vanish when Michael Bolton week comes up.

Now that I'm running outside, I've got to keep my easy days easier. It's so natural for me to start at 8 minute pace and two miles later be going 7:20 or so. But my legs will never recover from the longer or faster runs at that pace. There are IT-band aches, periformis pains, knee problems, etc. at the beginning of each run. And they don't all go away once warmed up. So recovery runs are crucial.

Today, after nearly a week of running faster than planned on successive days, I forced myself to start at 9 minute pace, and take a walk break every 10 minutes for 30 seconds. Still, if you take away the walking time and first mile, the pace was 8 minutes for most of the run--less than a minute slower than MP. So I'm still working at getting the recovery pace down.

Tomorrow, I'll do a tempo run at HM pace. I wish I had more outdoor time to prepare for the 5/4 half marathon.

Lots of my marathoning colleagues are taking on the time-honored course of Boston. It's something I aspired to my first year but still have yet to get around to doing. I wish them all good luck. The weather should be good--a big plus. This is the 5th straight year I've been qualified, but the travel expense and questionable weather has kept me away.

I might do it next year; I don't see myself running marathons much longer. So if I am able to qualify for next year and stay healthy I'd like to get out there.

For the first time in 2008, I ran long today. Not too long, just 14 miles, but nonetheless, I had the "good sore" feeling after the run. As I've said in previous posts, I've been treadmill running all winter, weaning myself off over the last two weeks.
The result? Faster miles but some sore muscles and joints unused to the impact. Today's run was a good example. My overall pace was around 7:30/ mile for 11.6 miles, with the last 5 at around 7:05 pace, but I felt a twinge here, a pain there. All in all, however, it was not a hard effort and it give me confidence that I can build into some fast races soon. But I've got to stay off that treadmill and build up my tolerance to the pounding of street running.

The lawns here are sand colored and little is green, but at least it's warm out--57F--and the sun shines for us today. I'm planning on a half marathon in two weeks and again in 4 weeks. I'll be ready in four weeks...as for two, we'll see. It's a 3.5 hour drive away. I'm itching to race, but it might just be smarter to wait for the ING Ottawa in mid-May. I'll see how the training goes.

Tomorrow, I'll trace many friend's Boston efforts. Good running to all!

Six miles in 44 minutes on the streets after 2 miles on the treadmill in 17 minutes. Except for the last two miles of the run I felt I was going at a nice easy aerobic pace. For me that would be 7:50/mile or so. But my measured "easy runs" are clocking between 6:50-7:40 pace. Yesterday I ran the last 10K of an "easy" run on hilly, gravelly streets at 7:20 pace. My legs feel it a bit, but I'm happy with the effortlessness of these near MP-pace runs.

Why am I running faster without trying? The treadmill I ran on all winter has a definite uphill pitch to it. So some of those 50 miles a week I sustained all winter were higher quality than I first thought. That also accounts for the difficulty adapting to the impact of asphalt. But after a summer of clocking sluggish training times on the Timmins streets last year, it's nice to see all of these faster times.

On Saturday I'll be running with a group of slower runners, but we'll go 10-12 miles. So I'll do my 20-minute tempo run first on the treadmill, then the long, easy run. It should help my threshold for the MH in 20 days.

Lesson: the treadmill has error margins that must be acknowledged...

Good News--My Treadmill Stinks!

Now that I'm running outdoors, I'm finding that my natural pace is nearly a minute/mile faster than what it felt to be on the infernal running machine.
Today, for example, I ran for 30 minutes at 8:20 pace on the tread, then went outside and ran with the same perceived effort. I went 6.35 miles in 44:45--more like 7:10 pace. And I had to slow several times due to poor footing. I'd be more skeptical of the outdoor routes, but I did them last year and they were accurate.
In Panama, the Gym's TMs seemed easier to keep a good pace on...bottom line--my treadmill is miscalibrated, and I spent the winter running faster and possibly longer than thought. Sweet! Last season, my back injury kept such a pall on running that going faster is a great relief. Sudberry HM here we come!

