Updated Running Log

In chart form this time... hard to believe that it has been six months since we all met up in Duluth. I am relaxing this week before starting up again on New Years Day. Sayonara, 2011!

Good times this past week in the Twin Cities with Bob Mustache, Esq. and Big Fundamentals. I intend to post a list of highlights after I get back home.

Ben & Mother Goose

Weighing in

Okay. Last night's conversations persuaded me that I should weigh in. And the fact that Google now has an app for Blogger encourages short, impromptu posts. 144.4 pounds: after pee, before breakfast. That's less than I expected. I'm disappointed. Unfortunately I don't have a weight gain program that I will be beginning soon.

2 easy weeks

I keep forgetting to weigh myself in the morning. Mid-day I've been hovering around 133.2 lbs. Hard to say if that's with a full bladder or not. I'm beginning my 2 easy weeks with just a few miles of running each week, so that I am well rested for the slow climb up the ladder to June 16th.

Paul Kebab and Big Fundamentals, I must admit to you a rather daunting and treacherous idea that I proposed to Jude L. last week, and to whom it was well-received.

By this summer, you should all agree, we will certainly be in good running shape after training all spring for the June marathon. I propose (pinky finger at edge of mouth) in July or August that we trail run the entire length of the Superior Hiking Trail. If we run/hike 55 miles each day, over the course of 5 days we will complete the full 275 mile trail. The days will be drenched in long daylight, so we needn't run fast. Say we take 13 hours each day to run/hike: That's just 4 1/4 miles per hour. Elizabeth and Michelle have exhibited an interest in acting as support crew. We will of course film the experience and submit the finished film to a festival, where it will win various accolades and honors. Plus we can say we ran the entire SHT. Boom!

Fattened Geese

Ben, you mentioned feeling like a fattened goose preparing for the long trek to Duluth and it reminded me that I've wanted to start a weekly weigh-in feature for some time now. Tim and I discussed this briefly last weekend and he seemed to agree that it was a good idea.
Pre-shower & post-pee, I tipped the scales at exactly 178.0 lbs this morning. To put this in some context...at my zenith I weighed 205 lbs. On the opposite end of the spectrum, I believe I weighed 160 (or so) lbs during my senior year at Mac.

Nebraska

Okay. Too much time has passed since I last posted. First, a little recap of Thanksgiving vacation. The Living History Farm race was exhilarating as usual. The temperature was above freezing at race time and there was no precipitation. Basically perfect conditions. I didn't see Mr. Loincloth, who has become a fixture at the event. Maybe he is too old and too cold. There were plenty of exuberant teenagers, many of them sporting costumes: Smurfs, naked sushi, Gumby and Pokey, Team Speedo, Occupy LHF, etc. We've all run this race before, but it's easy to forget how much fun it is and how difficult the course is. Pavement, gravel, grass, corn field, forest, water, rolling prairie. I got out to a quick start to avoid the masses. I followed Collegeville. There has been quite a bit of streambank erosion over the years, which makes for more challenging creek crossings. The Iowa Beef Council was a sponsor again. That means beef stew and buttermilk biscuits afterwards. I also had a cup of hot cider and four doughnuts. Mmmm, doughnuts.

We spend the night after the race in Omaha with my sister. Then we stopped in Lincoln to visit old friends before we made the rest of the trip to Hastings. I ran three times in H-town, continuing my practice of three runs per week. Here's the route. The unique thing about these runs is that they were morning runs. I was out the door before the sun peaked over the horizon. I am not a morning runner, but during a week of gluttony there is really only one time when running is advisable. Plus, it the morning is a peaceful time to run. Except when the wind is blowing 35mph. I forgot how windy Nebraska is. When I say 35mph, that means 35mph nonstop, no respite. Not gusting up to 35mph - any gusting is on top of 35mph. It was great! It's an experience that is good for the senses. The wind makes all sorts of interesting sounds. The low, eerie hum over power lines. The ripping of a flag desparately trying to avoid the northerly bluster. Corn stover bouncing down the street and dragging over the cement. I felt like a human sail. Stymied in the headwind, almost running in place. Then at my back, pushed faster than my legs could turn over. I'm glad it wasn't cold.

Anyway, Thanksgiving was good. I felt like a goose fattening up before the long journey to Duluth begins.

Weekly Long Run

Jude and I ran 12 miles through the streets and hills of Duluth this morning. Paul, I taught him the signs for the Two Ways.