JIM RYUN: my childhood hero...

Jim redefined what it was to be a distance runner in the 1960s. He had crazy speed (47 on the 400) and an unsurpassed work ethic, even as a 16-year old HS student in Kansas. By the time he was 20 he held 3 world records (3:51.1; 1:44.9-880; the indoor 880) and had run HS times( 3:55-mile) that would take over 30 years to surpass.

He was a 1968 silver medalist and had good reason to feel cheated at Munich(1972), where he was tripped in a heat, and though he was the fastest miler in the world, never had the opportunity to run for the gold.

Beyond that, he was a good guy. He took the time to counsel me at length in 1974 at his running clinic, though he could have cold shouldered me in a heartbeat. For an hour we ran together, talking over running and goals outside of the track.

What is strange to me is to realize that even then, he was only 26 years old. He and his wife, Anne, were like parents to all of us HS distance runners. As a runner, I understood what it was to be humble after our chat. It was a valuable lesson; I left running for awhile, which was the right thing.

At 26, I was a grad student who had no clue what to do....At 26, he was a three-time Olympian with a tumultuous career behind him, trying to be certain we didn't repeat his mistakes. He'll always be a big part of my running.

FASTER THAN I THOUGHT!

I ran an easy 8.2 miles in under an hour! I don't have my pacing down yet. But it's nice to see some fast running when it's totally unplanned. I was trying to go at an easy pace in the rare Timmins sun. Tomorrow I'll go at Recovery pace....promise! Also I'm down to 157lbs....a good sign for next month's race...

ENDORPHINS
Time keeps slipping by without my training shifting into pre-race mode. So today I did a tempo session after a 2 mile w/up, followed by a 2-mile cool down. Pace was around 6:30/mile, which I ran for 3.5 miles. This is around my LT pace. I felt so good afterwards, I posted the following on RW marathon training forum:What does it for you? We're always told that these magical mood elevators are connected to running. Any workout do it for you? Or is it just running in general?
For me, the tempo run, once completed, gives me a relaxed, hopeful, giddy feeling. I suspect being at threshold pace without battering the legs does the trick.
How about you?
workout: 2 miles at 8:45
3.5 miles at 6:30
1 mile at 8:30

How stupid am I?

Today I ran 10.5 miles outside. I'm trying to run on the streets more than on the treadmill, and I'd planned a 10-plus miler this weekend.

But hey, why not today? My computer said 25 degrees out, but often those readings are an hour old. The wind was howling, but we live in a windy gulch where the wind often sounds worse than it is. The sky was gray, but it often brightens up in the mornings. Besides an inspector was supposed to check out something in our place, and I didn't particularly want to be around when readings were taken.

So, on went the thin running pants, the thin fleece over shirt, the thin gloves and my thin hat. Then, out I went on a there-and-back run. It's April right? How cold can it feel once the old engine is warmed-up? In Timmins, 25 degrees and windy is nothing compared with an average January day; on average January days, however, I ran on the treadmill rather than on a rural highway with no windbreaks and snow blowing like the backdrop for Dr. Zhivago.

At the 6-mile mark my fingers were losing feeling and the tears on my face were frozen. My ipod ceased working: something it does out of anger when it's feeling abused. But that's OK, I could no longer hold on to it anyway. I put it and the icy earphones away.

But it's APRIL! Right?...

Anyway, I finish up the 10.3 in around 1:22, which is good considering how slow I felt out there. So I get in the bathtub and start thawing out. KNOCK, KNOCK..."Inspector here!" Since I was indisposed he said he'd come back. 3.5 hours later, no inspector. I guess I fell to the bottom of the queue. The good news is that I'm thinking I'll get to keep my nose. It's warmed up to 27 with a chill around 10f. In three days it'll feel like spring again...Where is that cursed inspector, anyway?
workout 10.3 miles at 9:20 first 1.5 miles, 7:48 next 8.7